Good at work, bad when off...help!

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vikdexkaykai
vikdexkaykai Posts: 92 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,

I guess I'm just looking for some encouragement and support here. Maybe similar stories to help me not feel so alone and any suggestions??!!

So here's my problem...the days that I'm at work, I do really well! My eating is in control (maybe because I only have what I packed), and I always hit the gym on my lunch (I work at a hospital and have access to a free gym). BUT...when I'm off I get the "happy" feeling (and lazy too I suppose), which triggers me to want to eat.. and it's usually crap. I find myself going in a similar circle. I try and take my kids for a walk on my off days, to get some exercise in at least, but that doesn't always happen. I also spend some of my off days running errands, so I end up eating out and find myself looking forward to it.

So maybe I need for help with my food addiction or maybe I just need to kick myself harder in the *kitten*. Maybe I need to hear some harsh words or maybe some encouraging ones.

Needless to say, I lose some weight, then gain it back when I'm off which is why I can't seem to see any results on the scale (the 38 lb loss you see is not that recent and in fact I'm been at a plateau for far too long). Although, I can say that I have noticed a difference in my strength and the way my upper body looks (due to strength training).

That's all for now, thanks for letting me vent and for providing any encouraging words.

Jenn :tongue:

Replies

  • peuglow
    peuglow Posts: 684 Member
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    I have found myself in similar circumstances. The best advice I have is to PREP PREP PREP

    Meaning, prepare all your weekend food ahead of time. Take it with you. I'd be lying if I said I never ate at a family gathering, but I find the more I stick to my regular foods, the better off my progress.
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
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    When you feel the urge to eat try doing a short burst workout, say 10 mins and when you've done that you may have gotten over the urge. It works for me :smile:
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
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    It sounds as though your workdays are well-planned but your weekends are not. Maybe pre-planning your weekends would help to keep you on track?
  • Naedantz
    Naedantz Posts: 5 Member
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    Planning is key... you have to have a plan and be preparred ahead of time for your moments that you know you may cheat. Try keeping healthy snacks in your purse. Pre-plan your meals and having them in your fridge at home. I hope this helps. Good Luck!
  • skinnygrlwithin
    skinnygrlwithin Posts: 3 Member
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    I have very similar problems. My work days are so structured, my meals are planned, I go straight to the gym...but then the weekends hit, and all goes out the window. We go out to eat a lot, or traveling to craft breweries and wineries... I am always influenced by other people's food choices on the weekends... I feel like every monday I'm "starting over." So no...you're definitely not alone in this.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
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    Hi dear!

    I was having the same exact issue. My lunches that I take to work are perfection. The problem was when I got home, especially waiting for the boyfriend to get home to make dinner. I would help myself to a few "appetizers"...

    The only thing that worked for me was to SLOWLY change my habits. Maybe two weeknights, plan (and make) healthy dinners. If you're someone who needs dessert, buy some low-cal desserts (like sugar free pudding, skinny cow stuff, etc) and have one after dinner if you still have some calories left. Then make it 3 nights a week...etc. Build up slowly so it becomes a habit. THEN start tackling the weekends. I am 5 months into my journey and I have just now solidified my new habits and broke my old ones. I don't always eat the healthiest things (like last weekend I went to a wedding where it was all Italian food) but you can use portion control to stay within your calories for the day.

    It really takes time, which is the hardest part. Log every day, whether it's good or not. Making your diary public helps too, because you don't want to be embarrassed. That is purely personal preference of course.

    Good luck! Add me!
  • clrug0912
    clrug0912 Posts: 43 Member
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    I run into a similar situation where I do really well Monday-Friday, and then come Sat and Sunday where I feel like I just want to take a break from all the lunchtime workouts and eating the same stuff over and over. It has been my goal lately to not treat the weekend as a weekend. I think the thing that really made me want the change was two weeks ago, I was SO close to falling into the next set of 10's, I let one weekend shoot me back up and now I'm just getting back down and hoping to lose by Friday morning to have a loss this week.

    Some of things that helped me on my off days was for one, knowing that I wanted the bigger goal, and how sad I was when I woke up that Monday morning knowing that I let myself down by undoing my hard work during the week. I also started packing snacks. I throw an apple or special k bar in my bag so that i can continue to eat small meals instead of one big one. Then, even if you do decide to grab something out... you can grab a drink and a sandwhich instead of a whole meal. I also try to substitue when I order out. For example, we ran threw the Arby's drive through the other night on our way up to my inlaws. I got a classic roast beef sandwhich and instead of fries i did a side salad ( best of both worlds?). I also do the same thing at subway. instead of chips with my sub, i get the apple slices. It is difficult at times, especially when my husband is ordering large curly fries which are my favorite! I also made myself run a mile last Saturday morning, which really helped me through out the day. It was a quick 10 minute run that I followed up with crunches and push ups. It wasn't the 45 minute workout I was used to but it was something. Last, I try and drink a TON of water on the weekends. I've noticed that when I do this it really helps with my weigh ins.

    Keep your head up! you just have to find your groove and stick with it. Sometimes it's uncomfortable making changes to your lifestyle but usually the most uncomfortable changes are the ones that are most rewarding.
  • akgordoa
    akgordoa Posts: 55
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    This is a tough one. I kind of struggled with this too. Just remember breaking habits takes more time and will power than we expect. So, be gentle with yourself. At least you are aware of the bad habits, so you have a choice to continue them! Not sure how you feel about your "at work" diet, but definitely try to stay positive about it too. Get happy about eating the healthy stuff the same way you do about the bad stuff. Nothing stops you from doing anything but yourself.
  • derekj222
    derekj222 Posts: 370 Member
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    Get all foods that are bad for you OUT of the house, and replace with healthy, light snacks. Because when you don't have anything to eat, or feeling down or tired the last thing you want to do is prepare a meal. Fill your fridge with fresh produce and try to plan meals ahead of time. I always am sure to de-thaw turkey breast or chicken the night before so I'm not tempted to eat something bad for me the next night for dinner.
  • njgirl50
    njgirl50 Posts: 62 Member
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    You are not alone, I have issues with that too, and the kicker is I work at home now. As some of the other posts state, you have to prepare ahead of time. I try to keep healthy foods in the house - bagged salad, cook some chicken & either rice or quinoa so when its time to eat, all I have to do is grab it. If I am out running errands, I always have water & a protein bar so I am less tempted to eat bad. If you do find yourself stopping for fast food, familiarize yourself with the menu and calorie counts so you can make better choices. Losing weight is hard, but you can do it & it is so worth it. My old weight watcher leader used to say, "If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail" Good Luck!
  • hosegirl
    hosegirl Posts: 157
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    I hear you. I try to schedule my days just like my work days. I try tot eat at the same times. I record what I eat. I do a few excercises. My husband laughs when I use the counter to do my push ups. I place my hands on the counter edge. My feet are back and then I do a push up towards the counter. I lift hand weights while standing on one leg. I do one rep with one leg lifted then I switch legs and do another rep. You need to control the weigh and tighten your core. Try doing a plank as well for excercise. Get a set of bands to work at home with. You will be surprised. I take them on vacation with me when we go camping.
  • redscylla
    redscylla Posts: 211 Member
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    I can't vouch for whether it is truly working yet, but this is one of the reasons I'm doing the 5:2 fasting method that BBC covered a while back. I basically have two "fast" days per week (500 cals), then three moderate calorie days (1400-1600, so I'm still at a deficit) and then two relaxed days, usually Saturday and Sunday. Like you, it's easy for me to regulate what I eat at work, so it's pretty simple to do my fast days. So far I'm not suffering on those fast days, and I am losing weight. Slowly, as always, but it's happening. I've only been doing this for a month, though, so I can't yet say if it's a method I'll stick with or not.
  • Nessi37
    Nessi37 Posts: 47 Member
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    I stuggle with this myself. I pack my work lunches and snacks in advance. I very rarely give in to the tempation of bagels or donuts that always seem to make their way into the office....BUT...when I get home bad things happen! I have found a couple things that help. They dont make this problem go away entirely but they help me to reduce the amount of damage I do when I am ready to eat the entire kitchen:

    I save the majority of my calories for dinner and an evening snack or dessert. I make sure I have enough to keep me satisfied during the day but because I know my problem is at night I make sure I have a buffer.

    I have grilled chicken breast cut up in the fridge along with precut veggies and hummus. It really helps me to have something to snack on while I am cooking. Not only does this keep me from ravaging my kitchen cupboards but it makes it easy to control my dinner portions.

    I also do a lot of meal planning and prep work. For example I might brown my ground sirloin the night before, or precut veggies etc. The faster I get dinner prepared the better of I am for the rest of the night.

    Last but not least I do my excersize between dinner and my evening snack. I am way less tempted to each a big bowl of ice cream if I have a good understanding of how many minutes of the treadmill it takes to burn it off.

    Hope these help, good luck!! You can do it!!!
  • LailaB123
    LailaB123 Posts: 18 Member
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    Thank you so much for posting this - this is EXACTLY what I am dealing with today! I did great during the day, and got home last night and made mac & cheese - using the excuse that I had a bad day and needed comfort food. My workdays are great because I plan. My evenings are always up for grabs because I haven't a clue what to do! Everyone on here has great ideas, and I thank you all so much for sharing! Obviously, for me anyhow, planning and patience will make a difference for me. Thanks everyone!!
  • vikdexkaykai
    vikdexkaykai Posts: 92 Member
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    WOW thank you everyone for your support and suggestions!

    Eventough I know that there are obviously so many people struggling with eating (just look at the enormous community that is MFP), I still feel alone in my struggle. So I am always happy to hear I'm not alone.

    I hear the same thing over and over...that being "PREP PREP PREP". Seeing as it is a common thread, I guess it is what works. This I need to work on :ohwell:
    I also need to try thinking like the weekends/off days, are regular days and try and keep to the 'work' schedule (as much as realistic).

    Thanks again,

    Jenn :tongue:

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