Falling off the wagon on weekends?

I don't have trouble with the eating on the weekends, but the last few weekends have been special events (birthdays, weddings, celebrations) so I have been drinking alot which I know are "empty" calories. I try to increase my water intake during the week and workout more.

Found this qoute on another site....."Plan activity this weekend. Remember what is said about weekends...for every Friday, Saturday & Sunday that you take off from working out & eating healthy, that's about HALF of the MONTH!!! The weekends count more than ever to get bikini ready!! It can mean up to a 4.3 pound weight loss (or gain) in a month. We challenge you to workout both Saturday & Sunday this weekend.".......I so need to remember this!!!!! I have GOT to get in the mind set that I do not need to take the weekends OFF of exercising or of eating right. I need to print this out and post it where I will see it all the time.

I was doing the same thing for months which is why I am no longer at my goal weight and have to re-lose some weight. It's hard but you just have to do it.


It is HARD to do. Especially with the lifestyle my family and i live. We are in ministry so we GO ALMOST ALL of the time on weekends! I gained 10 lbs back and i am down 4 so far, BUT i have a new goal set for the next two months and I MUST reach it! My HL coach advised me to keep snacks in my bag to help me stay full during the time we are on the road. I usually always skip breakfast and only eat once a day on Saturday when we are rolling like that. Or when not so busy on a Saturday I snack all day long on unhealthy things....smh. If that isn't bad enough I LOVE TO COOK/BAKE!!!! It would be awesome if someone could share some great baking ideas with me so i won't be so tempted to indulge in what i cook for the fam!

I have Saturdays off as my treat/spike day anyways but im starting to drag it through to Sundays as well now which isnt good cause i don't want to be piggin out the whole weekend, one day is alright but untill im at my GW i shouldnt be having 2 treat days.
Its so hard at times though espesh if im not working on the sunday cause i find myself bored at home catching up on the TV i've missed all week and i always want nice food like choc and crisps to accompany that. Im working this Sunday for the first time in ages though so hopefully i'l get out of these Sunday cheat habbits lol.

I dont look at it as "falling off" or "starting over" I personally give myself 2 free days, mine are friday and saturday since that's usually the days we eat out or go out. that way i am less likely to get off track during the week because i can have what i want, without gorging on food just bc its a "Free" day of course, on the weekends!! I've lost 130 lbs doing this (over the past 3 years), no problems!! I gained about 15 lbs back the past few months since i started trying to cut out my free days so i could loose a few more lbs......so now i've given myself my weekends back and have started back loosing!! you cant deprive yourself, or you'll never be able to stick to it long term!! GOOD LUCK!

Does anyone else find themselves essentially "starting over" come Monday morning? Between drinks and that late night pizza, I find myself just letting go on Saturdays after an awesome and healthy week...which only leads to depression come Monday am! Any one else do this? I'd love some tips on how to stay motivated on the weekends. Any tips on how to stay focused would be awesome!!

I can only say this - "each calorie is its own entity, gotta count them ALL!"

So many times, I've seen (and felt) the "oh, well, my diet's gone for the day, might as well..." mentality, and you need to stop that in its tracks.

I have a smartphone with the MFP app on it, and I count everything, usually before I eat it or immediately afterward. I find that doing so helps keep me honest, and on-budget, about what I'm eating. That doesn't stop me from eating a large slab of my favorite unhealthy food, but it does force me to choose - do I want that or a half-slice of that and a small dessert instead?

If I find myself going over my limit, I try and force myself to fill up with healthy food so the bad stuff doesn't tempt me. Barring that, I'll try to exercise to earn back my overage for the day. If all else fails, I keep watching the calories and trying to balance the enjoyment of the food in front of me with what it's costing me, even when I've gone over (ESPECIALLY when I've gone over), then forgive myself and move on. Life is nothing without the occasional reasonable indulgence.

I also weigh myself daily to keep myself accountable for each day's calories. So there's no "weigh-in isn't until Thursday! I can splurge now and starve later!". I know there will be random variances in my weight, but weighing in every morning makes me more aware of my calories the day before - EVERY DAY is weigh-in day.

Also, when I'm going somewhere, I'd frequently take some food with me. I pack a lunch to work every day, and plan my meals as much as possible on the weekends - to the point of picking a restaurant for supper and entering the meal I intend to eat into MFP right after lunch if I can, where I'm making decisions based on how many calories I have left and not the fact that I'm hungry. Then I just need to hold myself accountable for that decision later.

Above all, remember - each calorie is its own entity, they don't have any more (or less) impact when eaten with other calories. So if you find yourself ordering a huge meal that's beyond your calorie budget, you've eaten half of it, and you're suddenly not enjoying it as much, STOP EATING IT. Take the rest home for another day, or have your waitperson take it away and get rid of it so you don't nibble at it.

bump

I dont look at it as "falling off" or "starting over" I personally give myself 2 free days, mine are friday and saturday since that's usually the days we eat out or go out. that way i am less likely to get off track during the week because i can have what i want, without gorging on food just bc its a "Free" day of course, on the weekends!! I've lost 130 lbs doing this (over the past 3 years), no problems!! I gained about 15 lbs back the past few months since i started trying to cut out my free days so i could loose a few more lbs......so now i've given myself my weekends back and have started back loosing!! you cant deprive yourself, or you'll never be able to stick to it long term!! GOOD LUCK!

Totally agree with this. I try to just have the saturday off but past few weeks i've been having the sunday off as well but i've found that as long as im super good thru the week and exercise, those 2 days don't make any difference to my weight.

every weekend!

You're not alone. Some things that work for me are logging BEFORE I eat, that way I can reduce my portion size or swap out a side dish if necessary. On the upside, it helps because then I know if I really can have that beer (or two). Another reason weekends are a struggle for me is because I typically eat out. I go the restaurant's website beforehand to see if there is nutritional information available, and then I write down what I will order on a small piece of paper and bring it with me. I read that order directly to the waiter so there is no chance of me switching at the last minute to something unhealthy.

Another thing that helps is keeping myself busy. Instead of watching TV all Sunday night I've started taking an 8 p.m. yoga class. It relaxes me before bed and gets me off the couch. If yoga is not your thing, maybe just a Sunday night walk with the family or friend or neighbor or whoever (having a partner will help keep you accountable), signing up for a softball league or organizing a pick-up game with friends, or something similar that is fitness related, but is also fun so it won't feel like work.