Weekend Woes....

I have the same issue. I would like to hear what people have to say as well.

:blushing: i have this habit too!!But i make up for it all week and then lapse saturday and just a tad sunday!But the other 5 days i work damn hard!

Sorry just dont see it as an entirely bad thing,sometimes ya body needs a break!!But i am maintaining not really trying to lose except for every now n then when i may put on a pound or 2!!

I don't have a problem working out, I've really made that a habit. For me, I found weekend exercise classes that I really like with great teachers that motivate me. In some cases I'll even drive to a gym that's a bit further from my house if it is for a good class. If the weather is nice, I try to do something active with my husband like go for a hike.

I do have the same problem with a lack of control when it comes to eating on the weekends, especially if I am drinking at all. They say alcohol lowers inhibitions and it definitely lowers my inhibitions about eating calorie packed foods. Haven't found a way around this one other than just no drinking - sorry if that isn't very helpful.

I hear you. The weekends it's like my body is screaming to get full for once. My meals never fill me up during the week...they are enough...but it's hard not to have a nice big ol' meal or two on the weekends. I still haven't figured out that balance.

Maybe if you schedule yourself some down time it won't demotivate you so much when you do have the down time. You should be able to go out an have some fun without feeling guilty about missing one day at the gym. I mean, you are going 5 days during the week and riding your bike every day. Your body does need some down time.

I agree w/WWhitaker, it will take some adjustments, I have the same issue, this weekend I did a little better, I wanted something sweet so I made me some banana nut bread, I made it that way I know what I am getting and putting into my body! I also have :happy: been practicing last week not eating any process foods, and that seem to be helping! hope this helps

I use the extra weekend time for extra exercise so I can eat more! I feel like I have to earn the right to have the extra calories, and it works for me. I also do my daily exercise first thing in the morning, even on weekends, so it always gets done.

Exactly,i work really hard all week so i know i can realx on weekends!!I do workout every other saturday but only when im feeling really down,as i do 12 classes a week as it is plus gym!

I'm generally more active on the weekends and can afford, calorie-wise, to consume a little more.

Good example - went kayaking for 5 hours down a river on Saturday. Have no idea what the calorie burn was on paddling that long, but I'm willing to be it's pretty high.

Only ate two meals - breakfast (about 500 calories) and dinner/dessert (about 1300 calories). Put me within an 1800 calorie allotment for the day which was probably about correct with the expected calorie burn of paddling for 5 hours...

If I know I'm going to have a big meal out, I eat less at other meals.

So, okay...

Firstly, I've been doing this for a month now so I'm not exactly a guru.

- However, I have made my weekend schedules for the first month really bloody boring so that I get my head round being disciplined.

-My weigh in is on Monday so I feel the need to be disciplined on the run up to it, which just so happens to be the weekend and it counteracts any urges to be super bad

-Probably not that recommended but I skipped lunch on Saturday - I got up and had breakfast later and wasn't that hungry, figured I could go until dinner when I knew I'd have a good meal inside me, and I skipped dinner on Sunday because I had a good sized lunch...

You could try and work out early in the day that way you've done your work out for the day and earned yourself extra calories for the day should you need them, you'll also feel less sluggish and more inclined to eat healthily if you've exercised early on.

We should not be on our best behavior 100% of the time. It's ok to give in to enjoying ourselves and having fun and eating what we want. I have an 80/20 rule -- I eat what I should 80% of the time and I eat what I want 20% of the time which happens to be on the weekend. Now, when you having a weak moment (if you happen be near your computer/smart phone) post your status on MFP and I am sure you will get the support that you need to keep you on the wagon. Good luck!

Great advise!!Just how i do it!!

I use the extra weekend time for extra exercise so I can eat more! I feel like I have to earn the right to have the extra calories, and it works for me. I also do my daily exercise first thing in the morning, even on weekends, so it always gets done.

this is exactly what i do. i've also read that changing your weigh-in days to mondays can keep you more honest over the weekend.


good luck!

I've had the same trouble and am slowly starting to come up with solutions.

First, I try to loosely schedule my days. If there's nothing in particular planned, I'll still chart it out like so:
9-11: laundry
11-12: library and grocery store
12-1: lunch and veg out a bit
1-3: go for a long walk
3-5: prep meals for the weekend, read or study
5-7: visit with hubby in the backyard, have dinner
7-9: watch movie with hubby
shortly after that I go to bed

Second, I try to make sure to get in exercise at least one day. Not sure exactly why but long walks seem to really rev up my metabolism so even if I am bad, it totally does show the next day.

Third, give yourself one day to go over a few hundred calories, it might actually help kickstart your metabolism.

Fourth, be more aware of your actions/habits/triggers. When you start getting "hungry", think of the lightest thing you can eat or think of something else you can do. Boredom is a huge eating trigger for a lot of people and this is the only way around it.

During the weekends, I also have issues with no stucture, it seems easy during the week. So, I try to include more excercise since I have more time, but I try to make it more fun with a long bike ride or extra-long walk or excercise class.

It also seems to help to make the weekend meals more fun or seemingly more indulgent, so I am easier on myself during that time....not that I'm not still too hard on myself in my head after.

For me, it's more the alcohol intake that racks up more calories - so I have a rule for that: if I don't work out, I don't go out. That helps.

I think a lot of it is how you look at it. Are you on a diet and feel deprived and like you have to treat yourself, or do you look at it as a lifestyle change? If it's a lifestyle change, then you won't feel deprived or like you need to cheat. Do you think of exercise as something you "have" to do or something you enjoy and know is good for you?

I used to have trouble with the weekends, too. Now I tend to burn even more calories on the weekends than I do during the week days. I also think about how much weight I have lost and the fact that I don't ever want to gain it back, which would happen if I thought that I was deprived and needed to eat more than I actually need.

Yesterday we were running all over the place and it was an hour past my normal lunchtime. I was starving. I could have had a McDonald's hamburger for 250 calories or I could have a Jimmy John's sub and eat half of it, plus a half serving of potato chips. The sub was 239 calories and delicious!

We all got to be overweight for the same reason, too much food and not enough exercise. If you change your mindset and realize that you really need to move more and eat less for the rest of your life, it will help you be successful.