Losing during week and gaining all of or more back on weekends

shubk wrote: »

Hello,
I have been losing pretty much same pound for last few months. I lose weight during the week and then one or two big meals during weekend, I gain it all back. Even on days when I do extra exercise, it isn't working. What are some of your strategies for not gaining weight back on weekends?
thanks

Don't eat the big meals on the weekends?

Also, regarding the exercise, you've got to exercise a lot to compensate for a big meal. I don't know what you're doing in the way of exercise, but, for example, a 1-hour walk will burn about 200 calories which will hardly make a dent in a big meal.

shubk wrote: »

Great insights so far. so how do you change that weekend mindset? Eating less during week and eating more on weekends don't work for me.

Why are you eating big meals on the weekends?

Is it just a habit you've gotten into?

I save calories from weekdays then use them on weekend. You don't need to consume all of them on weekend.

I can 110% relate to this.

Before I discovered MFP, I was totally uneducated about the weight loss process and ate a very low calorie diet throughout the week teamed with exercise (we are talking around 600 calories a day + an hour cardio session a few times a week - crazy). Come the weekend, all hell broke loose and they were my days of 'freedom'! I literally ate and ate and ate, even if I wasn't hungry - purely because I knew that waiting for me in the next two days was another week of pure restriction and deprivation. Regardless of my very low Mon-Fri days, my absolute gluttony at the weekend caused substantial GAINS every now and again. I literally wasn't losing weight because my weekends were so enormous.

This whole method ^^ proves that a sensible, reasonable and realistic calorie deficit is the ONLY way to lose weight and keep it off. I'm now eating 1500 calories per day plus 4 work outs a week. This number is totally fine for me and I can fit my weekends around that number too so I'm not binge eating out of desperation. This is the way to do it and I am consistently losing weight.

If I am under my 1500 throughout the week, I count back 7 days adding up my 'under' calories and bank it for a 'treat' at the weekend. This means I am still being able to have indulgences but still keeping that vital deficit.

I think this is a fairly common problem. A lot of people discuss this issue.

I don't really understand where people are coming from because I want to be healthy and lose weight every day. I don't really get why people toss their goals out on their days off. But if you know that you're going to eat more on the weekends, maybe drop your calories lower during the week? See if that helps.

Or maybe just stick to the plan on the weekends. Don't drink the booze or eat out or whatever it is you're doing that ruins the good work you did during the week.

Now that you've figured out the problem, I'm sure you can find a solution.

Kalikel wrote: »

I think this is a fairly common problem. A lot of people discuss this issue.

I don't really understand where people are coming from because I want to be healthy and lose weight every day. I don't really get why people toss their goals out on their days off. But if you know that you're going to eat more on the weekends, maybe drop your calories lower during the week? See if that helps.

Or maybe just stick to the plan on the weekends. Don't drink the booze or eat out or whatever it is you're doing that ruins the good work you did during the week.

Now that you've figured out the problem, I'm sure you can find a solution.

I kinda get it because we eat out usually at least once on the week end, so it's harder for my willpower... but I don't HAVE to have dessert or drink 3 beers or have fried chicken, you know? This week end on Saturday we went to a Renaissance Fair, I had a crepe and a pretzel (I had been craving both) and finished pretty much at goal for the day. On Sunday evening we went out and I picked soup and salad bar, loaded up on veggies with a bit of cheese, ham, and egg, skipped the mayo salads, and skipped dessert and was at my goal too. Obviously I had to estimate, but my point is that unless it's something I'm REALLY craving (looking at you, Cheesecake Factory pumpkin pecan cheesecake, soon), I'm not going to spend a ton of calories on something just because it's there. And if for some reason I HAVE to eat some pizza, I'll just have a slice or two and not 4.

Oh and you know what? I've been enjoying the lower calorie dishes I've been ordering for 2 years just as much, if not more, than the 1500 calories fried dishes I used to eat.

shubk wrote: »

Hello,
I have been losing pretty much same pound for last few months. I lose weight during the week and then one or two big meals during weekend, I gain it all back. Even on days when I do extra exercise, it isn't working. What are some of your strategies for not gaining weight back on weekends?
thanks

I zig-zag calories. I have a couple of lower calorie days during the week, those "banked" calories are for the weekend. But I still log.

The idea of cheat meals is good. Note how I said cheat "meal" and not cheat "day" or "days". Give yourself one good meal each weekend and then get back to eating healthy the rest of the meals. When you're in loss mode, that's as far as you can go without upsetting the loss rate too much. And yes, you do need to save up calories over the week if you want to eat a little extra over the weekend.