Why are weekends SOOOOO hard???

I am a creature of habit and I thrive in a scheduled routine. Monday-Friday I AM ONNNNN IT...but come Saturday and Sunday I'm so off!!! By the time Monday rolls around I am just about SICK from all the crap I have put in my body and the lack of working out! I would say that next weekend is going to be better but as it stands I am heading out of town for a wedding....gahhhhh. I'm sure others struggle with this as well....what do you do to help stay on track?? I need some advice or a kick in the butt....SOMETHING to get me thru! :)
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Replies

  • iwantahealthierme13
    iwantahealthierme13 Posts: 337 Member
    I know what you mean, this weekend was pretty bad. I went 500 cals over two days in a row and drank soda that I was able to resist for 2 and a half weeks! Oh well, just start over!
  • teriann1979
    teriann1979 Posts: 75 Member
    Weekends are really hard for me too - it takes a lot of willpower and determination to be strict. But since you thrive on order why not set a special weekend schedule to stick to? If you have one for the week, then make one specially for the weekends. Or you could work really hard during the week to allow yourself some latitude for the weekends - in either case don't beat yourself up too much. You could also look at the stuff you're about to put in your mouth and think about how long it will take to burn it off :smile:
    Anyway the point is just don't lose heart, just try to pick yourself back up again :flowerforyou:
  • mayerel
    mayerel Posts: 254 Member
    THANK YOU for posting this!!

    I 100% feel the same way! And the guilt Sunday night/Monday morning is the worst! I wish I had some advice, but I'm just here to commiserate! I'm hoping to try and get into a better routine on the weekends, but it's so hard especially with so many different things each weekend!

    Can't wait to see what works for others!
  • VeganPanda
    VeganPanda Posts: 582 Member
    I wish weekends were soft.
  • pundas
    pundas Posts: 165 Member
    Weekends are extremely hard for me. I usually stay in on Friday nights and hang out with my mom, and this consists of a beer or wine night. I only allow myself to drink if I exercised during the day and only have a drink or two. On Saturdays, my mom always asks me to go out to lunch or dinner with her. I try to figure out where she wants to go so I can research the menu before getting there and figure out what I am going to get. I am always fine with staying on track when I'm by myself, but when my family or friends want to hang out it almost always involves food! I just try to make the best choices health wise. I always feel better if I exercise before!
  • Most people work 8-5 Mon-Fri, weekend means no restraint. Either work 7 days a week, or have more structured plans of eating and working out. Otherwise it's a free-for-all. :drinker:
  • fitbydons
    fitbydons Posts: 19
    Stop thinking of them as weekends. There are seven days in a week that you aim to be healthy and move your body. Don't have your cheat meal on the weekend, leads to you being more "relaxed".
  • DeanneLea
    DeanneLea Posts: 261
    Weekends can be pretty easy if you plan ahead. I splurge on the weekend with beer and date nights, etc so they're usually my high days. During the week, I have my lower days. I've never given up my weekend fun...I just plan accordingly now and track all of it.

    Good luck! You'll find your "groove".
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
    At the wedding, just dance! A lot! Most weddings bring dessert out while people are on the dance floor, just get busy dancing right from the start and don't pay attention to what's going on at the tables. I've missed dessert at weddings doing just this. And just remember to hydrate with water between songs, no need for booze. You can have a fun time and feel good about yourself :) A wedding doesn't have to be a hindrance from your goal, it can help you towards it. It's all in the choices you make while you're there. You're in control, you just have to remind yourself of that.
  • Rabid_Hamster
    Rabid_Hamster Posts: 338 Member
    Weekends are difficult. Best way I've found to manage them is to plan ahead for most of it, but allow for some "wiggle room." Going out of town? Figure out where you're going and what options are available within your goals? Going out with friends, same concept. If you think about it ahead of time and plan for it, it makes those smarter, wiser choices easier but doesn't interrupt the fun. If at all possible, get a good exercise session in as well. It'll help give you that "wiggle" room you need and make it not so hard if you do slip up a little.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    I have it in mind that I am NOT going to messed up and that I want to lose weight and so far I haven't!! :)
  • juliexiuu
    juliexiuu Posts: 118
    Weekends are so hard for me. All I do is drink. D:
  • beckylawrence70
    beckylawrence70 Posts: 752 Member
    I would have to say I actually eat less on the weekends than when I'm at work.........and I don't drink which probably helps.
  • I just posted s message along the same line!!! I do really good during the week. Stick to the diet, work out, but once the weekend hits it's like I'm lost.

    Trying to find a happy medium!
  • kevin3344
    kevin3344 Posts: 702 Member
    I'm the opposite...weekends are actually my best days because I'm more in control of what I am eating. I usually run 3-5 miles, or do some circuit training, first thing in the morning. This gives me additional calories. Recently I went to the beach with friends and while they were sleeping I went down to the gym in the hotel and ran on the treadmill. You can always find time to work out.

    Like anything else, it's about making it a priority. If you want it bad enough you will do it. Preparation is key! Make it your goal to get your work out in as soon as possible on the weekends. Make sure you have healthy snacks around (like fruit, nuts, etc) to combat those times you are hungry and want to reach in the fridge. There will always be weddings, graduations, vacations, birthdays, holidays, etc. You can usually find healthy things to eat, or eat less, and just order a healthy option later at the hotel.

    It can be done, but you have to work at it :)
  • I have a tendency to be very strict and controlled in my week, and then I try really, really hard to stay low cal but not hungry on fridays, because I do party almost every friday, and then intake a ridiculous amount of calories, then mindlessly eat while under the influence, then eat awful foods hung over the next day, and theeeeen try to make up for it all week, I'm always struggling with my weekends
  • sarahbetherck
    sarahbetherck Posts: 270 Member
    I go to the gym Saturday morning and then I don't feel quite as bad allowing a few treats or drinks or whatever indulgences the weekends bring.
  • uggghhh...i have the same issue...think i need to kick my weekend workouts up a notch
  • nikkiprickett
    nikkiprickett Posts: 412 Member
    things are "harder" because we make them that way, I just posted a blog somewhat about this kind of thing...
    I think a lot of people use weekends as an excuse to eat whatever they want or
    reward" themselves for eating good during the week.

    I agree with not thinking of them as any different as weekdays, plan ahead, don't keep junk in your house,
    before you go out to eat check out the nutrition guide online and make the best choice instead of thinking "I shouldn't have eaten that" after the fact!

    Weekends, for me, are actually a little easier, weekdays-I'm at school, I don't get to go to the gym on my long days on tuesdays and thursdays, they are harder to plan for when you've got 14 hours ahead of you, you don't get extra cals when you don't work out etc...
    weekends, I get to work my butt off at the gym, eat a little more cals if I choose to, but still do it in the healthiest way possible instead of using them as an excuse to gorge because "I didn't know until after I ate it"

    hope that helps! good luck :)
  • esphixiet
    esphixiet Posts: 214 Member
    I only get to see my spouse from Friday evening to Sunday night because of our living situation.... so yeah, weekends tend to be a bit of a celebration.
    The way I combat this: I get my exercise in before he wakes up in the morning, and I eat low calorie, very satisfying foods whenever we eat at home (this means I don't feel so guilty eating higher calorie foods - within reason - if we have a meal out).
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    I am a creature of habit and I thrive in a scheduled routine. Monday-Friday I AM ONNNNN IT...but come Saturday and Sunday I'm so off!!! By the time Monday rolls around I am just about SICK from all the crap I have put in my body and the lack of working out! I would say that next weekend is going to be better but as it stands I am heading out of town for a wedding....gahhhhh. I'm sure others struggle with this as well....what do you do to help stay on track?? I need some advice or a kick in the butt....SOMETHING to get me thru! :)
    Weekends are demises for many because it's accepted as "I earned it, so I deserve it" attitude. Whether it's time off or time away from a routine, people have this mentality. It's habitual and once you change the habit, you can continue to stay on track.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • rachelbethany
    rachelbethany Posts: 211 Member
    I feel you on this. I even give up my exercise on most weekends, which is ridiculous, because I have the most free time to get some great exercise in on the weekends. I think the first step, for me, is to try to incorporate more exercise-- hopefully fun stuff with my friends, like swimming or hiking-- on the weekends. If I'm exercising more, I won't feel so guilty about what I eat. And maybe I'll even crave healthier things just because I'm feeling "healthy" from the exercise.

    I also feel sick by the end of every weekend. I'm lactose-intolerant, but I always seem to let cheese sneak into my diet more on weekends. It makes me very ill, but it's like I forget that every time before consuming it. I'm about to start carrying healthy snacks in my purse so no matter where I am with friends, I will have something low-calorie to munch on. Even if I am having a drink or something, that's a much better option than going out to get Dodge's fried chicken and potato wedges at 2 a.m. or whatever. (College, ugh.)
  • 000WhiteRose000
    000WhiteRose000 Posts: 266 Member
    For me it's even worse - I end up drinking and smoking on the weekend, eating nearly double the amounts I would eat on a normal week day.
    During the week I eat 1500 and work out every day. This is really getting me down and I hate this cycle. Got to break it!
    I think it's true, we need to find a routine for the weekend.
  • katy84o
    katy84o Posts: 744 Member
    I was having such a hard time with this when I first started in January. What I changed was to go grocery shopping on Friday's my boyfriend and I both get off early so we go to the grocery store once we're off and get enough for the weekend. We normally go grocery shopping for only 2-3 days at a time plus a weekly produce box from our CSA. So changing the day we go to Friday starts my weekend off great! We used to go Saturday, but we'd always be out of food by Friday and end up ordering out and that would just set me up for a bad weekend. I tried to adjust it so many ways, but this has been the only one that works, and it's been working for a few weeks now. So I essentially set my self up to go through the weekend with no problem! Good Luck figuring it out, I know a lot of people end up having this problem.
  • mmgrahamm
    mmgrahamm Posts: 10 Member
    I knew I wasn't the only one to struggle with this! Thanks for all of the suggestions! It has given me a lot to think about. You are all awesome!
  • ash190489
    ash190489 Posts: 587 Member
    Ohhhh, I have to say I am opposite when it comes to the weekend! I love being able to spend heaps of time && not rushing to work out!!! They're always my biggest and best workouts! The gym is quieter than during the week and I can still have a sleep in and then head off to gym at 9-10am and get home before lunch and spend the rest of the day doing whatever! Or else I go in the arvo or night time! Love it. :smile: Sorry, can't help you!
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    For me having weigh in monday helps, as I don't want to ruin it before then! When you decide you really really want this, they will become easier. I used be the same but then decided I'm sick of playing at it! X
  • Zero2hero2013
    Zero2hero2013 Posts: 458
    i struggle with the weekend alot too. i find it easier to stay with in the calorie limits if i fast untill the afternoons before eating. dont really feel hungry early so my first piece of food comes in around 3pm. after that its easy to watch what you eat and you can still splurge on some naughty things with i reason.
  • Kaylyn221
    Kaylyn221 Posts: 123
    Yep.. weekends have been a challenge for me too because I am on such a strict schedule Mon-Fri. I feel 'lost' come the weekend, but one thing I have learned is to plan out meals and snacks the night before, the same way I do for during the week. Friday night and Saturday night I treat the same way as a Monday night, Tuesday night... etc. Get my food ready for the next day and it keeps me on track.
  • debbysatit
    debbysatit Posts: 125 Member
    Stop thinking of them as weekends. There are seven days in a week that you aim to be healthy and move your body. Don't have your cheat meal on the weekend, leads to you being more "relaxed".