I have a hard time with this, too. What I did was change my grocery shopping day to Thursday. That way, going into the weekend I have all my good foods nice and fresh. I don't need to go anywhere near the grocery store, which is where my bad habits start on the weekends! I'm excited for the good food I got!
I find come Friday afternoon, my desire to plan my meals and eat good things hits a large brick wall. I am finding it hard to get past it too. Friday hits and all I want to think about is how much I don't want to cook, or do much of anything for that matter... Usually by the weekend my fresh food supply is getting dangerously low, and I will be resorting to pasta for the weekend. Not good!
During the week is fine, I have a schedule and a routine... mostly, so sticking with it during the week is so much simpler.
How do you guys keep it up on the weekends??
You hit it right on the head for me....I'll cruise through the week then from 5pm on Friday through a big family meal on Sunday it's a disaster or a terrible struggle. In the past Friday night was ordering pizza (and eating waaaay more of it than anyone should) followed by movies, or going out for drinks, etc. My italian family has never heard the word 'diet'. Being healthy means taking a nap after pasta and before dessert. So glad to hear I'm not alone in this! I will say since i've adjusted how I grocery shop - now late night Friday nights, it's getting a little easier. I think it's going to be all about the planning ahead.
Yes! I too am learning that getting groceries a little later in the week so I have more good stuff on the weekends its helping. Have been doing pretty well lately on the weekends now. Much less drinking. Much less junk, and only a few times have we eaten out. I guess its just something you have to figure out how to make work for yourself.
My mum cooks yummier paleo food for me so it's easier not to cheat at the weekend. Alternatively I spend the weekend trying out new recipes for dinner time, as I'm too busy during the week to try a new recipe out. Friday is usually a frittata for dinner or roast chicken with some veg.
My wife and I both cook during the week and weekends. Any any point in time during the week or weekend we are too tired or too busy to cook, I will usually pick up one of two things on my way home (1) a $4.99 rotisserie chicken from one of the big-box stores or (2) grilled chicken breasts from a local fast food latin restaurant called "Pollo Tropical." Then I either use the chicken to make a salad or eat with veggies. Preferably we roast the veggies. But if we're too lazy to do that, or do not have any fresh veggies on hand, I always have frozen veggies to pop in the microwave to steam.
Since I don't have the time or opportunity to "cook" at work, my lunches pretty much consist of salads with turkey, tuna or grilled chicken. Sometimes I go out to lunch and get grilled chicken or fish with steamed veggies. Because of this, the weekend is my time to cook something a little bit more out of the ordinary -- if I have the time and inclination. This is usually the time I will make a spaghetti squash, because it is a little more time consuming to prepare.
Silver, have you tried spaghetti squash? If you love pasta, you might find that spaghetti squash is a good alternative for you. I really like it. Of course you have to dress it up with some sort of sauce and seasoning. My go-to preparation is a shrimp scampi made with a tiny bit of EVOO and Smart Balance light spread, sauteed garlic and green onion. I toss in some basil, onion powder, Parmesan cheese - and if its not garlicky enough for my taste even with the sauteed fresh garlic, I'll add a little bit of garlic powder too.
I don't do this often because its a bit more calories than my usual steamed / roasted green veggies. But if you want an occasional treat that is lower in calorie -- and certainly lower in carb, I highly recommend the spaghetti squash. Did I mention it was somewhat of a pain in the butt to make though?
Yes! I too am learning that getting groceries a little later in the week so I have more good stuff on the weekends its helping. Have been doing pretty well lately on the weekends now. Much less drinking. Much less junk, and only a few times have we eaten out. I guess its just something you have to figure out how to make work for yourself.
Yes, getting used to what works for you is key.
One thing I learned that is eating out -- even fast food - can be easy as long as you know where to go. You can stay on your plan at almost any place. But there are certain places that have tastier options than others, and I tend to stick with those places.
The other thing is to know your demons and avoid them. I cut out all junk food, but there are certain foods that I have/had on my plan that I simply cannot avoid over-eating. The main one is almonds. I LOVE almonds and I can eat an entire can in a sitting if I let myself. They are almost too dangerous for me to keep around. So, what I do is I keep them in the trunk of my car. Literally, that is where they are at all times. When I kept them in my house or in my desk at work, I would polish off an entire 1 lb bag in a few days. Now, I'll grab a handful on my way into the office or on the way home before I get in my car -- and that's it. That was my only way of portion control. If that didn't work, I would have had to stop buying them entirely. But so far that has worked. Again, it all comes back to finding out what works for you and tailoring your plan around that to make it as easy for you to follow as possible.
Silver, have you tried spaghetti squash? If you love pasta, you might find that spaghetti squash is a good alternative for you. I really like it. Of course you have to dress it up with some sort of sauce and seasoning. My go-to preparation is a shrimp scampi made with a tiny bit of EVOO and Smart Balance light spread, sauteed garlic and green onion. I toss in some basil, onion powder, Parmesan cheese - and if its not garlicky enough for my taste even with the sauteed fresh garlic, I'll add a little bit of garlic powder too.
I tried it once, not long ago, just as a straight up substitution for spaghetti. It wasn't awesome at all, thought I think it was a little under-cooked. My boyfriend did not approve AT ALL lol. I think I will wait a little longer, till he forgets how much he didn't like it and try it again, but differently this time.
at your almond problem. I love that you keep them in the trunk. That is just totally awesome. I love me some Almonds as well (Mmmm Tamari almonds are the bees knees!!!) and to keep myself under control, I buy them in bulk, along with walnuts, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries and portion them out into 250 cal snack bags. I keep them in the freezer (They are all really good frozen too!) and pull out a bag when I need something to nosh on or an extra snack for my lunch. Sticking to just one snack bag has been challenging at times. I keep any extra's in the basement freezer, usually I am too lazy to go all the way down stairs for a snack
at your almond problem. I love that you keep them in the trunk. That is just totally awesome. I love me some Almonds as well (Mmmm Tamari almonds are the bees knees!!!) and to keep myself under control, I buy them in bulk, along with walnuts, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries and portion them out into 250 cal snack bags. I keep them in the freezer (They are all really good frozen too!) and pull out a bag when I need something to nosh on or an extra snack for my lunch. Sticking to just one snack bag has been challenging at times. I keep any extra's in the basement freezer, usually I am too lazy to go all the way down stairs for a snack 
