How do you keep up on the weekends?

sarahi2009 · January 2011

I find that I do great during the week. Mainly because I work at a remote area where you can't just go buy "lunch" you have to bring yours or the nearest fast food place is about 15 min and it's only burger king. I just bring to work my lunch and what I want to snack on. The weekends are a different story. Since my family is not on a calorie count its easy for me to just eat with them when they eat, or if I want to snack on chips I snack on them or drink too much coffee etc....what is your secret or how do you battle that?

starkiss100 · January 2011

Portion control and make sure you get a workout in so you have more calories to work with. Drink a glass a water before eating or have a side salad before a meal to help you fill up.

vcatmb44 · January 2011

You just have to have self control and stick to it. I am like you i work a 9-5 desk job mon-fri so i bring my food and snacks in but on thur fri and sat i bartend till 3am and im always straving after work also i am tempted to drink while i am working. As far as food goes I like to cook so i will prepare healthy meals like baked chicken, turkey, fish etc. Try home cooked healthy meals

meggonkgonk · January 2011

Wake up late and make lunch and dinner 1 meal :drinker:

superwmn · January 2011

http://thehealthyapron.com/2010/07/16/weekends-6ways-to-keep-it-healthy/

Great weekend tips

Charmagne

kerriBB37 · January 2011

Weekends are my hardest time too. Case in point, last weekend I went out with my parents for Mexican, out to the bar with friends and ate horribly alll day Sunday because I was hungover. The only way I saw to counter-act anything was to plan ahead. I worked out a couple hours Friday night and again Saturday morning. I worked out twice on Monday. I don't know if it helped as I only weigh in on Friday's so we will see! I know it's a lot less structured on the weekends but I feel if I get a good workout in, it's half the battle! Good luck!

GorillaNJ · January 2011

I take advantage of being off on the weekends and get in an early morning workout. Gym is basically empty at 7am. Then I try to mix in some active things for the day. Walking or something like that.

goron59 · January 2011

I struggle a bit at weekends.

It's the one time in the week I get to cook for myself and the wife, and so it becomes a bit of a off-diet day. We also sometimes go out on a Friday night to relax and that can get a bit off-diet too.

On the other hand, I have more time to exercise, so usually get to the gym twice and/or go on longish walks.

Weekends are the main reason, I think, why my rate of weight-loss is so low, but I _am_ still losing, so not overly concerned.

ajbeans · January 2011

If you want to have chips with the family, you can. Find out how many calories are in a serving, and how big that serving is, and portion that much out for yourself so you can log it. Or if it's a lot of calories, portion out half a serving, or get yourself a lower-cal alternative. Don't eat anything out of the bag or box -- always measure out a small amount. You'll still feel satisfied without eating all your calories in one sitting. You can have almost anything you want to eat when yo'ure counting calories, you just might have to have a smaller portion.

And yes, try to work out so you can have room for those extra cals. Take a walk with the kiddos, or do some steps while you watch tv (you can buy a stepper, or you can make one with a stepstool or something).

curleesam · January 2011

Get up early and go to the gym on Saturday and Sunday (its nice and quiet), it will give you energy for the whole day and allow you extra calories to eat during the day. I also use Saturday as my cheat day so if I feel like a glass of wine or a takeaway on a Saturday night I just let myself have it (just so long as I have gymmed that day)

Randee75 · January 2011

Self control!!! My house is full of "junk" that I shouldn't eat. I have 4 boys (13,11,6 yr. old twins) and a hubby that are far from being over weight. They need more calories not less. So for me its purely a mental game. I have to say sweets are not an issue for me it is my coffee creamer habit and chips and salt. I think everyone should allow themselves cheat items so just find "healthier ones".....Cheetos are processed goodness and my weakness so I switched to baked cheetos. I count out the serving size in a bowl and thats it. If I sat down with the bag I would eat at least half the bag. My kids should have snacks as they do eat pretty healthy than most. I live in a town that has no fast food so I home cook meals alot. I don't want my kids to have eating issues because I am watching my calories. My 6 year old twins already asked me if calories make them fat eeeeks. We should all make healthy choices but food shouldn't be a dreadful thing either. So to fully answer the question the weekends are the weekends and I allow myself to relax a bit, but just not get out of control. Portion control is a big thing.......after a serving of not so great food make sure you follow up with a super healthy one. Good luck!!!

Celo24 · January 2011

Since my family is not on a calorie count its easy for me to just eat with them when they eat, or if I want to snack on chips I snack on them or drink too much coffee etc....what is your secret or how do you battle that?

There is no secret. It's just a matter of self-discipline and self-control. A lot of people have already given you good advice about exercise and portion control. The hardest part of eating healthy is if your family isn't on board and doing the same thing. You have to be twice as disciplined. I'm lucky that my wife is very big on healthy eating as well so it makes it easier. But remind yourself why you are here and stick to your guns. It does get easier to eat right as it becomes a habit.

All that being said, EVERYONE cheats from time to time (except maybe Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper). Don't beat yourself up about it. Just don't make it a habit, go burn some extra calories and move on. Good luck!!

BigBoneSista · January 2011

I don't separate Saturday & Sundays. I 'm at the gym Monday thru Friday at 4:30 am. I'm there on Saturday & Sunday @ 4:30 as well. This is a lifestyle change not an act of convenience for me. What I do Monday thru Friday reflects my week-ends as well. Its called being consistant. You have to want to do it. Saying you eat what your family eats because its there or that fast food is more accessible is a excuse for laziness. Plain & Simple. Either you stop with the excuses and get the right mindset or you will keep failing. Don't take this with ill will because this is all out of love. I've walked that walk. I had the same way of thinking so lets just be real. With that said.

I do the grocery shopping in my home so I know what my kids are eating. They are living a healthier lifestyle for them. Nothing as strict as mine, but they are learning what moderation is and whats the real meaning of treats. My kitchen is full of healthy veggies, fruits & nuts. I keep sweet potatoes cooked in the frig and other go to items like yogurt & stick cheese. We have sugar free popsicles instead of ice cream in the freezer.

I package and freeze meats for easier cooking. My 3 kids like chicken legs so I pack 2 legs each in a freezer bag. I eat chicken breast. I package 1 of those in a freezer bag. I put them in the frig the night before so they can thaw. 30 minutes b4 I'm going to cook them I season them really well and put them back sin the frig. When its cooking time 25 minutes at 400 degrees & they are done. I usually make stir-fry veggies w/extra virgin olive oil or sweet potatoes, and some mac & cheese (for the kids only). Dinner takes 30 minutes to prepare and if you go ahead and pre-cook your meats & veggies and freeze them, it will be even a shorter amount of time.

It just comes down to planning & preparation. You can't be lazy with weight loss & maintenance. You have to be proactive. There is no way around it.

I wish you much success in you journey.

rmkorama · January 2011

I'm firmly in the "focus on small goals and then expand" camp, so when I started out I decided to focus on how to make healthier eating a consistent habit MOST of the time, even if I couldn't jump right in whole hog and get it all right away. To that end, I focus on the weekday and don't sweat the weekends all that much. I know that won't work for everyone, but when I first started out, sticking to my calorie goals was tough enough without having to worry about weekend weirdness. Our weekends are really up in the air, and the idea of taking on that task was just too much to handle.

And I've noticed that, as my eating habits have changed and become habitual during the week, my weekend eating patterns have also altered by virtue of inertia. I'm not saying that all caution should be thrown to the winds, though. I do try to stay mindful about what I'm putting in my mouth and make conscious choices about what and how much I'm eating, but I also don't worry too much if I want to have a hot chocolate one morning with the crepes that I decided to cook on a whim but can't use the nutrition information from the recipe because I had to substitute several ingredients that I didn't have.

My weekdays are pretty regular, so I decided early on that if I was going to stick with this plan, I would see how well it would work if I gave myself the weekends off. I just know that, come Monday, I have to stick to my calorie goal. My weight loss may not be the quickest, but I've saved my sanity. And though I may have to work on a different plan as I get closer to my goal, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I also second, third, fourth, or whatever the motion to exercise on the weekends if at all possible. I usually can only do about 30 minutes or so per day during the week, but try to get in about an hour at a time on the weekends instead.

How do you keep up on the weekends?

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