messing up on weekends
kmichelle1821
Posts: 44
i do really good during the week. i eat healthy and work out monday thru friday. i think i do a good job coming from eating fast food everyday at work and NEVER exercising. what i am really bad about is the weekends. i tend to go out with my friends and drink beer friday and saturday and also eat whatever i want. i figure sense its 2 days a week i could get away with and and still loose weight. but im not thinking that too much anymore. do you allow yourself cheat days? if so how many?
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Replies
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Like you - I do fine during the week and then blow it on the weekends and sabotage any good I did during the week.
Some here will tell you that the weekly average is more important and that a cheat day or 2 won't kill you as long as your weekly average is within your goals. For me, it's too easy for a cheat day to turn into a cheat weekend, and then spill over into the week. So if I have a cheat meal I try to keep it to just one meal, and not let it turn into a whole day.
Take a look at what your cheat days are really costing you in calories. Thinking abour the actual calorie count is and what I'll have to do to counteract it usually what stops me from overdoing it.0 -
Like you - I do fine during the week and then blow it on the weekends and sabotage any good I did during the week.
Some here will tell you that the weekly average is more important and that a cheat day or 2 won't kill you as long as your weekly average is within your goals. For me, it's too easy for a cheat day to turn into a cheat weekend, and then spill over into the week. So if I have a cheat meal I try to keep it to just one meal, and not let it turn into a whole day.
Take a look at what your cheat days are really costing you in calories. Thinking abour the actual calorie count is and what I'll have to do to counteract it usually what stops me from overdoing it.
yes my weekends are usually full of eating out and drinking beer so it turns into just a cheat weekend but on monday i start all over again. i think keeping it to one meal is a good idea!0 -
You have to just not cheat, I'm afraid. (At least not every single Friday and Saturday)
Here's what I do - when everybody orders that first round....I order seltzer water, and I make myself do this by deciding way before I get there. That action sets the mood for the rest of the night, where I am at LEAST one drink behind. That means I'm at least 100+ calories safer.
I try and eat a salad or bulky veggies before I go out, so I'm not AS hungry when the rounds of fried foods come out.
When tho fries do show up, if I order something, I'm going to order either another salad or a meat dish - not just fried carbs.
I comes down willpower, yes, but a huge part of that (for me at least) is planning it out before I go. Once I've resolved in my mind to not drink a six pack and eat a whole basket of fries, its easier to execute. And once you get in the habit of that, it's easier to repeat each weekend.
I really have to go into it with an intention of "I'm going to not pig out" even though that might be the general mood. People will respect you for it, and you'll respect yourself, too. Your bank account and body will be thankful!
Also, while it might seem at first like "Man, I'm not gonna be as drunk or have as much fun," I can guarantee that the tolerance will go down and after awhile those fewer beers will still get you tipsy.0 -
remember: it is a journey. You have to live, based on your priorities. Your friends, partying, etc are clearly still a priority. maybe find a little moderation.
However, there are still 5 other days in the week to find your balance.
As far as cheat days: for me, that creates too much license. I do cheat meals. I also try to plan my cheat meal by looking ahead. That way, if i know i am going out for a 5,000 calorie meal on wednesday night, i can make sure that I am under my daily calorie counts for a day or two before and plan to work out like crazy the 2 days afterwords.
Relationships with your friends are as important as shaving a few calories. And NOTHING beats a good bottle of red wine with my wife!
The journey that you are on has to be able to handle all of the variations, the ebbs and flows, the wins and losses. It NEVER comes down to one meal or one day. It is all about the trend.
Good luck!0 -
You have to just not cheat, I'm afraid. (At least not every single Friday and Saturday)
Here's what I do - when everybody orders that first round....I order seltzer water, and I make myself do this by deciding way before I get there. That action sets the mood for the rest of the night, where I am at LEAST one drink behind. That means I'm at least 100+ calories safer.
I try and eat a salad or bulky veggies before I go out, so I'm not AS hungry when the rounds of fried foods come out.
When tho fries do show up, if I order something, I'm going to order either another salad or a meat dish - not just fried carbs.
I comes down willpower, yes, but a huge part of that (for me at least) is planning it out before I go. Once I've resolved in my mind to not drink a six pack and eat a whole basket of fries, its easier to execute. And once you get in the habit of that, it's easier to repeat each weekend.
I really have to go into it with an intention of "I'm going to not pig out" even though that might be the general mood. People will respect you for it, and you'll respect yourself, too. Your bank account and body will be thankful!
Also, while it might seem at first like "Man, I'm not gonna be as drunk or have as much fun," I can guarantee that the tolerance will go down and after awhile those fewer beers will still get you tipsy.
very helpful! i agree that it has to do with will power. this weekend i think i will try and plan ahead and also eat something before i go out. it is very hard though to order a salad when everyone else is ordering cheeseburges and fries but in the end its mind over matter!0 -
The journey that you are on has to be able to handle all of the variations, the ebbs and flows, the wins and losses. It NEVER comes down to one meal or one day. It is all about the trend.
Good luck!
love this! thank you0 -
Try to find activities that get you moving, but don't feel like exercise. You and your friends can share these activities or you can do them before going out with your friends:
Kayaking
Hiking
Volleyball
Soccer
Dancing
Hula hooping
Trampolines
Free running/ parkour
Rock climbing
Water polo0 -
I used to have a cheat day. As I got healthier, I didn't want it anymore.0
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I try to make it more a cheat meal vs a cheat day. If I have 2 cheat days I usually really mess myself up and find it hard to get back on track. So the last few weeks I have been sticking to 2 cheat meals (Friday dinner and Saturday dinner, the breakfast and lunches are healthy). Both days I also work out extra hard to burn more calories so I have extra calories to eat as well. Good luck!0
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i do the exact same everyweekend, i always f**k up:(0
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Sorry to be a Debbie Downer and not to disagree with the other posters great suggestions which I really do encourage you to try. But I would suggest that you implement their suggestions and then watch for several weeks. If you find that you are not as successful with losing weight as you want to be come back to this topic.
Based on my own experience, the first 3-4 months I was on MFP I did the same thing. I was really good Monday through Friday but then on the weekends I would eat the same meals and fast food as my husband and then all the progress I had made would be lost by 9 pm on Sunday night. I lost the same 2 lbs over and over again in a cycle for 3 months. Needless to say that was incredibly discouraging. It was only when I stopped "cheating" on the weekends that I finally started making progress. Just a thought...
No matter what, I do wish you the best of luck!0 -
This was/is my issue too. At first I stopped going out as much until I am more motivated then I resume activities. I am not currently drinking and always DD just to avoid the temptation. If I get an appetizer I always opt for the healthiest one (seared ahi, edamame, salad w/dressing on the side, etc.,) even if I am not feeling it. By the time it gets to the table I am tired of waiting and hungry and enjoy it more than something bad anyway. No more weekend self sabotage for me, food just isn't that important to me anymore. Don't cheat this weekend and weigh yourself this Monday and see how much better you feel
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Sorry to be a Debbie Downer and not to disagree with the other posters great suggestions which I really do encourage you to try. But I would suggest that you implement their suggestions and then watch for several weeks. If you find that you are not as successful with losing weight as you want to be come back to this topic.
Based on my own experience, the first 3-4 months I was on MFP I did the same thing. I was really good Monday through Friday but then on the weekends I would eat the same meals and fast food as my husband and then all the progress I had made would be lost by 9 pm on Sunday night. I lost the same 2 lbs over and over again in a cycle for 3 months. Needless to say that was incredibly discouraging. It was only when I stopped "cheating" on the weekends that I finally started making progress. Just a thought...
No matter what, I do wish you the best of luck!
thank you! i think i am going to try for a month straight to not go out and drink and keep up my healthy eating on the weekends so i can see better results!0 -
I used to think that the weekends were hard too but as I got healthier I made smarter decisions. I haven't had a cheat day or meal in over 30 days and I'm completely fine with it. I make sure I get a morning run in if I know I'll be exceeding my calorie intake.0
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I tend to go out a few times a week. At least once. And I just eat as healthy as possible, save some calories for alcohol, and if a greasy hangover curing burger is in order, I induldge and don't feel bad about it. Just dont let one day turn into a week.0
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This was/is my issue too. At first I stopped going out as much until I am more motivated then I resume activities. I am not currently drinking and always DD just to avoid the temptation. If I get an appetizer I always opt for the healthiest one (seared ahi, edamame, salad w/dressing on the side, etc.,) even if I am not feeling it. By the time it gets to the table I am tired of waiting and hungry and enjoy it more than something bad anyway. No more weekend self sabotage for me, food just isn't that important to me anymore. Don't cheat this weekend and weigh yourself this Monday and see how much better you feel
thats the thing i have a dinner date with a friend this weekend so i will try to order something healthy and a baby shower on saturday where there will be tons of food. but i am doing a kick boxing session this weekend so that will burn a lot of calories!0 -
You will get a lot of opinions on both sides. Although i would guess that even those that are in favor of 'cheating' its a cheat "meal" not day or two on a weekly basis (as in cheat days are for when you only do one a month maybe). It is just to hard to stay at a deficit for the week calorie wise when you have no accountability 2 of the days. It is also hard to get your body to stop craving some of the sugar and carbs and get your stomach accustom to smaller meals if you are going crazy on the weekends. Maybe start by for the next couple weeks cut it down to one day on the weekend. Then cut it down to one evening a weekend, and eventually just a meal. Meanwhile make deals with yourself - Ok, I don't get to have that 2nd/3rd beer tonight unless I go for a 45 min run (or whatever) - you start rethinking your choices when you have to 'pay' for them. Also, this applies more to going out with friends side of things... I'm afraid the fastfood you really just need to be tough on yourself and at minimum cut that down to one meal - that is just about being honest and accountable with yourself as there is no social part to that.0
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This time around (1st time ever and there's been MANY times mind you lol) I seem to be finding more success having "casual days" as oppose to "cheat days" or "cheat meals"
I dunno the word "cheat" just psych's me out I guess - like wow we're cheating let's go buck wild let's start over Monday woohoo! lol
I guess I process the words "casual day" as "let's not beat ourselves up. tonight when we go out with the girls - if they want to have an appetizer sampler for all of us to share - what's say we just have 2 of the 4 selections?" - or "going shopping with mom on saturday afternoon? let's have starbucks, but go home later in the day for lunch" - that kinda mindset.
hope that helps some
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i do the exact same everyweekend, i always f**k up:(
There is comfort in predictibility! but it looks like you can afford it.
Enjoy it now. I am 48.... you have to be more careful later!0 -
Wekends are tough for me too! Between beers and wanting to go out with friends (usually for dinner), it is hard to be good!0
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This was/is my issue too. At first I stopped going out as much until I am more motivated then I resume activities. I am not currently drinking and always DD just to avoid the temptation. If I get an appetizer I always opt for the healthiest one (seared ahi, edamame, salad w/dressing on the side, etc.,) even if I am not feeling it. By the time it gets to the table I am tired of waiting and hungry and enjoy it more than something bad anyway. No more weekend self sabotage for me, food just isn't that important to me anymore. Don't cheat this weekend and weigh yourself this Monday and see how much better you feel
thats the thing i have a dinner date with a friend this weekend so i will try to order something healthy and a baby shower on saturday where there will be tons of food. but i am doing a kick boxing session this weekend so that will burn a lot of calories!
Another suggestion is something that I've tried recently also (I struggle with the same thing - you are not alone!) - we tend to eat out a lot on the weekends. What I've been doing is planning ahead - go online and check out the restaurant's menu - almost every restaurant has a website - and build it into MFP ahead of time. It makes me feel so much more comfortable with going out - knowing that I have a "roadmap" and am prepared. Good luck!0 -
I love going out on weekends - pizza and beer are a bug favorite of mine. I just compromise and order light beer and have one slice of pizza with a ton of salad and dressing on the side or light dressing. I think it's fine for a treat every now and then.0
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You are welcome. I have re-read many of the posts. many great thoughts. The experiences of many have taught me that any program that lives and dies at teh extreme ends of the option spectrum are not sustainable. Hence my advice to you to find a good balanace point and focus on the trend.The journey that you are on has to be able to handle all of the variations, the ebbs and flows, the wins and losses. It NEVER comes down to one meal or one day. It is all about the trend.
Good luck!
love this! thank you
I do want to encourage you on concept of trying to go alcohol free for a month. However, i would also caution you on that. It really doesn't sound like, at this point in your life, that would be consistent with who you are.
Find some moderation (lots of good ideas in here for that) but don't forget to enjoy your friends. Weight is just a number but relationships and the joy that comes with them lasts a lifetime.
it is a journey. Focus on the macro trends in your life and let the individual data points sort themselves out!
Peace to you!0 -
This was/is my issue too. At first I stopped going out as much until I am more motivated then I resume activities. I am not currently drinking and always DD just to avoid the temptation. If I get an appetizer I always opt for the healthiest one (seared ahi, edamame, salad w/dressing on the side, etc.,) even if I am not feeling it. By the time it gets to the table I am tired of waiting and hungry and enjoy it more than something bad anyway. No more weekend self sabotage for me, food just isn't that important to me anymore. Don't cheat this weekend and weigh yourself this Monday and see how much better you feel
thats the thing i have a dinner date with a friend this weekend so i will try to order something healthy and a baby shower on saturday where there will be tons of food. but i am doing a kick boxing session this weekend so that will burn a lot of calories!
Another suggestion is something that I've tried recently also (I struggle with the same thing - you are not alone!) - we tend to eat out a lot on the weekends. What I've been doing is planning ahead - go online and check out the restaurant's menu - almost every restaurant has a website - and build it into MFP ahead of time. It makes me feel so much more comfortable with going out - knowing that I have a "roadmap" and am prepared. Good luck!
This! I do this too and it is a great idea! As for the baby shower, can you bring something healthy to share with everyone that is actually intended more for you? Or can you eat before you go?0 -
I don't usually have a cheat day that I have scheduled.There are holidays,birthdays,special occasions when I'm not as diligent.And I don't beat myself up about it.And when I do "cheat",it's one meal and not a whole day.0
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I understand weekends! My husband and our friends like to go out. They drink beer, I like mixed drinks or wine.
My rules of thumb:
1) I eat veggies while I am getting ready. Fill up.
2) Fried foods come out. I pick one, have two pieces and call it good (or more recently - none...doesn't taste good).
3) If I order wine or mixed drink, one and I nurse it, plus order a protein (lean steak or fish) with veggies. Unfortunately,
wine/mixed drink is more expensive, so I usually end up with water with a lime.
4) I only eat 1/2 my meal and make it last.
5) Look up the restuarant/bar/wherever we go before we go, so I already know what I eat.
This way, I don't feel like I am missing out. I am "cheating" a little and get to enjoy the night. Willpower is for some...I'm more into planning!!!
Good Luck.
Kristi0 -
Messing up is what weekends are for!!!!0
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i mess up on the weekends too lol. and i cant get myself to go out and not drink. or be the DD. I usually walk where I go, or stay the night where i hang out. if i really want to lose wieght i know i need to take a couple week break buts its hard. To do so I would have to become a hermit and just ignore everyone lol0
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If I eat something I shouldn't, I was finding oh well I blew it and I would keep eating. I have decided I will have a cheat meal once a fortnight after I get weighed. maybe you could cut it back to once a week . good luck with it.0
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I like seeing that I'm not the only one that messes up on the weekends. I just joined this program and love it!!! What I have figured out is that if I work out a little harder during the week and stick to the 1200 calorie plan even when it tells me I can eat more because I worked out this way if I cheat on the weekends its not as bad because I feel I have extra calories that didnt use during the week0
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