Weekend Struggle Is Real

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kristinak48
kristinak48 Posts: 110 Member
in Motivation and Support
How do you stay on track on the weekends? I successfully had lost 43 lbs....struggling to get back on track since the holidays. I gained 7 lbs back. Tracked all my food last week thought I'd be down a little this week and I'm not :/ I don't want to gain anymore back... but don't want to spend my life missing out either :( Ugh... Struggling here!!

I do great during the week but have a hard time on the weekends.... social gatherings. I don't want to have to avoid these things for the rest of life to be healthy. I know last weekend was a special occasion a work party but it seems as if every weekend there is some sort of social gathering where alcohol, wine, food all are around. How do you stay on track ?

Also looking for tips to help waking up early for exercise any easier!! :)

Replies

  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,711 Member
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    kristinak48 wrote: »
    How do you stay on track on the weekends? I successfully had lost 43 lbs....struggling to get back on track since the holidays. I gained 7 lbs back. Tracked all my food last week thought I'd be down a little this week and I'm not :/I don't want to gain anymore back... but don't want to spend my life missing out either :( Ugh... Struggling here!!

    I do great during the week but have a hard time on the weekends.... social gatherings. I don't want to have to avoid these things for the rest of life to be healthy. I know last weekend was a special occasion a work party but it seems as if every weekend there is some sort of social gathering where alcohol, wine, food all are around. How do you stay on track ?

    Also looking for tips to help waking up early for exercise any easier!! :)

    Give it more time. One week is not enough to see results. Be consistent and you will see a loss soon.

    A key to long-term success is mindset. You can absolutely enjoy all social events. No need to miss out. The difference is focusing on the event and the socializing and enjoying some of the good food in proper quantities. If you see other people eating a lot of everything and you feel like you're "missing out" might as well get rid of that thought right now. You are making a lifestyle change for your health and well-being.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    At alcohol social events I've tried different strategies, especially in Dec. I didn't drink wine unless it was super special. That also helped me to avoid over doing the calories. At one party I actually only had ONE glass of wine. That was harder than not having any. Even if I drank too much I logged it and still tried to stay at maintenance, or 200-300 over my deficit. I ate lots of veggies and meat, and tried not to eat the chips, etc.. One party I had a little scotch (not my favorite) rather than wine and stayed close to goal.

    The way I look at it is that all week is practice for the weekend. Staying close to goal, even if over a little, two dinners a week won't derail you. What derails most of us is having a big slip then just giving up. Have the big slip once, and log it and start over the next day.

    I have a big family dinner with in-laws once a week and have decided to declare that "not special enough" to have wine. I lost 7 pounds since I started doing that, and still have lots of fun. You can do this, but it'll take some practice on what triggers your slip ups.
  • kristinak48
    kristinak48 Posts: 110 Member
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    fiddletime wrote: »
    At alcohol social events I've tried different strategies, especially in Dec. I didn't drink wine unless it was super special. That also helped me to avoid over doing the calories. At one party I actually only had ONE glass of wine. That was harder than not having any. Even if I drank too much I logged it and still tried to stay at maintenance, or 200-300 over my deficit. I ate lots of veggies and meat, and tried not to eat the chips, etc.. One party I had a little scotch (not my favorite) rather than wine and stayed close to goal.

    The way I look at it is that all week is practice for the weekend. Staying close to goal, even if over a little, two dinners a week won't derail you. What derails most of us is having a big slip then just giving up. Have the big slip once, and log it and start over the next day.

    I have a big family dinner with in-laws once a week and have decided to declare that "not special enough" to have wine. I lost 7 pounds since I started doing that, and still have lots of fun. You can do this, but it'll take some practice on what triggers your slip ups.

    Thank you. That is helpful.... using the week as practice and a reminder that one meal or a couple drinks won't derail unless it's every day. I'm having a hard time adding in exercise which I know if I could do this more then it would help on those weekends when there are social gatherings.
  • kristinak48
    kristinak48 Posts: 110 Member
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    BZAH10 wrote: »
    kristinak48 wrote: »
    How do you stay on track on the weekends? I successfully had lost 43 lbs....struggling to get back on track since the holidays. I gained 7 lbs back. Tracked all my food last week thought I'd be down a little this week and I'm not :/I don't want to gain anymore back... but don't want to spend my life missing out either :( Ugh... Struggling here!!

    I do great during the week but have a hard time on the weekends.... social gatherings. I don't want to have to avoid these things for the rest of life to be healthy. I know last weekend was a special occasion a work party but it seems as if every weekend there is some sort of social gathering where alcohol, wine, food all are around. How do you stay on track ?

    Also looking for tips to help waking up early for exercise any easier!! :)

    Give it more time. One week is not enough to see results. Be consistent and you will see a loss soon.

    A key to long-term success is mindset. You can absolutely enjoy all social events. No need to miss out. The difference is focusing on the event and the socializing and enjoying some of the good food in proper quantities. If you see other people eating a lot of everything and you feel like you're "missing out" might as well get rid of that thought right now. You are making a lifestyle change for your health and well-being.

    Thank you. I appreciate your input. I was hoping to see results right away this week after have been off track for a couple months.... wasn't the case. Frustrated myself!
  • ltssharon
    ltssharon Posts: 195 Member
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    I have an idea. At a pub the other day I ordered a large tomatoe juice. They had it because they make bloody mary's (whatever that is, it sounds awful). Can you take tomatoe juice and whatever is used to make bloody mary
    to the party, and then just drink the tomatoe juice? Virgin bloody mary. Or sparkling water, maybe with orange juice? Drink it all in a goblet.
  • kristinak48
    kristinak48 Posts: 110 Member
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    ltssharon wrote: »
    I have an idea. At a pub the other day I ordered a large tomatoe juice. They had it because they make bloody mary's (whatever that is, it sounds awful). Can you take tomatoe juice and whatever is used to make bloody mary
    to the party, and then just drink the tomatoe juice? Virgin bloody mary. Or sparkling water, maybe with orange juice? Drink it all in a goblet.

    I could but I enjoy a little buzz once in awhile at a social gathering :wink:
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    I save calories all week for the weekend because I know that I'll want to drink and usually have pizza. I try to save at least 1000 cals. During the main part of my loss, I was on 1550 NET calories, so basically I averaged 1300 M-Th, and then ate the extra cals F-Sun to get my weekly average to 1550.

    I also enjoy skipping breakfast on weekends (unless I'm doing some sort of cardio early) so that I can have 2 big meals later: Brunch and Dinner.

    Also if you want to limit to say 1 glass of wine (because that is what fits your cals), then procrastinate! Telling yourself you will have some later: after dinner, ok after this cup of tea, ok after the movie ends, etc...., is easier than having one right away and then trying not to have more.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
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    I have the same problem. Right now I am limiting myself to only drinking one night a week, which usually coincides with eating out. I am also telling myself to find one weekend a month that I don't drink alcohol at all. Yes, I am focusing on the alcohol right now, but it is the domino effect and it helps with the food choices too.

    If I know I have a big night out, where I want to drink more than a couple drinks I try to save up a little during the week, make sure I get a good workout in before and get right back on track the next day.

    Got the alcohol free weekend in this past weekend...it's nice to have it out of the way :)
  • swwass130
    swwass130 Posts: 23 Member
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    great idea of having an alcohol free weekend once a month. I also make sure I get a good work out in on the days I am going out in the evening.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I shave off some calories during the week and bank them for Saturday. I really need like 2000-2500 calories on Saturday. Once I learned to look at my goal as a weekly deficit I started losing again.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    I'm 5'2" and at 1200 calories for the past 7 months. I get too hungry if I cut from one day to add to another :(.
  • kristinak48
    kristinak48 Posts: 110 Member
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    lilawolf wrote: »
    I save calories all week for the weekend because I know that I'll want to drink and usually have pizza. I try to save at least 1000 cals. During the main part of my loss, I was on 1550 NET calories, so basically I averaged 1300 M-Th, and then ate the extra cals F-Sun to get my weekly average to 1550.

    I also enjoy skipping breakfast on weekends (unless I'm doing some sort of cardio early) so that I can have 2 big meals later: Brunch and Dinner.

    Also if you want to limit to say 1 glass of wine (because that is what fits your cals), then procrastinate! Telling yourself you will have some later: after dinner, ok after this cup of tea, ok after the movie ends, etc...., is easier than having one right away and then trying not to have more.

    This sounds a bit like the zigzag calories. I did do this to break a plateau awhile back and it did help. I'm at 1500 right now without exercise added and I am lucky if I have 100 left over each day to use towards the weekend. How do you feel full enough? What types of things are you eating?
  • kristinak48
    kristinak48 Posts: 110 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    I shave off some calories during the week and bank them for Saturday. I really need like 2000-2500 calories on Saturday. Once I learned to look at my goal as a weekly deficit I started losing again.

    How do you save 2000 for Saturday? The weekly deficit is a good idea.... I guess I don't think of it like that.
  • kristinak48
    kristinak48 Posts: 110 Member
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    Alidecker wrote: »
    I have the same problem. Right now I am limiting myself to only drinking one night a week, which usually coincides with eating out. I am also telling myself to find one weekend a month that I don't drink alcohol at all. Yes, I am focusing on the alcohol right now, but it is the domino effect and it helps with the food choices too.

    If I know I have a big night out, where I want to drink more than a couple drinks I try to save up a little during the week, make sure I get a good workout in before and get right back on track the next day.

    Got the alcohol free weekend in this past weekend...it's nice to have it out of the way :)

    I'm glad I'm not the only one! I agree....they go hand in hand. The snacking goes right along with the drinking. Especially for me because I like to make sure I eat so I don't get TOO intoxicated. I sound like a lush but I try to be safe. So it sounds like exercising in the morning and maybe saving up a little during the week helps...
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
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    Try setting up for a weekly deficit instead of daily. I havent figured it out 100% but my plan is to eat between 1200-1400 Cals on weekdays, and then be able to eat 16-1800 on weekends and still have the deficit I want. I'm not sure if those numbers are what will work for me yet but try it out for yourself. Say you want 800 Cals for drinks on Saturday but food isn't an issue, then from M-F somewhere cut those 800 Cals to save up.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    kristinak48 wrote: »
    lilawolf wrote: »
    I save calories all week for the weekend because I know that I'll want to drink and usually have pizza. I try to save at least 1000 cals. During the main part of my loss, I was on 1550 NET calories, so basically I averaged 1300 M-Th, and then ate the extra cals F-Sun to get my weekly average to 1550.

    I also enjoy skipping breakfast on weekends (unless I'm doing some sort of cardio early) so that I can have 2 big meals later: Brunch and Dinner.

    Also if you want to limit to say 1 glass of wine (because that is what fits your cals), then procrastinate! Telling yourself you will have some later: after dinner, ok after this cup of tea, ok after the movie ends, etc...., is easier than having one right away and then trying not to have more.

    This sounds a bit like the zigzag calories. I did do this to break a plateau awhile back and it did help. I'm at 1500 right now without exercise added and I am lucky if I have 100 left over each day to use towards the weekend. How do you feel full enough? What types of things are you eating?

    How much exercise do you get? I add more to get more to eat. You could look at my diary last week if you'd like. Tuesday was 2021 (no idea why I was so hungry on that day in particular) and Friday was 2310, but my average ended up being 1493 at the end of the week. I averaged a bit over 300 calories worth of exercise a day though.

    When I was doing martial arts, two weekly classes "paid" for my 1000 cals right there. Nice and simple.

    As for a more general answer on foods: macros are extremely important. I do best with 25-30%Protein, 35-40%Fat and 35-40% carbs. At least 100g of protein a day. Less protein=more hunger for me. In fact protein is the only macro that I've seen that significantly changes weight loss rates in studies. All three are important though, so low carb and low fat are out. I drink a ton of water too.
  • kristinak48
    kristinak48 Posts: 110 Member
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    I am just starting to exercise daily. I eat 1500 daily now. I don't eat back my exercise calories which this week have been between 100-200 calories only because I'm just starting out adding it in.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    Another vote for eating less during the week so you can consume more on the weekends.

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