My biggest problem is weekends!! I do so good during the week but when the weekend rolls around it's all downhill Does Anyone have any suggestions??

Usually we have problems with the weeknds because we are off our regular schedule. I plan for my meals and snacks for the weekend the same as during the week. If I'm going out to dinner, I'll plan on a little extra exercise. Exactly what are the problems you are facing, perhaps we could help better if we know a little more.

I must admit I have that exact same problem. I do end up eating a lot more on weekends, sometimes grazing the entire day. I make sure to keep healthy foods in the house that I can snack on that aren't THAT high in calories so as to minimize the damage. Of course keeping busy is the best way, when I'm running around shopping or visiting, I dont eat half as much. But being in the house tends to be bad so I just use the weekend usually as my higher days and then go lower when I get back to work on monday. I just got an elliptical so now when I'm bored I'm going to try hopping on that rather than munching.

Big problem here--DH likes fast food for weekend lunches. Last weekend, I managed to stay away for one of the meals (thank goodness for the hair salon!) and I was able to pretty much maintain my weekly loss.

This weekend will be even more of a challenge:
DH is taking me out to dinner tonight for my bday tomorrow
I have an all day meeting with bfast and lunch tomorrow out of town followed by my big birthday bash (green beer anyone?)
Sunday my inlaws are taking me out for a nice lunch.
My plan?
I'm getting fish tonight
Fruit for the continental breakfast tomorrow and they usually do a nice lunch (we're all women, they know how to feed us)
I'll try to stay moderate in my St. Patty's drinking
Sunday lunch is still in the air. I'm not sure what they serve at this restaurant for lunch.

If it weren't for all the celebrations, I think I would plan on not having the fast food lunches. I don't really like them all that much anyway. I guess I could go shopping!!!

I treat the weekends like any other day - I have a plan of what I'm going to eat (I normally hit the grocery store on Friday night).

That assumes you have will power. Since I lack will power when I feel like eating (I'm one of those instant gratification types), then I just try to keep it as light and healthy as possible. Sure ideally I would have so much control over my eating that anything that is off plan will be easily avoided, but that's not the reality for a lot of us. Oftentimes I am really hungry, even when my planned allotment was 1600 to 1800 healthy whole food calories. So sometimes I also go off plan out of hunger..and I always get much hungrier on the days I lift weights.

I am definitely not "will power girl" I just don't have extra difficulties on the weekends, they are really just same old same old days. I have the same breakfast and snacks I do the rest of the week (waffles, strawberries, orange, cut up veggie) and I just make something typical for dinner. I normally eat lunch at work, so I do have to make something for lunch on the weekends (if I'm not running around), just try to stick to sandwich and soup or something like that.

I definitely get hungry and I definitely eat! I just don't get how a Saturday is different from a Wednesday (unless it involves going out/socializing), I could have out of control slip-ups (Like a crazy work meeting this week with little tarts and cheese) any day of the week. I just plan the meals and eat it, if I were going to be bad and snacky with healthy food in the house (I'm looking at YOU Mr. Jar of Peanut Butter) I could do it on a Tuesday night just as easily as a Sunday afternoon.

My way of dealing with Sat-Sun is my same way of dealing with Mon-Friday, plan what I'm going to eat, shop for it, make it and eat it. If there is going out/socializing, I don't treat it any differently if it's a weekend or not - if it's my "treat" meal for the week, I am more lenient. If it's not my weekly treat meal, I make the same careful choices I would make if I went out to dinner on a Thursday (read the menu online in advance, don't touch the bread basket, order double vegetables instead of rice/potatoes, order fish grilled without extra oil, stay far away from the chip basket, no pizza/fast food, box up half immediately).

My weekend willpower (or lack thereof, heh) is equal to my weekday willpower! I have to have a plan in place, planned meals save me.

I deal with weekends by making one of them my big workout day and then I can afford a little extra.

Weekends are hard if you are sticking around the house all day. I do a few things. I continue my workouts in the morning because I find that is the best time for me and it stops me from eating garbage all day. I also dont have treats in my house - I figure there are so many opportunities to eat junk food at work and desserts after nice meals that I dont need to tempt myself in my own house. I also treat the weekends as my time to really treat myself but I no longer have cheat days or treat myself with food. I go to the local market and look around, or go to read magazines at the book store or the library, I go for long leisurely walks and window shop (anything to keep me out of the fridge all day).

I also treat weekends like any other day. I go day by day with my choices and just try to consistently choose wisely.

Good luck with your weekend. YOu can do it!

AllisonHappy Birthday!

I've always had a very large appetite on the weekends with lots of munchies and not much chance of hunger. Conversely, during the week while I'm at work (that being the key, NOT the day of the week) I just tend to lose my appetite and eat only out of hunger. No will power needed because I don't have the munchies. The weekends for some reason I often have that desire to just eat. The good news is that I ate like that for years and maintained around 128 lbs. So for me it works for maintaining a fairly low weight, but not so great for trying to lose (I gained while pregnant, not from the aforementioned eating habit). Guess I was "zig zagging". We all have different appetites and different food triggers.

I have this problem with the weekends. It's different because if you work full time your day isn't structured in the same way and food is more readily available. I certainly can't walk out of my job to go and buy something to eat!

I have no great tips because I struggle with this so much myself. What I do try to do is to turn the weekends into an exercise fest - I do way more at the weekends than I do during the week.

Hey Doughnut, this is beside the point, but I see you've lost 8 whole pounds! That is awesome considering you must've also replaced at least 1 or more additional pounds of fat with muscle with all that working out! Are you still going to the reunion?

Hey Mami - thanks. It's funny 'cause I was looking at your numbers earlier - 142 now - you're doing really well. It seems like it's taken forever to get the 8 lbs off and I'm really hoping to be in the 140s on Monday - it's been too long. However, I suppose it doesn't really matter how long it takes. I wander off plan waaaay too often but I'm obviously doing it right more often than not.

Yep, still planning on the reunion at the end of May. If I can get another 10 lbs off by then I'll look OK - not great - but OK. I've just booked my July holiday which is my real goal.

Not seen you in featherweights for a long while. Come back!

Thanks Doughnut. I think you should be looking REALLY good at 140 and being 5'5". Especially since you're exercising.

Is Birmingham anywhere near Hull? My sister and her family just moved from Hull (where her DH is from) to Tampa, FL yesterday! Still haven't heard from them as their new house has no telephone nor do they have American cell phones yet. Luckily there were no plane crashes on the news this morning. LOL. I always check when relatives are flying and I havent heard from them yet.

I've really small bones - I don't look that great at 135 even (as far as I can remember - lol).

Birmingham's slap bang in the middle of the country and Hull's way up North. Never been there but moving from there to Tampa (where I have been) sounds like a good idea to me