Weekends Ruining Weight Loss

Yes, me too! Every weekend! I think it's because I go off my 6 meal routine. I wake up so much later so it's already mid to late morning when I eat breakfast, and then it's pretty late when I eat lunch, so I'm actually too low on calories and hungry, and then I go out with friends and eat disgustingly at restaurants and drink at bars and it's such a hot mess! I don't know how people manage to go out to chain restaurants and stick to diets. It's the one thing I CANNOT master.

Weekends can be really tough, especially if you're doing a lot of spontaneous things. It's not always easy but when possible, plan as much as you can, just like you do Monday through Friday. Keep most of your meals as light as you can and drink a rediculous amount of water all week long in order to offset the weekend's high sodium. Also, try to get at least a light workout in on the weekends to counteract some of the extra calories.

Not sure what you're indulging in but if it's treats/snacks in the house, get rid of them. If you're dining out, try making better choices - just because someone else is doing the cooking and clean-up, doesn't mean you can go wild. If it's drinking, switch to the lowest calorie option you can - margaritas without sour mix, clear liquor with diet soda, light beer, etc.

I know how hard it is. I have started doing the same thing but funnily enough
Mine are usually Wednesdays haha. Then I play catch up over the week lose the weight I put on and a bit extra. Started telling myself that weight I put on and lost could have taken the number further down and I think about how many kilos i could have lost makes me use my self control. If you go out try eat the healthiest thing there and drink water and have a small snack before so your not absolutely starving and make bad food choices. Just think of the end goal hun, you'll get there it doesn't happen over night small changes are the best and I know you'll figure it out

It's hard but it''s called self-control, every now and again every body falls off the wagon. Instead of getting discouraged get resolute.

This.

I've fallen off bigtime twice. Just get back up and keep moving forward!

I would think that everyone has problems during their weekends. I know I do. Most of the time weekends aren't structured that was you work days are. Sure, sometimes you have a number of scheduled events, but for the most part you don't. That's when I get into 'food' trouble. When I don't have anything going on. Luckily for me, weekends are full of running. I usually have a race every Saturday morning and that is a great start to my day. Depending on the length of my Saturday race, my Sunday mornings are for my long runs. They usually range from 6 - 15 miles. More if I'm marathon training.

The key is to stay focused like someone else here said. Look for distractions or activities to keep you busy. Hey, if it was easy, no of us would be here right now!

Hope this helps!

I to have the same problem.....like I have read on the post here the key is structure.......this is so true.........during the week I have my meals set as to what to eat and when also my exercise which days I am doing what......the weekend comes and I sleep later and do things with my husband because i feel like with my schedule during the week I don't spend much time with him between work, exercise and the daily house chores......so he wants to go to the movies or out to eat or have hot wings then I lose my structure and my commitment, so when things like that come up I now try to eat something small before hand and this way I don't pig out, exspecially with popcorn (that is a major snack food that I just love).

Stay strong you can do this............

I agree, weekends are much harder to stay on track. I usually allow myself one yummy meal Friday night and then work out Saturday and catch up on house items Sunday. I try to stay busy and not go anywhere that I might pig out at.

had to look and see if this wasn't my posting girl.....this is EXACTLY I'm going through and i'm soooo frustrated!

Heck yes, weekends are the worst. Even when I don't have holidays spreading temptation everywhere, the fact that I have leisure time means I have time to sit and eat that bag of popcorn or what have you. I just started Monday weigh-ins so I can remind myself that I'd like to see progress instead of a water bloat! I'll probably have to figure out a better way of taking time for smaller treats during the week so I don't see weekends as my chance to *finally* let go.

i usually weigh in on friday to motivate me to stay good on the weekends, and always plan to weigh in on monday to scare the hell out of me over the weekend. seems to work most of the time...

BUMP! Great topic!! I have the exact same issue and would love to hear others' input!

I purposely plan my long run for Saturday mornings and have a fitness class sceduled for Sunday mornings. I know, it seems crazy, who wants to get up and do that on weekend mornings, but they aren't as early as getting up and going to work.

For me, there are so many benefits. I have a pile of extra calories for the weekend goodies and it helps me not to go overboard with the drinks on a Saturday night. In fact, if we're heading out, I just volunteer to be the designated driver. It's a win-win! I also feel so much better when I've put in a good workout that I'm less likey to sabotage myself with crappy eating.

I have been making a real effort to have my "off" day during the week...I seem to do much less damage Monday thru Friday than I do on the weekends

Treating your Body like a Temple on Monday to Friday and then like an Amusement Park on the weekend can unfortunatley hamper results. I know. I was a circus performer every weekend.

i have the same issue - i think it's because i'm more social on the weekend (go out with friends & eat at restaurants or at other people's houses) so i feel less in control of my options.

some tips:
if you're going to be out of the house, try to get as much of your water intake before you go as possible. staying hydrated is so key!
if you're going to a restaurant, try to pre-log your food so you'll have an idea of what to order to stay within your goals.
if you're going to a celebration (ie, easter, birthday) perhaps try to bring food to share that's healthy (hummus and veggies perhaps?) and try to stick to your healthiest options.
if you're surrounded with temptations (ie, birthday cake / party foods) it's ok to sample, but log it and don't overdo it!

weekends are my biggest challenge, too - i feel your pain!

Yeah, I've got the same issue except that I'm managing to lose slowly. It's definitely slower than if I maintained over the weekend, but I'm okay with that because it's a lifestyle I can maintain.

If you're gaining when you want to lose, though, I'd say you need to adjust your weekends somewhat. You may not need to cut back to weekday status, but just make sure you're logging EVERYTHING and maybe make sure you have at least 2 "good meals" per day and just splurge on one meal.

The other thing I do is cut the number of meals I eat. Yesterday, I fasted until easter dinner and only at at easter dinner. It's not something that I'd do on a daily basis, but I don't feel that it's harmful for me to do once in a while. Other times, I'll eat a healthy breakfast and mid-morning snack, have a HUGE late lunch, then not eat dinner IF I'm not hungry. A lot of times I find myself eating because "it's time", not because I'm hungry. So, if I've gone overboard earlier in the day, before I eat again, I always ask myself if I'm really hungry, or if it's just because I think I'm supposed to eat now.

I also do pretty big weekend workouts (4 hrs of mountain biking) which helps normalize things and I try to drink a TON of water to keep things in balance.

Good luck to you!
Hope you find a way to work it out that fits your lifestyle.

Jen