HOW TO Beat the WEEKEND GAIN, without giving up my weekend??

UCONNCOED
UCONNCOED Posts: 332 Member
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
I am down again this week and it feels great.... but every week I am back up again after my weekend of going out or eating out. And all week it is battle to get back down before FRIDAY, my weigh in day.

I have already been doing MUCH better and being more concious over the weekends, but I still want to have fun be more relaxed with my eating. What are some suggestions?? What do other people do to beat the weekend?

Replies

  • wonderwoman22886
    wonderwoman22886 Posts: 29
    I changed my weigh in day to Monday specifically for this reason, the weekends are really tough! It got easier though when I started inviting people over for dinner instead of going out, since I like to cook. Since we are all college students, no one was going to turn down a free meal! But if there is no getting around going out, or I really want to eat at a specific restaurant, I make myself a salad with just veggies and a non fat dressing just before I leave the house, so by the time I get to the restaurant I don't feel super hungry. I've found that having the salad first really helps me be more in control of my restaurant choices.

    Good luck!
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
    I stopped looking at it as "the weekend" and training my brain to see it as any other day of the week. I will allow myself a glass of wine, and if we are going out, possibly a small shared dessert. The idea is, why do you need to go to excess on the weekend? Is it worth gaining the bloat, and the ensuing battle to lose it again?
  • Cranny
    Cranny Posts: 27 Member
    Ironic that you posted this...because this is the EXACT thought that has been going through my head all morning!

    I just found MFP a week ago, and have been doing good on it - planning on my 1st weigh in on monday - but I know from past experince that I do HORRIBLE on weekends.... toooo many munchies....

    I guess the easiest and smartest thing for us to do it to THINK about everything we WANT/TRY to eat....? Hold ourself accountable for every mouthfull. And don't forget to exercise... we are supposed to have the best weather we've had in MONTHS...so I know it will be hard to be inside to do my videos....so I'm planning on walking the dogs a few times a day - get out in that sun!!

    Good Luck!! Please let me know how you do - maybe we can encourage each other - since we'll be fighting the same battle!!
  • BornNRaised
    BornNRaised Posts: 44
    Stick to your guns and DON'T eat out and don't eat after 7pm. If you have to eat out, pick what you are to eat and plug it in to your food list and stick to it. Most restaurants have their menu on line now and it helps. Start thinking that your food list is the law and don't vary from it. It takes great courage to stick to it and I know you can do it.:happy:
  • dolphin7
    dolphin7 Posts: 192 Member
    I agree with wonderwoman22, we invite friends over a lot of the time on weekends, because I like to cook, and they all love my food, and I don't overeat this way. Also something else that has helped me lose the first 34 lbs. (I'm halfway to my goal), is I do have one rest day on the weekend, because I normally workout Mon-Fri, but then my other weekend day I have left, I try to stay very active, either hiking, snowboarding, skiing, something that burns a lot of calories, this has helped me in the past. Good luck!
  • Mellie13
    Mellie13 Posts: 424
    If I know I am going to have a high calorie dinner I just plan for that the rest of the day WITHOUT starving myself. I eat a normal breakfast, keep my snacks low cal, but healthy-no "cheats", a light lunch, like a hearty salad or some soup and drink lots of water. If there is time, I also make sure I work out to "earn" some extra calories. That's what I do! Good luck! I also agree with the Monday weigh in option. I started a Biggest Loser challenge for the women at my office and we weigh in on Mondays for that very reason!! Good luck and have a great weekend!! :)
  • josalynbass
    josalynbass Posts: 1
    I have been having the same problem! Just yesturday I had a friend sugest that I make my weigh in day Mon or Tues instead of friday so that I am more accountable during the weekend. This will be my first weekend so I don't know if it will work.
  • michaeljdougherty1
    michaeljdougherty1 Posts: 5
    Just try to exercise for an hour or so in the morning. That will give you more calories to work with. It's a pain and tough, but makes you feel better when you see 300 more calories earned through exercise.
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
    This is tough, because I know I am - or was, I guess - a notorious snacker and NOT someone who wants to prepare stuff for lunch at home on the weekends. I just had to train myself to think of the weekend like a weekday. I still plan in advance. Because my snacking isn't as structured as on work days, I plan all of my meals. I enter in breakfast, lunch and dinner as soon as I can and know how much I have to spend on snacking. And I stick to it.

    Also - another way to compensate on the weekend is, if you are like me and work Mon-Fri, then the weekend is when I have the most uninterrupted time during the day to workout. I put in an extra hard workout on weekends to allow for more food and snacking. I get up in the morning and go to work out to buy back as many calories as I can before I start with lunch. This also helps me not snack away the morning since I'm at the gym and not at my house.
  • ka_42
    ka_42 Posts: 720 Member
    Weekends are not easy! I find myself eating whatever my boyfriend wants to eat~! I just started MFP this week and so far so good but I've been asking myself the same question. I think the key will be making sure I'm keeping up with documenting my food. Planning ahead has done good things for me this week. I put in all of my meals and snacks as soon as I can. I know that I'll be eating out this weekend but I've already decided I'm getting a salad wherever we go. Since I've started dieting I haven't been drinking alcohol much at all. I think I'll allow myself one glass of wine or one beer. Who wants to drink their calories, right?! Good luck, lady!
  • toots99
    toots99 Posts: 3,794 Member
    I stopped looking at it as "the weekend" and training my brain to see it as any other day of the week. I will allow myself a glass of wine, and if we are going out, possibly a small shared dessert. The idea is, why do you need to go to excess on the weekend? Is it worth gaining the bloat, and the ensuing battle to lose it again?

    Just this morning, as I did my Friday weigh in, I said to myself, "Now be good this weekend, and you'll really see results next week! It's just a weekend, nothing special about it, just a day llike any other!"

    Living alone, I talk to myself a lot. :laugh:
  • cds2327
    cds2327 Posts: 439
    It's harsh, but i've been looking at it this way...

    If i am going to fall into this "weekend gain" trap, i may as well give up. why allow myself an excuse for the weekends.....why stop there, why not have beginning of the week gain (because mondays suck), etc.
    See, if i give myself any excuses then i set myself up to fail. Sure, you can cheat once in awhile, and you will, but we can not give ourselves and excuse simply because it is saturday and sunday.
    Also, i throw in a "peek" weigh in on sunday morning, to make sure i am on track!
  • DamienRiceFan
    DamienRiceFan Posts: 30
    Weekends are not easy! I find myself eating whatever my boyfriend wants to eat~! I just started MFP this week and so far so good but I've been asking myself the same question. I think the key will be making sure I'm keeping up with documenting my food. Planning ahead has done good things for me this week. I put in all of my meals and snacks as soon as I can. I know that I'll be eating out this weekend but I've already decided I'm getting a salad wherever we go. Since I've started dieting I haven't been drinking alcohol much at all. I think I'll allow myself one glass of wine or one beer. Who wants to drink their calories, right?! Good luck, lady!

    I totally agreee with you on the alcohol calories - I use to drink at least 900 beer calories a weekend! Imagine all the food I could have had instead -
  • coronalime
    coronalime Posts: 583 Member
    Right now I WORKOUT! for instance on Friday I knew I was going out with the girls. Lots of beer and junky food. I rode my bike for 2 hrs and I ate very light for the day. At the bar I had a grilled chicken sandwich no bun no condiments. I "should" have told them no fries but I didnt (o well). So now today I was going to rest but hubby wants to try this new place to eat so I swam for an hr and had a VERY light lunch no snacks. Tomorrow I am in the clear for going out and another 2 hr bike ride so I should be OK even with the overidges.
    The weekends are my reason that I am fat cardio junkie. I am overweight and have done 3 marathons.
    I think that we both know what we "need" to do. I need to cut down on the drinking and when eating out I need to make much smarter choices consistently. Until I grow up though I just keep working out.
    Make sure you enter your food as you eat it during the weekend so you dont get surprised at the end of the day.
    Good luck
  • jw17695
    jw17695 Posts: 438 Member
    Instead of focusing on food activities with your friends focus on physical activities. A group of you guys could go hiking, walking someone's dog, or find a class at a local rec. center to take.
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