Weekends

Options
alexsmith01
alexsmith01 Posts: 350 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I always eat way too much on my weekends (surrounded by friend who eat loads of garbage, beer) - I feel like it just undoes all the good I've been doing all week! How do you stay on track on the weekends?
I've seen that people "save up" their leftover weekday calories to use up on the weekend so that their overall week is ok, but is that healthy? Seems like a binge to me!

Replies

  • drog2323
    drog2323 Posts: 1,386 Member
    Options
    i try to stay in a large deficit during the week, then on Saturday I have something at dinner I normally wouldn't eat during the week, and maybe a few beers. etc.

    remember it's also life too - you gotta enjoy it!

    but yah, I agree binging isn't the best idea.
  • jill___
    jill___ Posts: 188 Member
    Options
    I've yet to figure out how to be good on weekends! I tried the whole "eat less so I can DRINK more" thing -- but that's just irresponsible!!
  • darlilama
    darlilama Posts: 794 Member
    Options
    I really don't know if you can truly "save up" calories. I don't know that your body says "oh, hey, it's okay since you underate all week", ya know? I think we need a nutrionist/doctors view on that. However, I don't think an occasional day of having what you want really hurts. But, I don't think it's healthy or wise to eat grease-laden food every weekend and decide it's "okay" because you saved up the calories.

    Realize… it's NOT just about calories, it's about the quality of the food you're eating and the balancing of nutrients.
  • razzyplum
    razzyplum Posts: 15
    Options
    i heard something once that has stuck with me....it was from the documentary "Food Matters". One of the dr's said that you can never make up for a day of bad eating. you've eaten what you've eaten and it's already in you. practically speaking you have to have what you want occasionally...but maybe start doing that once or twice a month instead of every weekend.
  • jmcclain75
    jmcclain75 Posts: 11
    Options
    The weekends can be xtra hard if we're not careful, and especially when a lot of events are going on. For instance, this weekend in LA, we're celebrating our LSU Tigers in anticipation that they're gonna beat the snot out of Alabama :-) . . . so there is a lot of 'unhealthy cooking' going on; like rotel dip, hot wings, pizza, soda's, chips, etc., however, being proactive, I already have my footlong turkey breast and black forest ham on wheat ready to go! I ate half for lunch and will have the other half with about 15 Garden Salsa Sunchips and a coke zero . . . and if I really want to overdo it, I'll have 6 small animal cookies . . . all under 500 calories. I will exercise after the game, so I will still be under my calorie intake for the day.

    I think it's all about keeping a made-up, proactive mindset. It can be really hard when there is food galore around, but having you something already set aside that's more healthier can really help. It has been a wild week for me, at work there has been pizza, shrimp po-boys, and homemade honeybun cakes (courtesy of my bestest co-worker Angell :-), but I resisted. My Pastor always tell her congregants to keep a NO in our pockets, and I've learned and am still learning how to do that spirtually and naturally when it comes to this weight loss thing that I need and deserve so much! You can do it! And if you do have a not-so-good day, get up, dust yourself off, start over, don't let it keep you in a vicious cycle of doing it again . . . you can and you shall do it!
  • Raf702
    Raf702 Posts: 196 Member
    Options
    I always eat way too much on my weekends (surrounded by friend who eat loads of garbage, beer) - I feel like it just undoes all the good I've been doing all week! How do you stay on track on the weekends?
    I've seen that people "save up" their leftover weekday calories to use up on the weekend so that their overall week is ok, but is that healthy? Seems like a binge to me!

    Rule of thumb, 3,500 cals=1lb. If you can count how many calories you think you might eat above your maintenance. That alone will help you determine if you can splurge on certain days. 3,500 calories(1lb) is a lot to consume ON TOP of your maintenance.

    For me it's not necessarily the weekends, it's just random days. Usually it will be 1x or 1x every other week.
  • alexsmith01
    alexsmith01 Posts: 350 Member
    Options
    I really don't know if you can truly "save up" calories. I don't know that your body says "oh, hey, it's okay since you underate all week", ya know? I think we need a nutrionist/doctors view on that. However, I don't think an occasional day of having what you want really hurts. But, I don't think it's healthy or wise to eat grease-laden food every weekend and decide it's "okay" because you saved up the calories.

    Realize… it's NOT just about calories, it's about the quality of the food you're eating and the balancing of nutrients.

    Yeah I don't think it'd be very good for my body to eat too little during the week & overeat weekends, in a perfect world I'd eat the around the same every day, but it is hard on the weekends to stick to the same eating patterns.
    I guess it will get better with time as well, this is only my second weekend!
  • alexsmith01
    alexsmith01 Posts: 350 Member
    Options
    I always eat way too much on my weekends (surrounded by friend who eat loads of garbage, beer) - I feel like it just undoes all the good I've been doing all week! How do you stay on track on the weekends?
    I've seen that people "save up" their leftover weekday calories to use up on the weekend so that their overall week is ok, but is that healthy? Seems like a binge to me!

    Rule of thumb, 3,500 cals=1lb. If you can count how many calories you think you might eat above your maintenance. That alone will help you determine if you can splurge on certain days. 3,500 calories(1lb) is a lot to consume ON TOP of your maintenance.

    For me it's not necessarily the weekends, it's just random days. Usually it will be 1x or 1x every other week.

    If I can get to every-now-and-again I'll be happy, life would be boring on a 100% perfect healthy diet, but 2 out of every 7 days is probably not going to help me lose weight haha. 3,500 is a lot of calories!
  • alexsmith01
    alexsmith01 Posts: 350 Member
    Options
    The weekends can be xtra hard if we're not careful, and especially when a lot of events are going on. For instance, this weekend in LA, we're celebrating our LSU Tigers in anticipation that they're gonna beat the snot out of Alabama :-) . . . so there is a lot of 'unhealthy cooking' going on; like rotel dip, hot wings, pizza, soda's, chips, etc., however, being proactive, I already have my footlong turkey breast and black forest ham on wheat ready to go! I ate half for lunch and will have the other half with about 15 Garden Salsa Sunchips and a coke zero . . . and if I really want to overdo it, I'll have 6 small animal cookies . . . all under 500 calories. I will exercise after the game, so I will still be under my calorie intake for the day.

    I think it's all about keeping a made-up, proactive mindset. It can be really hard when there is food galore around, but having you something already set aside that's more healthier can really help. It has been a wild week for me, at work there has been pizza, shrimp po-boys, and homemade honeybun cakes (courtesy of my bestest co-worker Angell :-), but I resisted. My Pastor always tell her congregants to keep a NO in our pockets, and I've learned and am still learning how to do that spirtually and naturally when it comes to this weight loss thing that I need and deserve so much! You can do it! And if you do have a not-so-good day, get up, dust yourself off, start over, don't let it keep you in a vicious cycle of doing it again . . . you can and you shall do it!

    That's a good idea - probably better to make healthy food to bring along instead of trying not to have anything!
  • havalinaaa
    havalinaaa Posts: 333 Member
    Options
    I allow myself to eat to maintenance three times a week, though I rarely make it that high. Some people would call that zig-zagging your calories, I call it staying sane.
  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
    Options
    I really don't know if you can truly "save up" calories. I don't know that your body says "oh, hey, it's okay since you underate all week", ya know? I think we need a nutrionist/doctors view on that. However, I don't think an occasional day of having what you want really hurts. But, I don't think it's healthy or wise to eat grease-laden food every weekend and decide it's "okay" because you saved up the calories.

    Realize… it's NOT just about calories, it's about the quality of the food you're eating and the balancing of nutrients.

    Yeah I don't think it'd be very good for my body to eat too little during the week & overeat weekends, in a perfect world I'd eat the around the same every day, but it is hard on the weekends to stick to the same eating patterns.
    I guess it will get better with time as well, this is only my second weekend!

    Eating the same amount of calories every day can actually be potentially bad for your metabolism. It will get used to the food intake and slow to maintenance. It's good to surprise it occasionally by going over your calories; it wakes it up, so to speak :D

    So enjoy your weekends! Just don't go TOO overboard, and you should be fine.
  • pixiechick8321
    pixiechick8321 Posts: 284 Member
    Options
    Work out more to balance the calories...

    Or just let it go - I have been overeating on every Sat/Sun of the month (Oct & Nov so far) and I haven't gained any weight...it's ok sometimes, just do it in moderation (ie, nurse 1 beer instead of chugging three, a sip of water for every sip of beer helps that last longer).

    If you consider this a diet, you will beat yourself up, hate doing it, and not be healthy. Instead, it's a start towards a better life - and life includes little dips,such as a less than ideal weekend. It's ok though!
  • Tori_356
    Tori_356 Posts: 510 Member
    Options
    I stopped worrying about it, but the main thing is to not go out to eat because that's where it gets hard. I realize this is unrealistic as this is what we do on the weekends, i just try to eat half of things i order, I allow myself to have things. I log everything, even when I go over.

Categories