Struggling with the Weekends

This morning i put that My 2 goals for the week are drink less coffee and stay on track at the weekend! Thought i would try taking it one weekend at à time! I am exactly the same!

I feel your struggle. You are not alone. It has been more than 5 months since something like this happened. For me, it was also 5:30 and it was on. Usually for me it was a slice of cake and a little single serve container of haagen daaz ice cream. I would eat it with a salad so as to justify the additional calories. It was horrible. Just know that it is a mindset that has to change. I sabotaged myself the entire year and I could have been so much farther if I hadn't kept feeding myself crap. I was 196 back in May of last year and ended up at 203 at the end of the year. So, you have to decide what is important to you. I decided I wanted to live a long life and not keep compromising a great week of logging and working out with food. I found new ways to satisfy myself and this craving. Maybe you can make it known to your friends that you are working on something and maybe you can choose other venues instead of places that have drinks on the menu or parties that serve drinks. Or have the friends meet at your house, therefore you are in control of what you eat.

I find setting mini goals and prelogging my meals works best for me. Usually my mini goals are to drink a certain amount of water or not to eat a certain junk food that might be in the house. If my meals are pre logged, it's easier to stick to my plan.

I have to admit I can be lax with weekends but I will do a lower calorie day on Monday and Thursday to make up for it it seems to work well for me.

I track even when I've gone over my calories... It helps me to see the damage the next day, only because it makes me work harder at the gym. Also, when I know for certain that I am going to a party or gathering one night, I try to eat a smaller breakfast and lunch, usually packed with fruits and veggies, so I have more calories for the evening. It's not ideal for losing weight, but it's better than ruining my entire day. I limit myself to one beer and try to focus on filling myself up with fruits and veggies BEFORE hitting the pizza or other main courses at parties. If all else fails, wake up earlier and hit the gym before work so that you have extra calories to consume that day

Hope this helps!

I have the same problem but I think mine is more of an issue of being too restrictive during the week. I'm in this weight loss challenge at work & tried being super strict the last two weeks with really low carb...total backfire. I binged all weekend with no regard for calories or carbs or anything. I ate when I was clearly not hungry just because I was craving stuff. It was ridiculous. I'm not even upset though because it was a huge reminder of what I already know...less restrictive and more mindful eating work better. Treats and savoring every bite of them would serve me much better. I'm in this for the long haul because its the way I need to eat the rest of my life to keep my weight in check. I may start banking some extra calories because I know the weekends need to be a little more lax. I'm back on track and even though I probably won't win the contest this was a huge NSV for me.

I am pretty similar. My biggest downfall is the wine. BUT this is the thing, I will never stop socialising on the weekend, and I will never stop having a couple of drinks with my girlfriends on a Saturday---so, I still do. Not doing it wouldn't be changing my lifestyle to something I wouldn't be able to manage. I try to make some healthier choices. Like on the weekend I had a friend over, and instead of putting out crazy bad snacks, like i usually do--I opted for some hummus and veg, some low cal cheese and water crackers and some dark chocolate. She didn't mind one bit. I didn't log because well; well after a couple of glasses of wine, i couldn't remember what I ate. The thing is, if its going to be part of a brand new you, you can't just throw everything you do out the window. I am super good during the week (so much easier when you're at work and preplan all your meals), so that I don't put myself down on a Friday or Saturday when I indulge.

My best tip is to just log all that cr*p!!

I do...and whilst it hasn't stopped me eating and drinking goodies at the weekends, I think it has helped me eat smaller portions of those naughty choices and also choose low calorie booze! :-)

I think it is helping me change my mindset as I start to remember how many calories that pizza was last week....etc etc! I dont believe we should deny ourselves the pleasure of foods we love, it's that age old saying "everything in moderation"

Once you start to be honest with yourself and confess all in the food diary, you will make small changes without even hardly noticing! :-)

I just try to be as active as possible on weekends. Since I have an extra 9 hours in my day where I don't have to be chained to a desk, I get up and MOVE. Do chores, go for a jog, walk, or bike ride, play Just Dance 4, the more I move the less I have to worry about extra colories going in my mouth. This past Saturday is a good example: I had a chicken biscuit, smoothie and coffee from McDonalds for breakfast, 3 tacos from TB for lunch, chips for snack, and ate stir fry noodles and chicken (with veggies lol) at an Asian restaurant. I went WAAAAYYY over what I usually eat during the week BUT I also, rode my bike with my 2 yr old on the back to and from a St Patty's Day parade, walked around, didn't eat any junk at the parade, didn't drink alcohol, then went to an amusement park with my hubby for a date and walked a ton, up and down hills and whatnot. I try to go easy on myself on weekends and just get back to business on Monday.

Log it. No matter how ugly. Also try to get low cal treats and drinks to mix in with the bad stuff. Like get strawberries with a bit of splenda and cream instead of a big bowl of ice cream. Rich, greasy rotissery chicken instead of wings. Soda water with fresh fruit between beers... Also, if you are at parties, dance if you can. It will both get you away from the food and drinks for a bit, but also burn a ton of calories in a fun way! Log the exercise then eat/drink some of it back!

Lots of ways to handle the weekend guilt.

1. have what you want then stress and regret
2. earn what you want to eat in advance or work it off later
3. Eat whatever you want, just less of it
4. Live and enjoy just realize results will come slower
5. Add healthy snacks to your purse
6. Find a friend that will join you with a diet challenge

It's all good as long as some progress is happening. Maybe just log it all so you can make better choices. I too have weekend "diet Holiday" I log it and get Monday guilt then try to fix it the following weekend. Hope something here helps!!
Good luck!

Weekends do really suck for me too. I tend to go to the gym twice a day just to help balance a bit more. I would really suggest logging what you are eating. Maybe actually seeing it in your face like that will slowly change what your are taking in. Do your friends and family know you are struggling? See if there are changes they are willing to make with your socializing that can help you a bit?

I have had to make a lot of changes in my habits when socializing. The rewards have proven to be much more rewarding tho.

As long as you get back too it on Monday, you are still ahead of where you were. You should be proud of the direction you are heading. So don't be hard on yourself, keep it up.

Thanks for the reminder I should probably be a little more forthright with my friends and family. Thankfully I don't have a massive amount of weight to lose, but many times people perceive that I don't need to lose anything, and don't take it seriously when I say I'm really trying. That adds to the pressure sometimes. But in the end, it's up to me. I think if I try really hard to track no matter what it is I'm eating, that will help me be more conscious about the choices I make.

I've experienced this too. I'm not so much trying to lose a bunch of weight as I am trying to get healthier/feel better. But because of that, my friends/family don't think I need to take it so seriously, therefore, they don't take it seriously. That definitely makes it harder.

I don't know what your social obligations are like - but can you take some of your own snacks/drinks with you? For example, my friends get together at my place about once a month - those that are more health-conscious bring their healthy snacks and stick to those. Sometimes the lack of healthy options is just a killer! I actually love fruits and veggies, so I get really excited when someone brings a tray of those with them. If you're going to dinner at a friend's or family member's house - offer to bring a salad that will go with whatever they're serving. It may not solve your problem, because the temptation will still be there of the unhealthy stuff, but that's what I try to do. It works...sometimes...

Thanks - I like your idea!

I am a snacker, always have been! You have to find a program that works best for YOU and YOUR body. I treat every day the same. I follow 4 simple keys: Portion Control, moderation, substitution and exercise. Following these rules make maintaining my lifestyle realistic. I did cut out something altogether(like soda) but follow those keys, allow me to still pretty much eat whatever I want. When I am craving chips, I opt for air-popped popcorn, pop chips or Kale Chips. When I am craving ice cream, I opt for homemade frozen Yogurt--Just fill a tupperware container(or muffin cup for single servings) with Greek Yogurt, and your fave fruit, like mixed berries, and pop in the freezer for 20 minutes, voila! That's where the substitution comes in. If I am just craving the real deal, than I have that scoop of ice cream with berries on the side. I just watch my portion and moderate how often I have it! And of course, exercise. I love doing it, so it's easy for me to exercise for one hour(minimum) 5-6 times a week.

What has worked for me was following those 4 keys, and treating every day the same! Of course, I go out for dinner and indulge from time to time, but that's where the moderation kicks in

Good luck!!