Tips for Weekend Overeaters?

I don't know about everyone else, but I tend to completely de-rail my diet efforts on the weekends. Why is it that on the weekends I think I "deserve" to not pay attention to what I eat?? I either go to a really good restaurant and order something completely delicious and try to not think about how bad it is for me, or I eat way too many snacks throughout the day (which add up to practically another full meal!).

It is really hard for me to make good choices on the weekend. And with the possibility of going out to a bar and having 2-3 alcoholic drinks, it's hard for me to save up those calories throughout the day so I can use them on alcohol. I feel too deprived and weekends should not be times of deprivation (maybe that sentiment is exactly my problem...)!!

How does everyone else cope with weekend dieting?? Do you have any tips for the rest of us Weekend Overeaters?

Thanks for the advice!

i was reading about drinking the alcoholic beverages....

i used to always just not count my drinks which made the day counting a waste of time.... i also used to get a little crazy with the drinks and go nuts on the weekends but some motivation for me to lessen the intake, be a safer driver, and everything along with being a little more sober is being able to wake up, get to the gym and feel good the day after instead of feeling like hung over and gross

just a word of advice for someone who enjoys a few drinks on the weekends :)

Seriously, I have the same issue with overeating on the weekends.  Especially today.  Saturday was my birthday and so my mom got me this cake.  And I worked out Saturday so that was definitely okay and I could forgive myself for that ordeal.  But then today, I ate soooo many pretzels and had a piece of cake.  on top of every other meal.  and i didn't exercise, of course, because my mom couldn't drive me to the gym and she won't let me go running outside alone because she's afraid something is going to happen to me.

it's so absolutely frustrating.  any ideas about how to get back on track again? having this cake in the house is killing me and i attempted to throw it out but i'm sure it would insult my mom. =[ 

Wow, I really wish I had seen this thread a couple days ago. I could've used the motivation. I'm currently reeling from a 3 day long weekend which started with a nice dinner out for V-day followed by drinks at the bar and finished with pancakes and chips and dip and cheese and crackers and bbq on sunday, and a bunch of junk in between... All with no exercise!!!!

unfortunately the weekend is only time I get to spend with my babe and he's all about relaxing and watching TV and drinking beer and going out to eat and I tend to catch his lazy, beer drinking, bad food eating attitude. I also "forget" to log calories on the weekend.

I have to try harder to stay on track on the weekends!!!! I like the idea of limiting myself to just one "off" day. I'll give that a shot next weekend. I also need to try to exercise on the weekends because I usually end up catching up on sleep and watching tv.

seely,

can you accidentally trip while getting a piece of the cake and oops!  it's ruined? 

( :   just thinking.... 

my biggest problems are on the weekend we stay with my boyfriends family who wouldn't know what fat free and fiber are if it bit them on the behind so i resort to junk food because that's all that's around but i've found chewing orbit gum in the new weird but good flavors lasts a long time and melon mint gum ruins the flavor of doritos! that seems to delay my cravings and we've also made a pact to go to the gym on both saturday and sunday or at least do something active on sunday instead of just sitting around just getting out of the house sometimes helps with the urge to eat.

GOOD CALL, abooska.  me too.  That was something I had to work on really hard in the beginning.  I would walk 4-5 miles a day all week long, then sit around on weekends because I got up later, drink coffee, and make excuses.  Now I just do it.  It;s cold -- and if I go a little later than I would like then maybe it;s a little warmer.  ( :

me too.  I can be strict during the week, but feel "entitled" on weekends.

Then, it takes until Wed to get back to where I was on the scale.........then I try too hard thurs and Fri, so come Sat. I need the break from being so careful.

you'd think I'd learn..........but no.........obviously don't.

I'm now trying to have a healthy lifestyle, but not so strict that I feel an urge to blow it on weekends..............blow the diet or blow a gasket from trying too much.

Paula, your entry sounds like something I could have written ~ we are so much alike.  I am so good tracking my food during the week (when I don't really need it since there are only a few times during the day when I can eat), but so bad on the weekends (when I REALLY need it because in all reality I could be eating ALL DAY LONG).  But your idea about starting fresh Saturday morning is very intriguing!  I'm going to try that this coming weekend.  Thanks for the idea!

[EDIT] Seely, I completely agree with you: Having crappy junk food in the house is TOUGH.  My fiance can eat anything and he would be extremely annoyed if I just trashed all of the bad stuff and left only the good healthy stuff, so I have to keep it.  But if it's in the house, I am tempted to eat it (like it's taunting me from the pantry ~ "You can't eat me because I'm bad for you, but I know you want to!"). 

So aside from talking with your mom and telling her nicely that having the cake so accessible to you is sabotaging your diet efforts, maybe you could convince her to freeze some of the cake??  That way if you want a piece you have to thaw it first, and making that much of an effort might make you change your mind about wanting it.  I have NO IDEA how cake freezes or if this is even an option, but I'm just trying to be creative!

Every day is a new day.  ( :  You can always start fresh the very next day. 

It's all a mindset.

I always like to counteract any overages in eating with a little added walking or something and more water. 

I'm the very same way.  The weekends I splurge and weekdays I do really good.  I don't snack and stuff at work like I do at home.  I wish I wasn't so tired all the time, I just want to lay around all weekend.

olivia77, that's definitely a good idea. and i'll have to remember it for next year. because now the whole thing is gone. but thanks for the suggestion! haha. it was amusing.

olivia77, that's definitely a good idea. and i'll have to remember it for next year. because now the whole thing is gone. but thanks for the suggestion! haha. it was amusing.

Over past two nights I have been thinking about how to balance the calories from the beer I plan to drink on Friday. I have worked it out to logging in all the calories on Saturday morning and making SURE i hit the gym (even if its only for 30 cardio) on both days. I also find that I only eat 2 meals a day on the weekends, anyone else?

Weekends (and Thursdays for some) can be the biggest obstacle. Unless there is an event, the weekdays are for being responsible and no matter how hard I try staying in, I have always been happier going out at least one night. The alternative of staying in all winter has been known to dull my spirit. Haha.

This may seem silly, perhaps I need to read more of the posts - many of you are diligent!

 

lol, seely  --  I was half way kidding, but only half way  ( ;

I too only usually eat two meals on the weekend.  I wake up later than usual etc... 

I just make extra sure to jog on the weekend to counteract any over indulging.   =P

Olivia77

Do you have any advice for someone who doesn't really run (hurts my knees) but would like to try jogging? I would love to try but I would have to start very slowly, do you job in the morning or evening? Were you ever in a place that it was really tough?

Any feedback would be great!

ndag, LOL, I still find it hard some days, so YES.  It was very hard in the beginning.  I walked 4-5 miles a day to start my weight loss efforts as that was really all the cardio I thought I could handle. 

The I saw a cute dog on a short chain every day on my walks.  I stopped and asked if I could walk him.  They said sure, so I did, and he was so happy to get off that chain, he wanted to run  really badly, so we did. 

I just jogged as far as I could, setting goals as I went -- get to the next fire hydrant, next sidewalk, next stop sign, whatever.  Each week or as I felt like I could, I would set further goals and try and reach them.

I just recently realized I was running almost every step of my everyday 3.5 miles route.  I adopted my new neighbor's dog when they moved and couldn't take her with them. I had been jogging with her and feeding her etc since we moved in 7 months ago, so it just made sense. 

As far as your knees hurting, I'd say take it slow and easy and realize if you fast walk 3 miles, you are still burning about the same cals as if you run the same distance.  Just working slightly different muscles walking vs. running.  Ex/ I walk the same 3.5 miles in 35 min vs.  jogging it in 23ish.  Still burn @ 250 cals.  So do what feels good.  You have good shoes and all, right?

Thats a cute story ( ; I do have shoes etc, I've tried turning a brisk walk into a jog but I felt like there was no WAY I would ever be capable of jogging a mile - even a half mile!

I think you've inspired me to start taking my cardio out of the gym maybe late March (live in Boston) and see if I can put a little pep in my step. One of the constants I am finding on here is that so many people have patience, I think I am learning slowly...ha.

Thanks so much for writing so fast! I'm so glad I joined CC

 

PS - I had NO idea you burn the same calories walking vs. running. No idea.

I always felt really guilty for not jogging, so when I only walked I would add a nother mile for distance etc to make up for not jogging. 

Plugged the numbers in here on cc and got the above listed results.  You use different muscles to walk vs. run, but if you bust your butt walking 3 miles in 30 minutes or jog the same thing in 20, it still burns 250.  yay!  no more guilt. 

I <3 running!!!   It makes me feel powerful. 

Amazing how easy it is to fall off the fitness and diet wagon on the weekend isn't it?  The weekends are tough - between running errands and trying to have a life, getting to the gym and logging what you eat can be almost impossible.  And for me, errands with my husband usually means eating out.  And I can go to a restaurant with the best intention of ordering a salad with dressing on the side but then the steak, the potatoes, something that looks oh-so-yummy ends up being my order.  LOL  I swear, I had salad on the tip of my tongue!  

Then, just like mlilly said, come Monday you're in a bad mood; you know you blew it on the weekend.  Now you feel you have to do extra during the week to make up for being a slug on the weekend, then comes the weekend and you feel you deserve to splurge because you were extra good all week.  Ack! and so the circle goes.  

I've been trying to at least go for a long walk or a hike on the weekend.  It doesn't make up for all the steak and potato, but it helps!  And to make it even more pathetic, I have a treadmill, and elliptical, and a full smith system at home I can't seem to drag myself to use on the weekends!  Now that will add on some extra guilt come Monday!  LOL

>>>"Olivia77

Do you have any advice for someone who doesn't really run (hurts my knees) but would like to try jogging? I would love to try but I would have to start very slowly, do you job in the morning or evening? Were you ever in a place that it was really tough?"<<<

I'm in the same boat with knee pain and running, i started with walking fairly steadily a couple years ago (2 years after my most recent knee injury) and it helped build some endurance and the muscles which support the knee, so walking is a great way to start. But then i wanted to step it up and try running and found that i couldn't go very far at all w/o having to stop and catch my breath, then i found Cool runnings (a running site-google it) that has a great beginners training program: Couch to 5k, it starts by adding short intervals of running into your walking and increasing a little each week. i've found it extremely helpful in building strength and endurance.

also, make sure you're doing some strength training for your legs to help support your knees and always listen to your body. if your knees say "no," listen!

hope this helps! btw how chilly is it in B-town? I'm originally from NH and live in FL now, i get a little homesick sometimes, but not during this time of year, lol :-)