what is it about weekends!!!

slimsdown · October 2013

i have been having a sensible meal plan for the past few weeks, hoping for a 2 pound loss a week, making sure im in my 1200 cals ect.

..........But then the weekend comes and i cant help but want/crave/have crappy food.

Over the past month at the weekend i have had one of the following:

cheese on toast at 600 cals for 2 slices
pasta carbonara at 666 cals for a small portion
chicken kebab with chips at 780 cals
shop bought pizza,

urrrh its soo fustrating, i work hard all week to then ruin it at weekends. its a vicious cycle,

Does any one have any cheat take away menu ideas or recipies??? or some advice on how to snap out of it??

DemoraFairy · October 2013

I don't have any tips I'm afraid, but just to say you're perfectly fine to have those things as long as you're still within your calories that day. I have spaghetti carbonara and pizza all the time. Doesn't matter what you eat, if you're within your calories you'll lose weight. And if you're worried from a health point of view, one unhealthy thing a week is perfectly fine. Better to have that then to get to a point where you absolutely hate dieting because you don't feel like you can ever eat what you want.

jdhoward_101 · October 2013

I find it is lack of routine that gets me at the weekend! Therefore i try to plan my weekends too; not in a regemented sort of way, but if i know i'll be meeting up with friends at a certain time, i make sure i eat around it, or if i know i'll be ging out in the evening i'll choose a time to eat and eat something appropriate to whatever i'm doing, (so if i'm going out drinking i'll eat something carby and filling, if i'm just dossing at a mates i will eat something light that allows for a bit of naughty snacking if we get the munchies). I always plan what i'm going to eat the day before and STICK TO IT (easier said than done!). And i always carry a healthy snack or two with me, just in case i'm out and suddenly get hungry and all there is around is shops selling naughty foods!

Iused to balls it up completely at the weekend, but since i've become so much more aware of it and started following these steps, i've managed to 'master' it and now it's not so much of an issue...i am still not quite as well behaved as i am during the week, but i don't eat so much it results in a huge gain (well, anything above quarter of a pound).

Just out of interest, when you say 'ruin it all', how so? I mean, do you have one day of exceeding 1200 calories and gain 2-3 pounds? Is that weight that stays on or do you get straight back down to business the next day, drink a ton of water and it disappears over night?

laursoar · October 2013

As a grad student who also works, I tend to have more free time on weekends where I'm not working or in class. This leads to me craving more food out of a mix of socializing, boredom, and having more freedom to buy potential junk. I find that the habits that have helped me most have to do with planning. I generally pre-plan my days at least the night before and particularly do so on weekends. If I know I want to be social and go out with friends one night, I'll plan a larger open "gap" for calories too or figure out what I'd like to eat at home in advance. I also try to work out on weekends to preoccupy myself and to add extra calorie wiggle room. I wash dishes after meals a lot too to give myself extra time to register the full feeling. Just kind of planning in advance and distracting myself with different activities has made all of the difference. Social outings do continue to be my biggest challenge though in terms of self control.

seanevan10 · October 2013

So feel your pain!!! I was actually thinking this exact topic this morning. Glad someone got to it before me. I think it has to do with running all my errands, having the boys and eating around their schedule, going out with friends. I need to make better choices and I just say, aw just this once and then the whole weekend looks like that. And then it is like I have to start all over again on Monday. I like jdhoward's idea of planning the day just like we do during the week. That is hard, but will be better in the long run. We can cheer each other on!

bagge72 · October 2013

i have been having a sensible meal plan for the past few weeks, hoping for a 2 pound loss a week, making sure im in my 1200 cals ect.

..........But then the weekend comes and i cant help but want/crave/have crappy food.

Over the past month at the weekend i have had one of the following:

cheese on toast at 600 cals for 2 slices
pasta carbonara at 666 cals for a small portion
chicken kebab with chips at 780 cals
shop bought pizza,

urrrh its soo fustrating, i work hard all week to then ruin it at weekends. its a vicious cycle,

Does any one have any cheat take away menu ideas or recipies??? or some advice on how to snap out of it??

If you are going out all of the time it is a little more about self control which is really hard when everyone around you is ordering what they want, but when you are home there are some things you can do like switching regular chips with pop chips, or making your own healthy pizza with pita breads, I use the Joseph's and they are really low calorie options. The other option would be to workout more, and eat what you want, that's what I do.

ctalimenti · October 2013

I think you should have a fun day or two. Determine how much over you are on Sat and Sun, then eat that much less Mon-Fri.

Would that work for you?

I too blow it on the weekends. Especially if I go out of town. Then it's blown for sure.

I average my calories every week and usually stay at my limit or 100-200 calories over. Maybe that would be something for you to try?

Angimom · October 2013

I am in the same boat! BUT, here is what I found works for me. If I get up early, not as early as during the week, but earlier than everyone else and go for a run, or do a workout video I do BETTER. There is something about not wanting to wreck the good job you just did that helps me stay in check, plus it gives me the extra calories that allow me to go and have some extra drinks or snacks. I hope this helps.

WaKay · October 2013

I changed my workout pattern on weekends. I usually work out after work, so I know when I walk in the gym what I need to do to offset what I have eaten all day and/or if I have dinner plans.

Weekends I tend to work out in the morning. If I want to have a food day, I know that workout has to be extra hard and burn more calories. If I don't do the time, I don't get to enjoy the crime!

I also plan more physical weekend activities, go for long walks, hike, bike, gardening, etc. I never count those burned calories, which helps me stay on track.

pinkledoodledoo · October 2013

What's been working for me is doing my weigh-ins on Sunday mornings. This forces me to be more mindful of my food choices during Friday nights and Saturdays when I've found I have the most trouble sticking with it.

lessofme43 · October 2013

I started with MFP in April of this year, my very first attempt in my 43 years at 'determined' weight loss. My goal is 1 lb/week, and I've been pretty consistently on target with it. And I have found time and time again, that when I allow myself a weekend off, or a nice dinner out, it doesn't have a real effect on my weight loss goals. It doesn't mean I have to go all ballistic with exercise and strict diet after the fact, just get back on that wagon tomorrow and my body seems to know what to do. It is more of a MIND problem than a physical one for me, maybe that it true for most people only they don't recognize it. I can say," I'm defeated, I've lost it, etc.", and my body will quickly fall in line with that thinking. Or I can say, "thanks for the treat, that was fun, now back to work!" and the body picks up where we dipped off the track without hardly skipping a beat. Perhaps a good look at your goals to determine if they are what's right for your lifestyle is working for you. Mine feels totally doable, so I'm not stressed out about it, and it's been working that way for 24 weeks. All the best to you!

Greenrun99 · October 2013

make the food your eating fit into your calorie allowance.. you want pizza or going out.. do an extra workout, don't eat as much earlier in the day (or don't eat at all until your going out).. those aren't huge calorie things to eat and you can easily make them fit.

SLLRunner · October 2013

I don't have any tips. I don't have cheat days or recipes because I don't diet. I just make sure that I eat plenty of protein and stick to six smalls meals a day. If I want something and it fits into my calories, I have it. I find myself wanting very few sweets, though.

1,200 calories seems awful low for a person your age. Do you exercise? If so, you need to eat those calories back because your calorie deficit has already been calculated.

firstsip · October 2013

If you have the MFP app, seeing your weekly average and focusing on that can work wonders for both weight loss and your mental well-being. I tend to lose weight more consistently when I have a high day or two during my deficit week--because my high days are maintenance. Even the occasional surplus day certainly doesn't hurt--it helps that I life heavy weights.

If it works for you, try being extra careful during the week so you can enjoy the weekend more, and that shouldn't be a halt to your progress. I also always work out on the weekend, so I don't let my activity fall by the wayside.

auntiebabs · October 2013

When I was new here I almost gave up in the first couple of weeks...
I felt like I was failing, but then I realized even if I couldn't make my 1200 calories a day, I was still doing much better than before I was at MFP. And as long as I was consistently moving in the right direction I didn't need to be a speed demon about it...

Besides the slower you lose, the more likely you are to keep it off (my theory is that your teaching your self maintainable eating habits, rather that depriving yourself until you reach your goal and having to relearn new eating habits to maintain

++Rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me. (I swear this saved my life.) I was happier once I gave myself a range:

ROCK BOTTOM: 1200 cal
TARGET: MFP Calories for lose 1 lb a week (when that hit 1200 I changed to lose 1/2 lb per week)
TOP OF RANGE: Maintain Calories for my GOAL Weight.

(SAFETY VALVE: Maintain Calories for CURRENT Weight - remember to keep updating this number as you lose)

I naturally tended to do 2-4 days between 1200-1300 cal then a day at about 1500-1600 cal then back to the 1200-1300 cal. (No hard science here, but I credit the zig-zagging calories with preventing plateaus.)

--As long as I stayed under the top of my range I should continue to lose, even if it is at a slower rate.
--As long as I don't go past my safety valve I shouldn't gain.

++Only worry about it 1 lb at a time.
Forget I *NEED* to lose 20, 30, 50, 100 lbs. I'm only worried about 1 lb the next one. I'll worry about the others later.
Once I found ways to lessen the stress, I found it way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated. Me I get scared and overwhelmed and don't see the big goal as achievable. )

alpine1994 · October 2013

A few things:
Are you sure you only need 1200 cals/day? I understand the want to lose weight quickly but honestly that was my downfall every time I tried to lose weight. I set my goal at 1lb per week which allowed me to have around 1550 cals which is very doable. I couldn't do 1200. I would be a miserable beast. I ended up losing an average of 3.5lbs per month over 10 months and so far I have kept everything off for over 6 months. I took the time to break old habits and create new ones so I know those pounds will never come back.

Are you eating back exercise calories? You should be if not! Your body needs fuel. If it doesn't have enough fuel, that's where the cravings really kick in.

Are you looking at macros at all? Getting enough protein and fat (fat is not a bad word!) is really important for feeling satisfied, and again, fueling your body properly. Don't be afraid of carbs either. They provide energy to get through your day and your workout without feeling sluggish.

Finally, try to keep in mind that it's about balance. You can't go through your entire life without ever having pizza or dessert ever again right? Once in a while it's okay. As long as you have more healthy days than unhealthy days, you're on the right track. I tend to eat really healthy during the week and allow myself a treat or two on the weekends. As long as the weekly calorie average looks good, you're good to go.

astronomicals · October 2013

those 600 calorie slips are a drop in the water... they really dont amount to anything... i dont even feel that guilty when I eat a few extra thousand... It doesnt slow things down much so long as it isnt often

ETA:
as for what others are saying.. its off topic.. but they are probably all right

auntiebabs · October 2013

A few things:
Are you sure you only need 1200 cals/day? I understand the want to lose weight quickly but honestly that was my downfall every time I tried to lose weight. I set my goal at 1lb per week which allowed me to have around 1550 cals which is very doable. I couldn't do 1200. 1) I would be a miserable beast. I ended up losing an average of 3.5lbs per month over 10 months and so far I have 2) kept everything off for over 6 months. I took the time to break old habits and create new ones so I know those pounds will never come back.

Are you eating back exercise calories? You should be if not! Your body needs fuel. If it doesn't have enough fuel, that's where the cravings really kick in.

Are you looking at macros at all? Getting enough protein and 3) fat (fat is not a bad word!) is really important for feeling satisfied, and again, fueling your body properly. 4)Don't be afraid of carbs either. They provide energy to get through your day and your workout without feeling sluggish.

Finally, try to keep in mind that it's about balance. 5)You can't go through your entire life without ever having pizza or dessert ever again right? Once in a while it's okay. As long as you have more healthy days than unhealthy days, you're on the right track. I tend to eat really healthy during the week and allow myself a treat or two on the weekends. As long as the weekly calorie average looks good, you're good to go.

1) Grrr! I don't think it's fair to my friend, family and co-workers to make myself a miserable beast.

2) So far I've been maintaining for 2 years. I've bounced around in a 5 lb range. I overshot my goal so that I'd have some wiggle room when I went to maintenance. Turns out I can't maintain my low-weight because 5)I want to live an awesome life. I've gone off MFP for chunks of time... and come back to see if what I think I'm doing is what I'm ACTUALLY doing (there is most always a gap there) the I tweak my strategies and test it out again in the real world.

3) Most vitamins are fat soluable... So you get better nutrition when you eat some happy fats. Besides that fats are good for nerve and brain function, reducing diabetes and depression... If you have heart disease in your family you probably want to keep an eye on saturated fats and cholesterol.

4) Complex carbs!!! help you get your fiber!

CARLEVA · October 2013

I have trouble on the weekends also. I find myself not keeping busy & being bored! If I notice in time that I'm snacky, I try to go look for something to do. Clean SOMETHING. Not only do I forget about the snacky part but I'm active so I actually burn calories. Kinda like a kid wanting to play with something they shouldn't. Divert the attention!

cwolfman13 · October 2013

What's crappy about any of that food? 1200 calories is also net...it is for sedentary...if you're working out you're supposed to eat more. 1200 calories is also a huge deficit from maintenance...if you go over a little, you're still at a deficit...you know this right? 1200 calories isn't maintenance.

I regularly "indulged" on the weekends when I was losing but just made sure I stayed at or below maintenance...I very easily lost about 40 Lbs...you have to remember that it's about the consistency of what you're doing most of the time, not 10% of the time or whatever. Big Picture...get out of the minutia.

what is it about weekends!!!

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