Weekend ruins everything

hmg90
hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
So another regretful Sunday after a Saturday with too much pizza and too many calories... I have never been a binge eater per se but find myself in that situation when I'm trying to lose.

I have changed my diet approach but the weekends are still a problem. For a while I tried eating 1200 or 1300 a day but always crashed. Now I have decided on 1500 which works better. I just got a new job and I've been walking to and from work every day - about 45-60 minutes of very fast walking, twice a day. I usually eat back half the exercise calories or so.

This has been working well, I have a good routine going. But I just can't manage when I don't have that routine. I'm trying to save some money as well and not go out on the weekends, but I'm often left with not much to do. I work on my blog and run some errands but it is so hard without that structure of actually going to work (where I have healthy options stocked in the fridge). I start out Friday with a glass of wine a little too early, then that turns to three or four, in which case my judgment is impaired, I get super hungry and attack the fridge.
I have actually been looking for some part time work in the weekends just to get the same routine there.

Anyone else struggling with the weekends, or used to and have conquered it?

Replies

  • Pectinbean
    Pectinbean Posts: 62 Member
    My downfall is always a hangover. I have to eat my way out of them. I'm a bit of a lightweight so even a couple of glasses of wine can have me eating my weight in carby junk food. I've decided to give up alcohol for a few months to get myself properly back into shape. It will also save a lot of money!

    If you crave junk at weekends why not try healthier versions like pitta bread pizzas or lettuce tacos? IT'll save you cash on take out too.
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
    Weekends don't ruin everything - you and your perception of food do!
    You can still track food / calories over the week end - a pizza or whichever junk food you eat is still carbs, protein and fat.... eat that pizza and deduct it from your macros - simple as!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I prelog...not just my weekends but my week.

    And I stick to it. Esp with summer here weekends are filled with days by the pool, drinks and bbq's, snacks etc.

    Today I will take some time and prelog my week. I will typically fall 800 calories shy for the week which leaves me room for those drinks or special food etc. Last week I had room for a drinks and cheesecake (900 calories a slice so had 1/2 slice)

    My weekends food is prelogged based on what is planned even with the added drinks I do usually stay in goal and if I don't one day at maitenance isn't gonna derail me.

    I have done this pretty much since September of last year...and I have managed to lose on average 0.62lbs a week...even including over holidays such as Christmas and now that I am moving into maitenance.

    That gives you your structure and room for that fun...as losing weight shouldn't change your total life...you need to enjoy it.
  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
    Right with you on this one!

    I find it really hard with social things on weekends. I do have a couple of strategies that have helped keep it under control, and I've been losing weight pretty consistently!

    1. Pre logging calories. If I know I'm going to drink, I will add say 4 or 5 drinks (rum & diet coke are a good low calorie option) then work the rest of the day around that. I usually exercise especially hard in the morning to allow myself some leeway if I go over. You could try doing the same with pizza, like save half of your daily cals for pizza dinner and earn more through exercise/

    2. With restaurants I usually look up the menu online and decide what I want to get in advance and estimate the calories as best I can so I can make the rest of the day fit. If I already know what I'm getting I find I'm less likely to just go 'oh what the hell' and order a massive plate of nachos or something.

    3. If I'm usually not that hungry the next day, so I just listen to my body and don't try to hit my goal if I don't need to eat that much.

    4. Even with planning I still end up overdoing it and going over around every two weeks or so. Because I know this will happen, what I decided to do is not eat back most of my exercise calories during the week. I usually burn 400-500 calories a day at the gym so I sort of save them for when I know I'm inevitably going to go over. So even if I eat like 2000 cals over on a saturday I'm usually still under for the week, and I get to enjoy myself and don't feel too deprived. There was one month I did this where I had a wedding, an engagement party, a dinner and a 50th birthday party on 4 consecutive weekends, I ate so much each time and had a blast and still lost weight that month :)

    Good luck xx
  • pensierobello
    pensierobello Posts: 285 Member
    I haven't really eaten out (barring cafes etc) since I started 12 days ago, but what I would say is that weekends do not have to ruin everything! If you start out the day with exercise, you can be freed up to eat what you like and still have it within your calories. I like to go for a swim and/or a cycle and I also do Pilates on Sunday mornings. A decent swim or cycle will set you up for the day :)
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  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    Right with you on this one!

    I find it really hard with social things on weekends. I do have a couple of strategies that have helped keep it under control, and I've been losing weight pretty consistently!

    1. Pre logging calories. If I know I'm going to drink, I will add say 4 or 5 drinks (rum & diet coke are a good low calorie option) then work the rest of the day around that. I usually exercise especially hard in the morning to allow myself some leeway if I go over. You could try doing the same with pizza, like save half of your daily cals for pizza dinner and earn more through exercise/

    2. With restaurants I usually look up the menu online and decide what I want to get in advance and estimate the calories as best I can so I can make the rest of the day fit. If I already know what I'm getting I find I'm less likely to just go 'oh what the hell' and order a massive plate of nachos or something.

    3. If I'm usually not that hungry the next day, so I just listen to my body and don't try to hit my goal if I don't need to eat that much.

    4. Even with planning I still end up overdoing it and going over around every two weeks or so. Because I know this will happen, what I decided to do is not eat back most of my exercise calories during the week. I usually burn 400-500 calories a day at the gym so I sort of save them for when I know I'm inevitably going to go over. So even if I eat like 2000 cals over on a saturday I'm usually still under for the week, and I get to enjoy myself and don't feel too deprived. There was one month I did this where I had a wedding, an engagement party, a dinner and a 50th birthday party on 4 consecutive weekends, I ate so much each time and had a blast and still lost weight that month :)

    Good luck xx

    Thanks for the advice!

    I have had problems in the past only having one drink. As soon as I get the taste of alcohol on my tongue it only goes one way. But after many long nights and being dead tired at the office I was motivated to change. The past week I have been able to have one or two glasses of red wine and go to bed, so really happy about that. If I only I can extend that to the weekends...

    It annoys me that dieting is so much harder than it used to be. I'm only 23 but I notice a big difference from back when I was 18. Losing 10 lbs was the easiest thing in the world when I was younger.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    Stop "dieting" and find a way of life dude.
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    Stop "dieting" and find a way of life dude.

    People always say that but of course it is a diet - you're not going to live the rest of your life on a calorie deficit? It is temporary.

    Of course if someone eats only ****ty food in general they need to change their lfiestyle. But I am only cutting calories to lose the weight I want to lose, after that I will obviously eat at maintenance.
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
    So another regretful Sunday after a Saturday with too much pizza and too many calories... I have never been a binge eater per se but find myself in that situation when I'm trying to lose.

    I have changed my diet approach but the weekends are still a problem. For a while I tried eating 1200 or 1300 a day but always crashed. Now I have decided on 1500 which works better. I just got a new job and I've been walking to and from work every day - about 45-60 minutes of very fast walking, twice a day. I usually eat back half the exercise calories or so.

    This has been working well, I have a good routine going. But I just can't manage when I don't have that routine. I'm trying to save some money as well and not go out on the weekends, but I'm often left with not much to do. I work on my blog and run some errands but it is so hard without that structure of actually going to work (where I have healthy options stocked in the fridge). I start out Friday with a glass of wine a little too early, then that turns to three or four, in which case my judgment is impaired, I get super hungry and attack the fridge.
    I have actually been looking for some part time work in the weekends just to get the same routine there.

    Anyone else struggling with the weekends, or used to and have conquered it?

    I would rephrase your title to "I let the weekend ruin everything." Until you fully realize you are in control you are not going to make this work for you.
  • Well, no, you won't be "dieting" forever, but once you've lost weight, I think you'll find that your maintenance will be lower than it used to be. You don't want to go back to eating exactly like you did before; that's what brought you here in the first place!
  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
    Right with you on this one!

    I find it really hard with social things on weekends. I do have a couple of strategies that have helped keep it under control, and I've been losing weight pretty consistently!

    1. Pre logging calories. If I know I'm going to drink, I will add say 4 or 5 drinks (rum & diet coke are a good low calorie option) then work the rest of the day around that. I usually exercise especially hard in the morning to allow myself some leeway if I go over. You could try doing the same with pizza, like save half of your daily cals for pizza dinner and earn more through exercise/

    2. With restaurants I usually look up the menu online and decide what I want to get in advance and estimate the calories as best I can so I can make the rest of the day fit. If I already know what I'm getting I find I'm less likely to just go 'oh what the hell' and order a massive plate of nachos or something.

    3. If I'm usually not that hungry the next day, so I just listen to my body and don't try to hit my goal if I don't need to eat that much.

    4. Even with planning I still end up overdoing it and going over around every two weeks or so. Because I know this will happen, what I decided to do is not eat back most of my exercise calories during the week. I usually burn 400-500 calories a day at the gym so I sort of save them for when I know I'm inevitably going to go over. So even if I eat like 2000 cals over on a saturday I'm usually still under for the week, and I get to enjoy myself and don't feel too deprived. There was one month I did this where I had a wedding, an engagement party, a dinner and a 50th birthday party on 4 consecutive weekends, I ate so much each time and had a blast and still lost weight that month :)

    Good luck xx

    Thanks for the advice!

    I have had problems in the past only having one drink. As soon as I get the taste of alcohol on my tongue it only goes one way. But after many long nights and being dead tired at the office I was motivated to change. The past week I have been able to have one or two glasses of red wine and go to bed, so really happy about that. If I only I can extend that to the weekends...

    It annoys me that dieting is so much harder than it used to be. I'm only 23 but I notice a big difference from back when I was 18. Losing 10 lbs was the easiest thing in the world when I was younger.

    That is so true, the last time I did this I was 21 and it was not only easy, but really consistent- I lost half a kilo every week for 12 weeks like clockwork. I'm 26 now and found it much harder to get back into it, I think now I've been doing this a while it's gotten easier :)

    Yeah I can relate to the drinking too, a couple weeks ago I had my 4 rum&diet cokes for the night all planned out, then as soon as I arrived my rich friends started buying me cocktails! Plus when I've been drinking and especially if I know I've already gone over my calories I tend to REALLY start wanting greasy food and can't quite remember the reasons not to. I ended up having so many sugary cocktails, ate a bowl of pretzels at the bar then couldn't say no when my friends brought in delicious pizza.. but I had a ****ing ball that night, probably danced off a few calories and because I had stayed under for the week with exercise I was still on track and still lost weight. You can do it! xx
  • La_Malfaisante
    La_Malfaisante Posts: 1,509 Member
    Stop "dieting" and find a way of life dude.


    What this guy said ^^^ you need to have a healthy relationship with food.
  • glasshalffull713
    glasshalffull713 Posts: 323 Member
    Plan some more intense workouts over the weekend. That will fill up the time with a healthier activity that doesn't revolve around pizza, and also gives you some extra calories to splurge with. Plus, for me after I have a kickass workout, I usually don't want to destroy all my hard work with bad eating.
  • popsicklestar
    popsicklestar Posts: 166 Member
    You can always eat slightly less during the week to save some extra calories for the weekend. I usually do an intense bootcamp in the morning on Saturday which buys me some extra calories to play with. If I know I will be going out to dinner, I try to get a workout in and eat very light and low-cal for breakfast and lunch to save as many possible calories for the dinner. If I eat a big meal, I try to take a walk after to burn a few extra calories. Logging everything right away is really helpful. It's just like a budget. You have so much money to spend and then that's it. When I've eaten all my calories for the day, I try to not eat any more or if I'm super starving and have no more calories, just eat something around 150 calories to get by.
  • cwoyto123
    cwoyto123 Posts: 308
    Go for a run, nothing wrong with pizza.
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    Well, no, you won't be "dieting" forever, but once you've lost weight, I think you'll find that your maintenance will be lower than it used to be. You don't want to go back to eating exactly like you did before; that's what brought you here in the first place!

    My regular diet is fine, it's just that I ate a lot of crap for a short period of time (around Christmas) and I need to eat less for some time to get rid of that.