How do you get through the weekend???

I'm in the same boat and could use some helpful tips, too!

Losing weight is hard. Healthy living is hard.
Being overweight is hard. Unhealthy living is hard.

Choose your hard.

I meal prep twice a week. That could be a good option and then you carry meals w/ you while running around.

And exercise is all about making time. If you're serious about making yourself healthier and more fit, you will find the time to work out!!

Exercise-wise for the weekend, do it first thing! Get it out of the way as early as possible, before the kids wake up maybe? If you feel like it later on, you can always do a little more exercise (go for a jog/walk, play with the kids outside) burning more so no need to feel guilty in what you indulge in at the weekend.

Eating wise, if you are eating out, view the menu before hand and pick the best choice for you and Stick to it.

Portion out some snacks for yourself, dried/fresh fruit, nuts, whatever it is you enjoy and works in your own eating plan. Have them ready in the cupboard/fridge to just grab and pop in your bag for while your on the move. If you have your own snack ready, less temptation around.

Have good healthy food on hand to eat, including quick stuff. I always make sure that we have eggs, fruit, and vegetables on hand at home. That way, if I need a quick snack, I can grab something good as opposed to something unhealthy.

I also skip the sweets and treats, even when I'm home. If my kids get ice cream, I don't. Not because I "can't" have ice cream but because I choose not to. I would much rather continue my healthy habits than waste all my hard work on some stupid ice cream. I don't buy things that are hard for me to resist though. Ice cream isn't a particular favorite of mine, so it's easier to say no thanks. Milano cookies on the other hand, you won't find in my cupboard anymore.

I eat pretty much the same on weekends as I do through the week. I try to make good choices too if we go out. This weekend we had one breakfast and one dinner out. For breakfast we went to a place that offered steel cut oatmeal as a choice - that was my good breakfast. For the dinner, we went to a chain place (not my favorite) that has a series of entrees that are lower calorie. I picked one of those and worked it into my day. It helps that here all chain type restaurants are required to have the calorie counts on the menus, which makes choosing something lower calorie easier.

I think it helps that I don't feel deprived at all by what I'm eating. I still eat stuff I consider to be treats now, but a banana with a tbsp of peanut butter on it is a delicious treat for 200 calories, whereas a bag of Milano cookies has way more calories and leaves me feeling ashamed and sick. Air popped popcorn with a variety of seasonings is awesome, and my kids and I even discovered a local guy who sells a kind of popcorn at our farmers' market that is naturally buttery tasting! Great snack and again doesn't derail my efforts.

I have the same issues.
1)At family functions and parties, make sure what you are eating is on a plate. That may sound strange, but when you can see what you are eating and the amounts as opposed to grabbing a few chips and dipping, or having just a taste of that, it allows you to account for what you have without pulling out your MFP after every bite and not having any fun.
2) Get up, pull on some clothes and go for a 15 minute or more walk before everyone "needs" you. Its actually better than coffee to kick start a morning and allows you to think about ...well...anything. Do one after dinner, too, if possible or during half time at sports events. If you like to talk to other parents at that time, have them go with you.
3) Dont freak out! Its a weekend, relax and enjoy your family. Do one active thing at least with them, even if its just a game of frisbee in the park or a walk.

I used to implement an old trick of the trade when I was dieting for something important, I'd never allow myself to have a cheat day on the weekend. I always did the cheat days on like a Tuesday, so even if I went crazy, it usually just meat me taking my lunch break at Souplantation and having like a 300 carb meal by myself. I avoided the weekend hazards of binge drinking and then having Chinese food at 2AM by doing this.

Which I guess the lesson behind that approach is Weekends are hard to manage for you because you give them significance. Just like swear words are given significance by the context in which they are used, many people see Friday night as a "release" and then they have a certain protocol (partying? eating out, abandoning diet?) associated with the feeling of "friday".

I love fridays like everyone else, and it's awesome to know you don't have to get up for work the next day. But I don't associate friday in any way to alcohol consumption or food. Once you break that habit, you'll never see weekends as a window to escalate bad habits.

weekends are all about letting loose,, work extra hard during the week,