Weekends. Anyone else fall off the wagon?

KaylaMack013 · October 2018

Hello!

Anyone else completely fall off the tracks during the weekend? I meal prep on Sunday so I have food prepared for the whole week but my husband and I are out and about and always end up grabbing food to eat and then of course I need a beer. I do so well over the work week and then the weekend ruins all of my hard work but I still can’t seem to break the bad habits!

What do you all do to keep on track and not completely go off the rails?

Thanks!

Kayla

jflongo · October 2018

I bowl on Friday nights, so usually Friday morning, I add 3 or 4 beers in MFP for calorie tracking to try and help with that. Another example, last night we were doing a fundraiser for boy scouts at a pizza restaurant so I ordered a Salad with Chicken and vinegar and oil, instead of pizza. But yes, sometimes that does happen to me on weekends. I try and be strict Sunday - Thursday, and do my best Friday / Saturday, but sometimes fall of a little, not too bad though.

hesn92 · October 2018

You could try to eat a bit less M-F to try and save up a few hundred extra calories. I don't really have a "trick" for not going off the rails on the weekends, it just comes down to how committed you are to reaching your goals. Not a very helpful answer, sorry.

Caralarma · October 2018

If you eat out with your husband, just factor that food in after you have it. Have your beer but try not to go crazy and stuff your face. Then log as accurately as you can and it will probably mean just eating less later that day. It may still result in going over your calorie goal but at least it wont be disastrous 😊 we all have to live a little and cant eat 'clean' all the time so in situations like that I think thays where portion control comes in.

flippy1234 · October 2018

Yep, almost always...I eat super well during the week and then on the weekends I relax a bit. Have a few margaritas, beers, whatever. I don't log on the weekends either. I don't go crazy but I also just give myself a bit of a break.

RelCanonical · October 2018

I do relax more on the weekends when it comes to food, sometimes eating at maintenance, but since I have more time to workout on weekends, it kind of balances out.

born_of_fire74 · October 2018

I'm recovering from an injury ATM. Everything is all out whack and I've put on a bit of weight however, when things are normal, I try to bank some calories during the week so that I can get a little crazy with it on the weekends. Something to the tune of 100-150/day maybe even 250/day if I'm having a good week.

I don't drink so that is super helpful. I can't imagine trying to fit empty calories like that into my budget but there's no point in depriving yourself of the things that bring you joy either. Tough spot.

AustinRuadhain · October 2018

I have gotten my husband excited about getting healthy, so he is now game for the big salad lunch on the weekends. (This works if you are careful about what is in and on the salads. Easy to underestimate salad dressing amounts.) If we are going out, we plan around that (eat before or pack food, generally).

mitch16 · October 2018

Kind of. My husband and I are empty nesters and are both working on losing some weight right now. During the week is easy because we have a defined schedule (work, gym, dinner at home), but weekends are a little trickier because we run errands, do work around the house, watch some college football... By the time dinner time rolls around I have no urge to cook so we will go out... We have started doing just 2 meals a day on Saturday and Sunday--breakfast at home and then an early dinner out--so that we don't go way over on calories. Seems to be working well for us.

ejg1010 · October 2018

I "bank" calories during the week so that I can enjoy higher calorie things at weekends (such as wine!) without undoing all my hard work. I still log everything and just go from my weekly totals. At the moment my target is to lose 1/2lb per week so as long as my average calorie intake is 250 under maintenance per day, that's all I'm looking for.

dhiammarath · October 2018

I don't consider myself on a wagon, really, largely because 'falling off' of a wagon frames an action as a failure. So I try to work hard to understand what it is that I want, and how what I want will affect my long-term goals. In this way, I try to make sustainable changes for me while balancing want (living/enjoying/etc) with what I need (counting/exercising/etc) to be healthy.

I generally want to have more flexibility on weekends, so I try to balance that with stricter limits during the week on average. Some weekends, I will have that delicious caramel popcorn at the movies without having "purchased" it from the week's savings, and that's okay. That is also not failure, that is a conscious choice I make that this one day I am going to go over my calories. In the grand scheme of losing weight, it is a small blip, but it makes me happy.

Ultimately, my goal is to be able to balance enjoying life with being responsible in regards to my intake and health. I do my best to frame everything I do as a choice that I make. I have the power and I have no intention of giving that power up.

But, no matter what, I log everything. Historical data is a good indicator of future trajectory.

TavistockToad · October 2018

I save a few calories Monday to Thursday, and my biggest exercise day is at the weekend.

Look at your weekly goal, not daily.

KaylaMack013 · October 2018

Thank you everyone for your insight and tips! Truly appreciate it!!! 🙌🏼❤️

ApolloDj2018 · October 2018

Weekends are the toughest time to diet in my opinion i don't know why but you need all your will power to hold off 🤐

vanityy99 · October 2018

ericpiccione · October 2018

Same here, I’ll hit my goals every day within a 100 calorie limit then when weekends come I “reward” myself. When I was in incredible shape I would log all my meals before my day started if I Had a clue on what I was going to eat. If not, before eating I would log all that I had in front of me (it takes commitment) then I would eat. Obviously not a lot of people like to be logging on the weekends but I still like to feel good about staying within a relative amount every day

JeromeBarry1 · October 2018

Being somewhat retired, every day is a weekend. I was under my calorie budget each day this week so far.

Breakfast: I have coffee first. After 8:00 a.m., I fix my breakfast. My daughter is busy getting ready to go to work so I stay out of her way.

Lunch: I plan this around noon or 1:00 p.m.

Dinner: I start cooking around 6:00 p.m.

There's usually calories left over for a small snack in the afternoon.

Stellamom2018 · October 2018

I spent at least 5 years binging on weekends and eating okay during the week, and effectively gaining 50lbs. Then I changed to the "I've already ruined the diet today, I'll start Monday" for about 2 years. Are you going to remember the Saturday meal out in one month, or are you going to be 5-8 lbs lighter?

Lillymoo01 · October 2018

I normally have a treat meal for tea on a Saturday night and I simply pre-log what I want (online menus are fantastic) in the morning so I know it will fit into my budget and I can adjust what I can eat for other meals during the day. My calorie allowance is always higher though as I have more time on a Saturday to exercise.

TavistockToad · October 2018

Lillymoo01 wrote: »

I normally have a treat meal for tea on a Saturday night and I simply pre-log what I want (online menus are fantastic) in the morning so I know it will fit into my budget and I can adjust what I can eat for other meals during the day. My calorie allowance is always higher though as I have more time on a Saturday to exercise.

In what way is it a cheat meal if it fits in your calories?

SabAteNine · October 2018

Some people do well with sticking to a constant calorie number throughout the week, others do better if they squirrel away some calories Mo-Fri to compensate for the weekends. Nothing wrong in that. You can lose a lb by being in a 500-cal deficit for 7 days straight, or by being in a 700 cal deficit for 5 days and eating at maintenance for the other two, without falling off any wagon. Do whatever works for you!

Weekends. Anyone else fall off the wagon?

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