weekends

im so annoyed with weekend fluctuations! im up FIVE pounds from yesterday for no apparent reason! yes i had a little wine last night but gimme a break! makes me worry about how im going to survive if i ever get to maintenance. ive been at this for a year and a half - will i ever be able to eat like a normal person?

I guess that depends on what you mean by a "normal" person! Most of us just can't eat junk and other food that's bad for us without having the negative effects of doing so.

First thing you need to do is weigh yourself no more than once a week. There's no need to weigh yourself every day because, as today has shown you, weight fluctuates every day.

Second thing you need to do is figure out a nutrition plan (notice I did NOT call it a diet!) that satisfies you that you can live with for the rest of your life. If you're "on a diet" you're eventually going to fail and gain weight back.

And third - keep active at least 3-4 days/week.

Keep up the good work! It's hard but it's all worth it!

Mel

If you see dramatic fluctuations like that, it's typically water weight. I know for me that I tend to losen up on my eating on the weekends, maybe some more carbs, more sodium, whatever... and you can pick up a few lbs of water easily.

I have a really strict policy that I follow when it comes to weighing myself. I do it every 2-3 weeks on Monday morning. That's it.

Weekends are tough for me, too. We're pretty regimented throughout the week and follow a set routine, but come Friday night--time to let the hair down and relax a bit, until it all starts again on Monday. And this is where the weekends fail me: Because I'm outside of the routine, I don't have my meals planned for the day, and I'm not eating the same stuff at the same times. Case in point: As I'm writing this, I see that it's time for my mid-morning snack. On weekdays, I've already had breakfast, but not today. So far, only a couple of cups of coffee. If I'm not careful, I will find my self at the fridge, looking for a quick fix that ultimately won't satisfy me.

So my fix for this is to make sure that what I eat on the weekends reflects what I eat during the week. If I do choose to go sideways, I'll do it deliberately. I try to leave nothing to chance.

I choose to weigh-in daily, myself. I find that it helps keep me on track because I can see how I"m trending throughout the week. I only "keep" my Saturday weigh-in for the week. On the days that I do see a gain, I can usually relate it to something I ate the day before, and it's usually because of high sodium. It's insidious! If I see a 1 lb. gain, I recognize that it's water weight, and not fat. In order for it to be fat, I would have had to eat 3500 calories over my normal intake, and I know that hasn't happened. I also recogize that it will take me a couple of days to lose that water weight.

Time for breakfast!

NO!!! Not a "psycho" or abnormal just doing your very best to reach your goal. If that makes you those things you're in excellent company . I think to stick to this for as long as you have is superb so maybe give yourself a bit credit for doing as well as you have so far.