Weekends are killing me!!

I've been religiously sticking to my diet plan all during the week. Staying just under the recommended calorie goal of 1515 calories, However the weekends are the deal breaker!

I went out to eat twice and tried to order something I thought was healthy. Then when I got home and checked the calories I found out I went WAY over my goal.

We were very busy on Sat so my wife suggested we grab some fast food for lunch.

I ordered a Chicken Fillet sandwich, thinking it would be better than a burger. When I got home and checked the restaurant's website, I found out that the sandwich had 850 calories!  850 calories for just 1 sandwich!

I ended up having more than 2000 calories that day. 

I feel your pain! We went to a clambake on Saturday where I had lobster with all the fixings and then we went out for Thai food for dinner. And yesterday we went out for pizza followed by ice cream. I didn't track my calories but I know I went well over my goal on both days. I can't keep doing this.

The worst thing i do though, is tell myself that going over my goal is ok because I will just work out more. But then I never get around to actually doing the extra workout. 

It's amazing how the mind and body collaberate to make me cheat! The battle is truly a battle of will.

That clam bake sounds great by the way. Now I can't get the image of steamy lobsters dripping with butter and small baked red potatoes with sour cream out of my mind! GRRRRR

What I do, when I know I'm going out for lunch, if figure out where we're going in advance.  Many places have their menus on-line, as well as nutritional information.  That lets you make the best decision you can.  As far as fast food goes, I find a place like Subway works best for me.  Pick a protein, bunch of veggies, and a bun...

Clint

That's a good suggestion. I have to get my mind out of the fast food mode on the weekend.

Subway is a good choice though.

During the week I eat a 6" Roast beef sub on wheat bread every day for lunch.

I skip the cheese and mayo and load it up with Veg's. Only 290 calories and 5g of Fat.

Thanks for the suggestion!

If 1515 is your daily goal, then you probably only ate maintenance each day of the weekend, so although it didn't advance you towards your weight goal, it probably isn't "killing" your progress.

I'm not sure, but I think that fast food places have to give you the nutritional information in the store, so next time, you could ask to see it before ordering if you don't want to "waste" your maintenance/splurge calories.

I try to remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint, so what happens at any given meal/weekend isn't a problem as long as I don't let it be.

I do this very same thing and it has worked great for me.  You can find a lot of the information on line for restaurants, or at least something comparable.   I write down what I am going to eat and that's all that I order when I get there.  I don't even look at the menu usually.  Less temptation!

It's actually good to take atleast one meal off a week and not stress out too much over it. You made a mistake but now you know that things aren't always as healthy as they seem, try doing some research on favorite places and pick out healthy items. Overall though, don't fret you'll live and learn and make progress with your knowledge of what's healthy and not. Your already doing a good job at Subway, many people go overboard there because of the healthy image.

I can't even remember how many gummi bears I ate or beers I drank this weekend.

I do know that by 3 am Saturday I was eating gummi bears WHILE drinking beer.  Thinking about it while sober just turns my stomache.

I have a calorie book "The Calorie King" you can find it in any book store, I even saw it at BJ's I keep one in my car and one in my husbands. It has most restaurant chains. You'll never have to guess again!

Judy

Original Post by jenningermany:

I can't even remember how many gummi bears I ate or beers I drank this weekend.

I do know that by 3 am Saturday I was eating gummi bears WHILE drinking beer.  Thinking about it while sober just turns my stomache.

 Man, that is hardass.  I'm a fan of that.

Original Post by judy_:

I have a calorie book "The Calorie King" you can find it in any book store, I even saw it at BJ's I keep one in my car and one in my husbands. It has most restaurant chains. You'll never have to guess again!

Judy

 I have that book too. it really does help me to know which fast food items are low in calories. though like I think someone else already said it's actually good to go over for one meal a week. if you are too strict on your calories to the point where you are eating the same amount every day your body will get used to it and stop losing . it's actually a good thing to surprise your body every now and then. just not every single day. but you said you are doing great during the week so I think you'll be fine. Don't stress too much. Just rememeber every day is new.

In order to control the calories of the food you get in resturants order anything savory with no cheese, and sauces on the side. It's annoying to ask, but remember that a lot of people do these things...and they should be able to do it. It won't make everything low-cal of course but it will def. reduce the amount by a bit!

Original Post by speedyt:

Original Post by jenningermany:

I can't even remember how many gummi bears I ate or beers I drank this weekend.

I do know that by 3 am Saturday I was eating gummi bears WHILE drinking beer.  Thinking about it while sober just turns my stomache.

 Man, that is hardass.  I'm a fan of that.

Reminds me of a 'Simpsons' episode where Homer walked into the Kwik-e-Mart and said, "Hey, Apu, got any of that Skittlebrau?"  Apu answered,"No, Mr. Homer, I beleive that was something you made yourself."  Homer: "Oh.  Well then give a six-pack and a bag of Skittles."

LOL

Ohhhh, who are you telling. I have stopped eating out, because it is not just the calories, it is the sodium also. In one sandwich, it will have 1200 mg of sodium and I am trying to stay under 1800. These restaurants are the devil! That is why I am staying home. LOL!

Why not just aim to eat maintenance calories on the weekend and have your deficit during the week.  As long as you're just eating maintenance - and not way over it - you'll still lose weight.

I haven't heard of Maintenance calories before.  I need to lose 10 more lbs by July 17. So I need to get extreme.  No more Fast food for me.

I'll have to find out what these maintenance calories are.

Maintenance calories means eating the same number as you burn in a day (instead of eating less than you burn).  e.g.  I lose half a pound a week eating 2000 cals/day so I must therefore burn about 2350 cals/day.  Therefore, I never feel guilty if I have a day where I eat as much as 2350 - because that's still not enough to make me gain weight.

Go to restaurants websites and find some "safe" foods at most places you go.  Then you only have to remember what the safe food was.  Applebees is great with their weight watchers menu (but beware of the rest of the food there!).  I know it's about 300 calories for a junior whopper at Burger King, at wendy's the baked potato with sour cream is good, subway there is a whole slew of sandwiches.  What's killing me is potlucks! You don't know what is in those yummy dishes.

Good Luck.

Original Post by pbear999:

What I do, when I know I'm going out for lunch, if figure out where we're going in advance.  Many places have their menus on-line, as well as nutritional information.  That lets you make the best decision you can.  As far as fast food goes, I find a place like Subway works best for me.  Pick a protein, bunch of veggies, and a bun...

Clint

I do that as well. If I know we're going to go out for lunch I'll look up there menu online and figure out what's the best to order.  If you had a phone with internet access you could do that on the go.

Also helps to look up places in advance where you like to eat and see what is healthy on there menu, and just make a mental note for future reference. I've seen a couple fast food chains with there nutrition menu sitting in a little brochure display too.