Weekends are a no, no!

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  • thedietpilot
    thedietpilot Posts: 56 Member
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    While I look forward to weekends because of the time off from work, I HATE weekends for the challenges they provide to my dieting efforts. I'm used to being able to track my food when I'm eating at home. But eating out at restaurants or at other peoples' homes is a challenge. And it is hard to say no to all the unhealthy foods (since there are rarely any "healthy" foods on the menu) when out at social gatherings.

    During the weekdays, it's easy to stay within my daily calorie goals, but on weekends, I faithfully continue to track, only to find my numbers doubling or tripling my daily calorie limit. I HATE seeing MyFitnessPal tell me that "if every day were like today, I would be X pounds HEAVIER"!

    Need some advice / help / motivation with this regard.
  • lizfiz50
    lizfiz50 Posts: 179 Member
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    I say go for portion control and avoid grazing! I mess up on both those things.... like this weekend for example! feel like I undid 3 weeks of progress on 2 days!
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
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    I'm the same & sometimes it goes into the week as well :grumble:
  • squatsandlipgloss
    squatsandlipgloss Posts: 595 Member
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    I have the same, but I don't find it to be a problem. If I am really strict during the week, I can easily lose weight on and on even though on weekends I eat like *kitten*.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
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    calculate your maintenace calories. if you eat up to there then you won't ''undo'' progress. you just won't make progress for those two days. 5/7 days isn't a bad ratio.
  • jdhoward_101
    jdhoward_101 Posts: 234 Member
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    Weekends are definitely the worst for me too, as i have no routine to keep me in check.

    I try to plan what i'm doing before the weekend; the people i'll be seeing, the places we'll be visiting, the pubs, the restaurants, etc. This way i can think about and plan exactly what i'm going to eat, or at least how many calories i should save for each 'occasion'.

    Otherwise i just try and keep as busy as possible, even if it's just tidying the flat or finding an excuse to walk up to the supermarket, to keep my mind off of all the yummy things i could be eating, (i do manage to exercise self restraint pretty well once i'm in the supermarket), and burn calories at the same time.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
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    You don't 'need' a cheat day. I hate the term 'cheat day'.

    I often find the weekends easier as I am normally quite busy so in truth I forget to eat sometimes, then I end up with my whole days allowance for dinner - happy days! There are plenty of ways you can watch the calories though.

    1. Save some over the week! As long as you are hitting your weekly deficit it doesn't matter when you eat them (although I would recommend not seriously undereating Mon - Fri). Saving 200 a day gives you an extra 1000 over the weekend - more than enough for a meal or drinks out.
    2. If you are going for a drink, switch to spirits rather than beer/wine. It's much lower in calories.
    3. Get an extra workout in on the day and earn the extra cals.
    4. If you are going for a meal, pre-plan. Take the time to look up the menu and the calorie counts if they are avaliable, or if you are going for something generic like a curry, google the low calorie options. There's plenty of info there to help you.
    5. If you are going to something like a party where you know there will be food, eat dinner before you go. I normally find I am most tempted when I let myself get hungry.

    Hope some of those help.
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,031 Member
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    If it's an overly concerning issue with weekends, just make up for it with exercise. Ate a feast on Friday night? Do a 10 mile bike ride. Hit up the club Saturday? Go for a 5 mile walk on Sunday.
  • redrumrhapsody
    redrumrhapsody Posts: 4
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    Usually my weekend slides off with a combination of eating horribly, alcohol, and lack of motivation to exercise. Best way I've been trying to curb those is if I go out, I look up the menu before I even get to the restaurant and choose what I'll order and be the first to order so no one else's choice sways me. I still indulge a bit, but instead of drinking pint after pint of microbrews like I usually do, I've been getting things like cucumber mojitos or vodka club with a splash of juice and fresh fruit for flavor. As far as weekend exercise, EVERYONE deserves one day to rest. If I wake up lazy on saturday I just tell myself "just today then I have off tomorrow'

    Weekends are rough but it's all mind control. You got this!!!
  • fakeuntilumakeit
    fakeuntilumakeit Posts: 77
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    Enjoy your treat day just don't go stupid crazy overboard, I've cut out alcohol which makes a big difference for me so I don't feel so bad if I eat more chocolate, or have the odd takeaway. I struggle with being good on the weekend but have found it hasn't decreased my loss for the week.

    Good tactic, if your out with friends say in a pub/club then hit the dance floor solid for 30 minutes, you'll fancy water rather than that wine and will have done a good workout. If its the bbq, fill up on all the salad stuff first, you'll probably feel too full for the bread/pasta binge. If you've got time with the kids (get to the park and join in the runabout with them). Shopping about town, you'll be surprised how far you've walked without thinking about it.

    I used to feel guilty, but found my weigh in has remained stable so even with a big buffet binge, my hard work in the week has paid off, it is far more than I used to do . I can be good all week purely because I know I can have treats on the weekend. A permanent diet is NOOOOOOOOOOOOO fun. If your in it for the longhaul then you'll probably find eating correct portion size in the week will make you more aware of not overeating as much as maybe you would have before starting a healthy lifestyle. At least that's what I tell myself :smile:
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
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    One thing that helps me (and frustrates me, at times) is that I don't have a lot of ready-to-eat food. There's pretty much nothing I can simply unwrap and eat. Because there is preparation involved, it forces me to think "do I REALLY want to eat this, or is there something else going on".

    It doesn't stop me from eating, but it does force me to think about it some more.
  • xjckemx
    xjckemx Posts: 95 Member
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    I get to the weekend and its like a switch goes on" eat as much as you can"!!! The only way I can kinda of make it better is by saving a few calories from the week. I tend to keep eye on the weekly total now rather than daily. Whilst losing I never went over weekly total despite having bad weekends. However I'm trying to maintain and I've put a llb on already!!! But I love my weekends where the rules are relaxed!!!
  • thedietpilot
    thedietpilot Posts: 56 Member
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    calculate your maintenace calories. if you eat up to there then you won't ''undo'' progress. you just won't make progress for those two days. 5/7 days isn't a bad ratio.

    Good suggestion! Calculate what my "maintenance calories" would be for the day, and try to stay under that, on the days on which I anticipate that I'll be in a precarious social situation with exposure to all kinds of bad foods.
  • thedietpilot
    thedietpilot Posts: 56 Member
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    I get to the weekend and its like a switch goes on" eat as much as you can"!!! The only way I can kinda of make it better is by saving a few calories from the week. I tend to keep eye on the weekly total now rather than daily. Whilst losing I never went over weekly total despite having bad weekends. However I'm trying to maintain and I've put a llb on already!!! But I love my weekends where the rules are relaxed!!!

    Hmm... I did discover that MyFitnessPal lets you track weekly calorie goals as well as daily. This might be an interesting approach to consider.... to at least ensure that you stay within your weekly target by having some really good days during the week to offset the really bad days during the weekends. Interesting idea!
  • bunnies26
    bunnies26 Posts: 149 Member
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    Weekend here....I feel it is my first hurdle. I always used my weight watchers points to binge on alcohol during the football games.
  • michybeans
    michybeans Posts: 106
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    I think this is one of the biggest struggles living in North America with our food culture, and trying to lose weight at the same time! A few of my friends and coworkers make fun of me for my healthy eating choices (yeah, mature, right) but I just remind myself I am the only one in my body and what I am working for. It helps a bit. I do feel a bit like I'm having no fun but I just try and remind myself what I'm working towards... Hope that helps.

    Also I think a big thing that helps me is trying to plan meals as much as possible. If you know you are going out later that night with friends, have a light breakky and lunch to help absorb some of those extra calories later... Or if friends suggest going out for dinner, suggest going for a walk afterwards or something active... I don't know, just some thoughts.

    Remember to keep your eyes on the prize! :)
  • bunnies26
    bunnies26 Posts: 149 Member
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    Thank you so much for the advice, support, and encouragement. It really helps. I feel "lighter" just being fully commited to my choice!:bigsmile:
  • veggiehottie
    veggiehottie Posts: 590 Member
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    Yes. Weekends. I work my *kitten* off all week and then "erase" all of the hard work over the weekend. One big vicious cycle. Grrrrrrrrr!
  • bunnies26
    bunnies26 Posts: 149 Member
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    What they were saying above about staying under a "weekly calorie" goal seems like a good idea......

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