Blew it once again on the weekend

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alphasigalum
alphasigalum Posts: 86
in Motivation and Support
I need some serious help here. I track all my food and stay within my calories during the week and then something happens on the weekend where I have no control of myself. It's like I am not on a diet on the weekends but also go to the extreme. I stuff myself to the point of almost being sick and then wonder why I have a gain on Mondays..

How do you stay in control over the weekend?

Replies

  • Raina0512
    Raina0512 Posts: 216
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    I have the same issue! You're not alone girl! :wink:
  • workoutqueen628
    workoutqueen628 Posts: 220
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    I had the same problem for a while too and have been working really hard to correct it. Here are a few things I did: 1) I changed my rest day from saturday to sunday- Since i usually splurged on saturday, I started going to a morning spin class. After the class I would feel so good! I would leave feeling tired but energized and more focused on my goals and why I want to achieve them. 2) On Sunday, I would busy myself with cleaning and running errands, sometimes going for a walk so I would not even have a chance to think about food. 3) Finally, I let myself indulge a little on the weekends, but made it healthy options. I would go to a frozen yogurt place with my friends. I find that I don't eat as much when I'm with others!! Hope my advice helps. It's a problem that cannot be cured over night and many of us struggle with it! Good luck.
  • dragonfarie
    dragonfarie Posts: 84 Member
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    I do this too! I blame my fiance being home and wanting to go out to eat and drink. But really I need to learn to eat healthy when we are out too. :blushing:
  • Mellie13
    Mellie13 Posts: 424
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    Honestly, the weekends I don't keep track as much, but I just try to still make healthier choices for the most part (grilled vs. fried, veggies instead of fries, only eat 1/2 of the food at a restaurant, etc.). I think the most important thing is to NEVER think of yourself as "on a diet". Psychologically, you are setting yourself up to fail. You must wrap your mind around this as a true lifestyle change. Think of these are permanent changes, not temporary. I lost 25 lbs before mfp and only gained 5 lbs back and now have lost 15 lbs. I don't think of myself as "on a diet". So, every now and then I totally have some ice cream or cake or candy or whatever I want, but I try (and usually succeed) to have 1 serving of it and not a whole cake or a whole bag of candy or whatever. This weekend was not great for me either, so I totally understand! Good luck, you can do it!!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    I remind myself that this is a lifestyle change, not a diet that I stick to for X number of days. A lifestyle change is something I have to work on every day! Some "practial" ideas that might help:

    Log your food ahead of time on the weekends. If you're going out with friends and know where you're going, look on the restaurant's website. If you don't know where you're going, try to stick to foods you know are reasonable (chicken/fish, steamed veggies (without butter), etc.) When I have a plan, I'm less likely to overindulge.

    Drink LOTS of water. You won't feel as hungry.

    Make a list of all the reasons you want to become healthier (just for your eyes - be completely honest. The reasons can be selfish, superficial, whatever the real reasons are for you losing weight). Keep this somewhere that you can look at it or pull it out when you're struggling. Or you could put it on your fridge if you live by yourself.

    Force yourself to log EVERYTHING. after a couple weekends of this, you'll start to see what your problem foods are. Do your best to just keep those out of the house.

    In the end, it comes down to you... YOU have to make this change, and nothing anyone else says will make a difference if you aren't willing to work to make it happen. Change is hard, but you can do it!
  • DanniJNoles
    DanniJNoles Posts: 19
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    Drink a lot of water. Your brain can not tell the difference if your really hungry or thirsty. Try drinking more water. Oh A good book to read is Jillian Micheals "Master you Matabolism". Did you know it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to send signals to your brain its full? She actually has good tips for eating out. Like cut your meal in half and ask for a to go box. You only eat half the meal thats on your plate. Cut out the soda or alcohol and get a water with a lemon wedge. It does work. Plus when I was dieting and exercising like mad while on deployment me and my friend had a "shock day". This day was we could eat one meal that (like a cheeseburger or fatty like that) that would shock our metabolism so that it wouldn't get used to all the healthy food and set itself to the healthy mode to where we'd balloon up next time we pigged out. It keeps your metabolism working in a good way.
  • workit2382
    workit2382 Posts: 1
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    I have also come back from a horrible weekend with food, Its hard girlie. What I did do was some excersize. Even though i did not complete my food log I at least did something right. Maybe that would help you to feel better on Monday about it being a new day and a chance to start over. I feel like quitting when I have those kinds of weekends but I remember that this weight loss battle is a Marathon not a sprint. My friend Marina told me that and it is so true, take it one day at a time even on the weekends. Good luck Girl!!:wink:
  • JUSTFORME2010
    JUSTFORME2010 Posts: 125 Member
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    One thing that might help you is to put in the computer what you want to eat in the morning for the whole day and then stick to that. At least for a few weekend so that you get use to eating that way. Also dont eat out that is the downfall because portions are so large when you eat out and there is so much food to choose from.

    Good Luck
    Debbie
  • gvcgoldmedal
    gvcgoldmedal Posts: 15
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    I may be in the minority here, but I think cutting loose on the weekends is helpful to your overall goal. Yes, you are eating more calories than normal. But, if you are like me and work at a desk all week, you're probably a bit more active on the weekends too. Plus, if you continually deny yourself what they call "cheater" foods all the time there is a bigger risk of you giving up on the diet all together. I still track everything on the weekends, but that isn't going to stop me from having a few beers downtown, or having desert after big meal out with my girlfriend.

    Someone mentioned this was a lifestyle change. And I agree wholeheartedly, but change the bad parts. The unhealthy eating all the time is what drove us to gain weight. Splurging here and there, especially on the weekends when you are suppose to be taking a break, is fine. Just don't let it bleed into your monday or the rest of the week. Don't let this lifestyle change cripple the fun you can have in your life. The moment we let this diet stop us from being who we are and having fun we've lost the point. I'd rather be overweight and happy, than skinny and miserable.

    Just my opinion :)
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    I may be in the minority here, but I think cutting loose on the weekends is helpful to your overall goal. Yes, you are eating more calories than normal. But, if you are like me and work at a desk all week, you're probably a bit more active on the weekends too. Plus, if you continually deny yourself what they call "cheater" foods all the time there is a bigger risk of you giving up on the diet all together. I still track everything on the weekends, but that isn't going to stop me from having a few beers downtown, or having desert after big meal out with my girlfriend.

    Someone mentioned this was a lifestyle change. And I agree wholeheartedly, but change the bad parts. The unhealthy eating all the time is what drove us to gain weight. Splurging here and there, especially on the weekends when you are suppose to be taking a break, is fine. Just don't let it bleed into your monday or the rest of the week. Don't let this lifestyle change cripple the fun you can have in your life. The moment we let this diet stop us from being who we are and having fun we've lost the point. I'd rather be overweight and happy, than skinny and miserable.

    Just my opinion :)

    I definitely agree that it's okay to have a desert or a few beers now and then. I don't consider any food a "cheater" food - I just consume in moderation. However, I think the OP was posting about a lack of control to the extreme on the weekends - there's a difference between cutting a little loose and going way overboard. It's not really healthy to go completely crazy with calories on the weekend, no matter how good you are during the week. Especially when we're just starting out, it's important to develop new habits (logging food, drinking enough water, eating enough veggies, etc.) and it is hard to develop new habits when you don't stick to them every day, weekends included.
  • tex43
    tex43 Posts: 229
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    I may be in the minority here, but I think cutting loose on the weekends is helpful to your overall goal. Yes, you are eating more calories than normal. But, if you are like me and work at a desk all week, you're probably a bit more active on the weekends too. Plus, if you continually deny yourself what they call "cheater" foods all the time there is a bigger risk of you giving up on the diet all together. I still track everything on the weekends, but that isn't going to stop me from having a few beers downtown, or having desert after big meal out with my girlfriend.

    Someone mentioned this was a lifestyle change. And I agree wholeheartedly, but change the bad parts. The unhealthy eating all the time is what drove us to gain weight. Splurging here and there, especially on the weekends when you are suppose to be taking a break, is fine. Just don't let it bleed into your monday or the rest of the week. Don't let this lifestyle change cripple the fun you can have in your life. The moment we let this diet stop us from being who we are and having fun we've lost the point. I'd rather be overweight and happy, than skinny and miserable.

    Just my opinion :)

    I agree completely,I wish they would get the BB app,but untill then I kinda cut loose on the weekends ,and so far it hasn't been a problem,I think because I do really well during the week.Matter of fact after a pretty indulgent weekend ,but lot's of work and sweating in addition to BBQ and beers ,I actually lost a few lbs. this weekend.
  • tgaul
    tgaul Posts: 123
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    bump:smile:
  • sasmll6577
    sasmll6577 Posts: 37
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    I do the same thing, but I still track my caloires. Even if it means seeing that I went over by 1000 calories :( For example we had a pool party this weekend and now that I know how many calories are in one mixed drink, next weekend I'll make a better choice on what and when I drink. I consider it a learning process. Like other posters have said, I'm looking at this as not being on a diet, but learning how to make better choices. I'll still eat my hamburgers and still have a beer, but I'll make it a turkey burger if the choice is there and only have 1 beer instead of 4 :) I've been on MFP for about 2 weeks now and haven't really lost any weight yet I think because of my weekend habits, but I'm learning what to eat and I think it will pay off in the long run.

    Good Luck!!

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