When bad days outweigh good days
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_J_en
Posts: 40 Member
I have some pretty good days, healthy eating, staying under calorie goal...which I can sustain for a good part of the work week.
Then Friday night comes, Saturday dinner outs, catch up lunches, birthday parties, :drinker: etcs ...and the will power goes out the window. :explode:
Even if there isnt any social event on, I tend to relax my eating way too much, giant portions, too many snacks, lots of desserts, take away food and junk.
The calories I consume in the weekend can often override all the good days and I finish the week way over calories due to my bad weekend eating habits.:sad:
What are some strategies to overcome???
Then Friday night comes, Saturday dinner outs, catch up lunches, birthday parties, :drinker: etcs ...and the will power goes out the window. :explode:
Even if there isnt any social event on, I tend to relax my eating way too much, giant portions, too many snacks, lots of desserts, take away food and junk.
The calories I consume in the weekend can often override all the good days and I finish the week way over calories due to my bad weekend eating habits.:sad:
What are some strategies to overcome???
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Replies
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Well, I'm somewhat in the same boat. My husband likes to eat out and go out during the weekends. So, it is harder to eat healthy. My big mistake was not making sure that my blood sugar stayed up today. I ate my regular breakfast, which is healthy. Then, we left to go on an adventure, and I was hungry at 1. He wasn't, so we didn't eat until 4:30/5:00. I was ravenous by then. We went to a Mexican restaurant, and I slaughtered half of the container of chips and salsa and then ate almost my whole plate of food. Ugh. I am still full at 4 hours later, and I'm sluggish because I ate so much. I'd be curious what other people do for the weekends.0
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If I'm going to a party or someone's house I will have a small healthy meal before I go so that I'm not starving and will not munch on junk food. Position yourself away from the food, if it's set up on a table in the room choose the chair on the opposite side.
When you're going out to eat I will order the appertizer instead of an entree or even from the kids menu if I can as I find portion control is the hardest thing about eating at a restaurant. This way you can still have a treat but you're not going super overboard.
Also ordering water instead of alcohol or pop is a big thing as well. It's amazing how many calories you can drink
I hope this helps or gives you some ideas. 0 -
Hi, it's a big challenge to stay within your calorie goal when you eat socially, and can't just leave the table when you have eaten your allotment of calories. My family hosts every week-end, and it is my big challenge too. I try to fill my plate with salads, raw vegetable sticks, cut up fruit and such... hoping not to end up with an extra slice of dessert/chicken or whatnot. I end up eating more pretty much every week-end, but I try to walk it off with walks in the evening.0
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What's your deficit set at during the week? What's your general eating plan?
I suspect it's too restrictive to be sustainable, causing you to go overboard when you 'relax'.0 -
For me it comes down to discipline and planning. We all have moments when we have bad days, but you need to keep them limited or planned cheat days. When I have lots of social events, I will do like others here suggested and plan it so I eat a healthy meal before hand and keep the garbage to a minimum. Eating and living a healthy is a lifestyle choice that you either make or you dont. I plan all my meals every day and I know what I am eating the day before. I know that sounds boring or a little OCD, but its me and its how I love to live my life. I hope you can swing the pendulum the other direction and get your bad days to a much more smaller level than the good ones. Good luck!0
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Oh gosh..I was just complaining about this to my husband lol...The weekdays I do soooo well...I just hope it balances out but I am sure it doesn't...although..have you heard of the 5:2 diet?? I haven't done it but it claims that you eat basically whatever for 5 days and then fast on whatever 2 days...and you'll lose weight..when I think of a diet like that, I think, well what I do on the weekend must be ok...but who knows if that diet actually works...0
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1200 per day for the highest deficit to lose 1kg / 2lbs per week.
Also follow a version of paleo. so no bread/rice for me mainly (which I love)
No snacks or desserts during the week..so do crave it eventually.
Can not do moderation, so I dont have foods I like (chocolates, ice cream) during the week can go overboard so I prefer to avoid. and it does work for the most part.0 -
Planning is the key for me. For example today we went out to a family getogether and I took my own snacks with me. I saw a bit of yummy cake with cream and for a few seconds I thought maybe I could have a piece but the temptation didn't last long. For me its like giving up smoking. I can't have one cigarette and nor can I have one piece of chocolate etc. Of course there are exceptions to the rule. Last week I let myself have one day off for my sisters pre wedding afternoon tea but I made sure I went for an extra walk that day. For family dinners I will make sure I am really good during the day and keep to my limits and then leave certain things off my plate at dinner time. I just need to keep my goal in mind and if I slip up don't let it stop me getting back on track the next meal.0
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Your deficit is too high and your diet is too restrictive. If you find some balance, a diet you can live with long term, you can get off the rollercoaster of restriction and overeating permanently. If you have trigger foods that you have to eliminate, and cannot handle moderation with those choices, that's understandable, but it sounds like you are eliminating everything you like out of fear and then wondering why you can't keep focus when you loosen the reigns. You don't have to include trigger foods to be able to do moderation, but what you are doing isn't working, and you also seem unwilling to change it. Good luck to you.1200 per day for the highest deficit to lose 1kg / 2lbs per week.
Also follow a version of paleo. so no bread/rice for me mainly (which I love)
No snacks or desserts during the week..so do crave it eventually.
Can not do moderation, so I dont have foods I like (chocolates, ice cream) during the week can go overboard so I prefer to avoid. and it does work for the most part.0 -
Thanks for advice!! Really needed it
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Set your goal at a more realistic 1lb a week and try not to be so restrictive.0
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What are some strategies to overcome???
Don't overeat every single weekend. That's a good strategy0 -
I'm the reverse - I manage to eat fine on the weekends (usually) and find it harder during the week. My overall daily calorie goal is 2000 a day, so 14,000 a week. I allow myself 1,400 on weekend days and 2,200 on weekdays. You could do a reverse and reduce Mon-Thu by 200 calories each and up Fri-Sun by 265ish.
EDIT: nevermind, just read you're only eating 1,200 a day.0 -
Your deficit is too high and your diet is too restrictive. If you find some balance, a diet you can live with long term, you can get off the rollercoaster of restriction and overeating permanently. If you have trigger foods that you have to eliminate, and cannot handle moderation with those choices, that's understandable, but it sounds like you are eliminating everything you like out of fear and then wondering why you can't keep focus when you loosen the reigns. You don't have to include trigger foods to be able to do moderation, but what you are doing isn't working, and you also seem unwilling to change it. Good luck to you.1200 per day for the highest deficit to lose 1kg / 2lbs per week.
Also follow a version of paleo. so no bread/rice for me mainly (which I love)
No snacks or desserts during the week..so do crave it eventually.
Can not do moderation, so I dont have foods I like (chocolates, ice cream) during the week can go overboard so I prefer to avoid. and it does work for the most part.
What she says! I still have ice cream, but limit myself to one serving a day and yes that is with chocolate syrup. I still have kraft mac and cheese, why? Because I love it, but I don't make it but maybe 1 every 2 weeks and I stick to the one serving (used to make it every day and have like 2 servings lol). My calorie intake was set to 1400 for the past two weeks, and I felt hungry and mad all the time, and found myself binging sometimes. Come to find out it is because my intake was too low. I was below even my BMR. So my binges were my body screaming at me for food. I am set to lose one pound a week and can still eat 1800 calories a day (no I don't eat my calories back) and this is working wonders for me.0 -
Your deficit is too high and your diet is too restrictive. If you find some balance, a diet you can live with long term, you can get off the rollercoaster of restriction and overeating permanently. If you have trigger foods that you have to eliminate, and cannot handle moderation with those choices, that's understandable, but it sounds like you are eliminating everything you like out of fear and then wondering why you can't keep focus when you loosen the reigns. You don't have to include trigger foods to be able to do moderation, but what you are doing isn't working, and you also seem unwilling to change it. Good luck to you.1200 per day for the highest deficit to lose 1kg / 2lbs per week.
Also follow a version of paleo. so no bread/rice for me mainly (which I love)
No snacks or desserts during the week..so do crave it eventually.
Can not do moderation, so I dont have foods I like (chocolates, ice cream) during the week can go overboard so I prefer to avoid. and it does work for the most part.
Great advice!!0 -
What's your deficit set at during the week? What's your general eating plan?
I suspect it's too restrictive to be sustainable, causing you to go overboard when you 'relax'.
This. If you get yourself into a routine where you feel satisfied and not too restricted, you won't want to go overboard on the weekends as you'll be content. Maybe up your calories a bit.0 -
I agree with much of what has been stated by others. This is about sustainability. If you can't sustain through a weekend what is your game plan for keeping it off? Your diet is much too restrictive and therefore you essentially binge on weekends. If you want to be successful you need to:
1. Find a plan that works for you. Clearly the overly restrictive diet does not.
2. Use discipline to stay on track. You shouldn't have to totally go AWOL every weekend.
3. Exercise. It gives you more wiggle room with calories among countless other benefits.
If you have more bad days than good, my guess is that you really aren't committed to losing weight. Review your reasons for wanting to lose weight in the first place. Do you want it bad enough to work for it? It doesn't come easy.0 -
I still struggle with this sometimes. Part of how I avoid it is by making my weigh-in day sometime during the weekend, usually Saturday. Knowing I'm going to do that reminds me to keep my sodium down and watch my calories so water weight doesn't show up on the scale. Then after I've weighed in and the weight has gone down, I'm usually encouraged enough by that to stay on track Sunday and then go on with my week. 0
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If I know I am going to go out and eat and drink a lot in the evening I try to work out as much as I can that day so I have more calories to play with so I don't go over. I also try to eat lightly for the rest of the day.
If I am going out for dinner I look at the menu online and choose what I am going to eat beforehand and pre-log the calories which stops me from choosing a massively calorific meal on impulse.0 -
Your deficit is too high and your diet is too restrictive. If you find some balance, a diet you can live with long term, you can get off the rollercoaster of restriction and overeating permanently. If you have trigger foods that you have to eliminate, and cannot handle moderation with those choices, that's understandable, but it sounds like you are eliminating everything you like out of fear and then wondering why you can't keep focus when you loosen the reigns. You don't have to include trigger foods to be able to do moderation, but what you are doing isn't working, and you also seem unwilling to change it. Good luck to you.1200 per day for the highest deficit to lose 1kg / 2lbs per week.
Also follow a version of paleo. so no bread/rice for me mainly (which I love)
No snacks or desserts during the week..so do crave it eventually.
Can not do moderation, so I dont have foods I like (chocolates, ice cream) during the week can go overboard so I prefer to avoid. and it does work for the most part.
I Agee!0
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