Help! The weekends are killing me!

Anyone have any advice on how to survive the weekends?  I do great all week but once Friday night hits..... hanging out with friends, having a few drinks, steak on the BBQ...... Plus, with three kids and friends kids there is a lot of kid friendly food (chips, hot dogs....)  I snack without even realizing it!  So Monday morning I am at the same place I was the previous Monday!  Has anyone been there and overcome the vicious circle?

I'm in the same boat... I try to lower-cal verisons of bbq food around... turkey burgers/hotdogs, whole wheat rolls, lots of veggies and fruit around...

Its hard to make those better food choices... Keep working hard

Planning planning and more planning and don't have anything in the house you aren't happy to consume.

I plan my meals on a Friday night and make sure that I have the meals ingredients ready to go and stick to the set meals so that I reduce the risks that come with standing at the fridge thinking, what do I want to eat.  If you are going to a barbecue, work out calorie wise what you can have and maybe over eat by 10% for the day so you don't miss out and get tempted.  Or add a big walk in so that if you overeat it will be burnt off.

I find planning and preparation and knowing what I will eat is the most effective thing for me for the weekends. We go out for lunch one day each weekend and I always pre plan what I am going to order and what calories I can have so that I don't go and just go wild with ordering and also we now walk to and from the cafe so that I burn 200+ calories and that allows me to have a glass of wine with lunch.

Same boat here as well. I tend not to eat as much on the weekends. I've found, recently, that if I make it a personal challenage it tends to stick. Maybe you can challenge yourself on the weekends.  Based on what the experts say, it only takes two weeks to change a bad habit into a good habit. I've just finished a two week "drink nothing but water" challenge. I'm up to 6 or 7 (1-pt.) bottles a day now and I don't crave any soda's, kool-aid, etc. And, my skin is looking a little better too. Pick something small (because you have to start slowly or it won't work) like...no steak for 3 weeks. Then have a steak maybe - one time - during the forth week. I say this because you have to feed the body what it likes but you don't have to over indulge it. If you take it completely out of your diet - all of a sudden - you're going to crave and over eat.  Your reward after the challenge...a healthier you. It's worth a try.

Find some healthy alternatives and bring them with you. If your friends and kids like it, it will become a bbq staple. It wouldn't hurt for everyone to be healthier!

I am in the same boat as well!  This weekend I'm going to try something new.  When I drink I eat A TON OF FOOD...just munching away for hours!  The next day I TRY to put in perspective the amount of food I ate...it usually comes to between 4 and 6,000 calories!  Trust me, I don't do that every weekend...but more often than not.  This weekend I will be celebrating my b-day the whole weekend so if I am drinking the only thing I'm allowing myself to munch on is popcorn.  No more ice cream, cakes, cookies, chips and dip, bbq, pizza, and the list could go on for days...NOPE...if I'm drinking the only thing I will eat is popcorn.  I hope I can make it! :-P  It sure is going to be hard!  I wish you luck as well finding your niche!

Rebecca1976,

Find a sport that you like and invite your friends to come play... For example me and my husband play volley ball... I invite my family and friends and we play for like 4 hours Friday, Saturday & Sunday, we play at a near by sand court where the court lights stay on till 10pm and it is so much fun!! I have a 3 yr old who loves it when we play bc we bring her sand toys and she has a ton of fun with our friends and families kids! Or if your kids are older maybe they can play with you. I think you should definitely try it bc it is a hell of a work out!

Crystal_Garcia

omg I am exactly in the same place!! I have this job I hate with a passion on the weekends, and the lady loves to eat and shes always trying to force me to eat! she makes all her food smothered in butter! My whole suggest is to stop thinking the weekend is a time of rest... since grade school we have been conditioned that the weekends are down times. So you may be working really hard during the week on your weight loss, but then when weekend comes your mind thinks down time... so you let lose from your hard work from the week! if that makes sense

I'm going to give one of those "it's easier said than done" answers but it has worked for me - pretend it is a normal weekday

In other words, write down what you do during the week that is working and write down what you are doing on the weekend

For me I realized that I didn't log what I ate on CC over the weekends but did during the week. Once I started logging the weekends I quickly saw what my "bad points" were and when you see the calorie number staring you in the face it is a lot easier to lose temptation to eat bad stuff.

I also try to keep myself busy. The more idle time I have the more I am likely to be tempted

I have this same issue.  Like k-loo, it's not just the food, it's the drinking that leads to snacking.  I'm sure I'm going into several thousand calories on the weekends because of beer. 

I've taken to encouraging yard games and trips with the kids down to the park during bbq's.  As well as by encouraging healthier bbq side options (which is getting easier with friends who are vegan.. can't get too fatty with vegan options!)

Keep on trucking.  Fill up on the fruit and veggie tray.  Find ways to make your favorite recipes healthier.  Drink plenty of water before heading to a bbq (water makes you feel full).  Take a good walk or bike ride before hand to make up for calories consumed.  Or, like we often do, take a walk during the bbq.  I'm sure you wouldn't be suprised by how many moms are willing to leave the kids in someone else's care to take a walk after a big meal. 

Good luck! I'm right there with you!

I offer to bring the veggie tray or fruit sampler... NO DIPS and then I am sure to have things there to fill up on before all the trigger foods come out....especially the burgers and chips.

 

I have no suggestions for the drinking... I am a beer drinker at heart but am trying to leave it at one or two a night on weekends instead of 6 or 8. Also try some of the new lighter beers... MGD 64 is OK, a little watery but beer none the less.

As others suggest go for a walk, or try out some yard games, badmitten is one of my favorites (always a good laugh after a few drinks.)

Original Post by ygodley:

Same boat here as well. I tend not to eat as much on the weekends. I've found, recently, that if I make it a personal challenage it tends to stick. Maybe you can challenge yourself on the weekends.  Based on what the experts say, it only takes two weeks to change a bad habit into a good habit. I've just finished a two week "drink nothing but water" challenge. I'm up to 6 or 7 (1-pt.) bottles a day now and I don't crave any soda's, kool-aid, etc. And, my skin is looking a little better too. Pick something small (because you have to start slowly or it won't work) like...no steak for 3 weeks. Then have a steak maybe - one time - during the forth week. I say this because you have to feed the body what it likes but you don't have to over indulge it. If you take it completely out of your diet - all of a sudden - you're going to crave and over eat.  Your reward after the challenge...a healthier you. It's worth a try.

 

I switched to San Pelligrino mineral water with a slice of lime instead of wine.

Ok it is like $15 a case for fancy water but it is my 'wine'.

That keeps the calories down, hydrates me, feels luxurious and keeps me from losing control and eating after having wine.

Also the Beck Diet for life Workbook is fab for helping to change eating habits.

 

BBQ is not bad all the time. Try chicken breast, lean ground beef patties, sirloin, even pork filet, all with a large salad or veggie skewars. Say no to anything with mayo and bread (protein/good, carbs/bad). Cocktails with alot of ice, mojitos, frozen margaritas are good options, and wheat beer has fewer carbs and cals than normal beer, and usually a higher alcohol content. My fav's Goose Island 312, and Franziskaner weiss!

I know exactly how you feel! Before I started losing weight I would go out on Friday night and have a few martinis but quickly found that those empty calories just aren't worth it to me so now I still go out but instead of a drink I will have a seltzer water with a cherry and a few lemon slices just to feel like I still getting something special! Ha!

As for the food and the bbqs I suggest taking your own food, healthy snacks should ALWAYS BE IN YOUR PURSE! A piece of fruit, a few nuts, something, anything! Everywhere I go I make sure to have something with me so I am tempted to fall off my wagon which is so easy! BUT let me stress that it is ok to have something good, everything in moderation! Be smart, if you are going to have a small piece of steak, make it just that! A SMALL PORTION! and then have a huge bowl of veggies or salad to be your filler. Also if you know you plan to do that then make sure you work out an extra fifteen - twenty minutes before hand.  Just because we are trying to lose weight this needs to be a change in lifestyle not some "you can never have a freaking cookie in this lifetime" thing! We have got to realistic and remember we are still human beings who will want to have a piece of cake from time to time, just not eating the whole cake would help.  Self control and remembering that our bodies need to be treated differently is a good start. 

I still go out to dinner or lunch with friends and family from time to time. But I eat differently and I make sure I dont go when I am starved. And I work out twice those days instead of my usual routine.

Good luck!

I spend my weekends at my boyfriends and he's the type that can eat anything and everything he wants without gaining an ounce (lucky bastard), so the weekends are pretty hard for me too.  What I try to do most of the time is make a healthy salad to bring with me there or make one while I'm there.  We grill a lot too, so I try to get something I would like (usually steak tips or chicken breast) to grill for me instead of having that delicious bacon double cheeseburger that my boyfriend makes for himself or being tempted into having some hotdogs.   As for snack food, maybe make some plain popcorn for yourself so you don't head for the bowl of chips.  I find that you really have to be conscious of what you have available to eat and if it's not healthy, you have to provide it for yourself.

I have the same problem. Now I plan what I am going to eat ahead of time and try to keep track of the calories. I still go over, but not as bad as before. I also started to weigh myself on Sunday. That helps keep me from grabbing those chips ( I can't stop at just one...bag, that is). Good luck.

If alcohol is a necessity that you can't live without, then pay attention to the calories in the alcohol and trade off. If you really want that drink, then don't eat as much. I used to drink cocktails that had sugary ingredients (sour mix, juices, margarita mix, etc...) I finally realized some of my drinks had like 40 or more grams of sugar! Now I either drink a light, low cal beer and mix it with sugar free lemonade so it seems bigger (tastes great too) or I add club soda to my wine and make it a spritzer. You can also make sangria with red wine, fruit, club soda and diet sprite. Try not to have munchies around for after you're drinking.....

I know you are around a lot of kids - I have that problem too. If they are your kids, try to get them to eat healthy too. You don't want them struggling with weight when they're older, do you? My son LOVES Aidell's sausages on a bun with ketchup and they are made with chicken and apple or artichokes....WAY healthier than hot dogs. And chips...eeek...that is a weakness of mine, so I don't have them around the house and avoid them at parties...I can never just have "a few" - you know?

Maybe try to get some fun activities going with the kids that will get you to run around too. You'll be burning tons of calories and your kids will love it.

 

Weekends are hard- you have to dig down deeper and utilize maximum willpower! Good luck!

I totally agree with you here. Seeing that calorie count grow higher and higher really put a different perspective on my food and portion choices.

Some changes I made for grilling were switching to grilled asparagus, fresh veggie and pasta salads with balsalmic vinegar dressing instead of potato salad. Veggie chips instead of potato chips, fresh fruits insteads of pies and cakes. And Bush's vegetarian baked beans or edamame (spelled wrong, maybe) are my favorites.

Try to use the leanest cuts of meat too and skip those cheap hotdogs altogether. Yuck.

 

 

 

I am good all week, then I allow myself one treat on Sunday, i.e. piece of choc. cake, (used to be wine), but I stopped drinking because of the havoc it played on my weight, my head and my skin.  Then Monday get right back on track.  The old idea of "I deserve it" began for me with Friday night happy hour, now I do yoga instead and focus on how good my body feels rather than putting poison into it.  But, one has to have a treat once in awhile too, so I have a Sunday pasta meal  (with Turkey meatballs my mom makes - (she can forward recipe if desired) and a med. size piece of chocolate cake.  It seems to work for me. I  am still losing 1 pound per week on Body for Life.

Stop thinking I deserve this crappy food, instead think... I deserve a beautiful, healthy body you will change.

Cheers,

Gina

Whenever we have a family gathering, my wife always gets chips, dips and salsa for the kids, mainly because they think this is an important food staple.  I always insist that she prepare a vegetable tray with a light ranch dressing/dip as I much prefer the crunchiness and moisture obtain from the fresh vegetables. Vegetables give you the crunch you desire from chips, and the do quite well in filling you up so you don't over eat other items.

 

Alcohol, you are stuck with moderating yourself. Can't help you much there.

 

Good luck and make sure that over all, you enjoy life.