Weekend Binge

I am new to calorie counting and I think Ive done a pretty good job losing 8lbs in 2 weeks. However, On the weekends, I ALWAYS find myself not counting and just sayin to myself, "The hell with it" and I pretty much binge. I dont eat all day but I love to go out to eat and me and my fiance like to go once a week to a favorite japanese buffet in town. Its kind of our "Alone" time together and we enjoy it very much, but I always eat too much and regret it when I weigh myself. I weighed myself this morning and I gained 2lbs over the weekend...How can I get out of this habbit?? I hate feeling hungry so I eat even when Im bored and have a slight rumble in my tummy. Its hard to explain..am I alone in this or what?

Hello,

You are certainly not alone.  I've only been calorie counting for about 2 weeks and have only lost 2 lbs so far.  I too, find it hard to stay disciplined on the weekends.  I start off good in the mornings, but then end up grazing all day long.  For me it's not so much binging as just not logging the calories, so I have no idea how many calories I've consumed.  It seems to be such an extra effort to go log into the computer and log each thing I eat on weekends.  I know it sounds crazy, but somewhere in my head I'm thinking as long as I don't log the calories they won't count, but I know thats crazy.  I too would like some advice on getting through the weekends without undoing all of the hardwork I've put in the previous week. 

How about you use that day with your fiance as your 'day off'? Reward youself with that day, enjoy it, eat what you want, and hell, have a few wines with it! (or Saki as it's japanese)

If you start the week eating and being healthy, you will look forward to that time even more! Also, you said you don't eat through the day, why not try having a nice, large (healthy) breakfast to keep you going? Cereal, slice of toast and some fruit juice even.

Another thing is to slice some carrots etc before you go to bed, foil wrap them, keep them in the fridge and have them whenever you want to 'nibble' the next day. (Try them with Greek Dips - amazing)

Also, when you have a 'rumble' try having some water, sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger.

 edit - my spelling is awful of late.

Thanks so much...I really appreciate the response..I will keep all that in mind. I havent had carrots with greek dressing before..sounds good though! I think I will give it a shot. Again, Thanks!

As far as gaining two pounds over the weekend - I highly doubt that's real weight. Most likely just your body retaining water from extra sodium you've taken in. You would have had to eat approximately 7000 calories OVER what you burned for the two days to gain two pounds of fat. As long as you eat well the next couple of days, those two pounds should drop from you quickly.

Also, it's fine to eat a little extra on the weekends. After a bit of time, you'll hopefully get used to your limits and how big a "portion" is and chances are your weekend eating will go down a bit. For instance, I can't overeat anymore without feeling sick because my stomach isn't used to that much food.

But even then, it never hurts to just have a day every week that you don't have to worry too much. Just try not to eat deep fried food or a huuuuge dessert all by yourself. :) Go with more veggies & fish/meat than noodles or rice. And if you go out to eat at a non-buffet place, try to take home half of your meal and eat it another day.

Edit: Also when you're hungry and have the bored rumbles (I know those very well) drink some water or herbal tea (if it's late at night).   Eat some veggies like carrots, sugar snap peas, celery, etc (I like them without anything.)   I like to make myself a quart bag full of veggies for times like that.   It gives me something to snack on along with a glass of water.  

I am TOTALLY with you on this...weekends are rough for me too in some ways...during the week I am at my desk at work CONSTANTLY drinking water and eating little bits throughout the day.  I start each day with a Cappucino Optima Slim Fast and for lunch I either do a salad with fat free italian or a turkey sandwhich on 12 grain with mustard...for snacks I try to stick to celery and carrots and have recently also added fresh fruit (oranges and apples right now) and occasionally a handful of mini-pretzels...On week two and down 8 pounds.  I am honestly, to your point, much more worried about how I feel every day and how I look than how much I weigh...with doing a lot of walking and soon working out too, I realize that it's not so much about losing weight, since muscle weighs more than fat too.  Overall advice...once you get into a positive rut during the week, your mind will tell you on the weekend when you're doing something "bad" and eventually you'll not even want to.  I do enjoy a cheat day as well with my fiance and we're just being a little bit smarter about it...I LOVE Japanese buffets myself...GOOD LUCK!

My husband and I do that too!  Once a week we have "date night" and eat out.  I recommend switching up the place every week instead of always going to the buffet.  I consider this a "cheat" meal - cheaper calorie wise than a full cheat day - but I still make sure that I eat at least a cup of veggies with my meal.