Hello all.
As this past weekend has reminded me, I have a problem with my eating habits on the weekends. I'm sure this problem has been shared by some of you, so I hope I can get some great advice or words of support.
During the week I can eat just great. I stay on plan and am very healthy. By the time the weekend comes, I get into a mindset of "it's the weekend, do whatever you want, you're supposed to have fun!" and I fall off the wagon. This Saturday and Sunday, I ate completely off plan, mostly due to this mindset. It doesn't even matter if am having a quiet weekend at home - I just crave junk "fun" food. Does anyone know how to lose this weekend mindset?
I have a hunch that it's just all habit - that once I persevere and break the pattern, weekends will no longer be thought of as the "fun" junk food days. Can anyone relate? Do anyone of you have any ideas or advice on what I can do?

Hi there! Well, you've pretty much solved the problem on your own! You have to change your mindset from "this diet is a JOB. A Monday to Friday JOB" to "Wow! This is a new lifestyle that I have!"
I just powered through it. I got super, super busy for the first few weeks including the weekends. I planned and cooked my food in advance so I wouldn't have any excuses about not having anything ready. And after 2 weeks, the weekends weren't as important because they didn't stand out as "weekends" for the first couple of weeks.
Kira

I allow myself 900 extra calories on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I usually split them up equally and add 300 extra to each day. But if there is a special occasion, I have been known to use them all at once. (like Easter...and probably Mothers Day). Makes life so much more simple to know they are there to use and I am not "cheating" as they are part of my plan...and trust me, after 1200 calories a day Monday thru Thursday, those extra calories are very powerful.

I plan the weekend out very well. Just like I plan out the week days. Although, I do plan in some extra treats for the weekend - a baked apple with raisins and walnuts, fresh pineapple, cantalope, watermelon, grapes - fruit I normally don't eat during the week. I make some special dinners for the weekend as well. Some different lunches and salads as well. Some of my favorites that I keep just for the weekends.

So yes, I'd definitely re-think what "fun" is. For me, it's those special, yet on plan foods. And - it's sticking to my plan really well, because I know it's going to provide me with a nice loss come Monday morning, or now that I'm in maintenance - a nice "stay the same". And let me tell you - THAT"S FUN!

um yeah so i could've pretty much written that post myself. except this weekend wouldn't have been an isolated case. i think i have been on plan or close to on plan maybe 1 or 2 weekends since i started counting calories in january. i don't know why but come monday i'm always right back at square one. for some reason i just can't stop sabotaging myself. ugh.

Never mind 2 days of "off" eating, but one all on its lonesome is enough to wipe out any deficit that's been created during the week. So it's really important to stick with a healthy eating plan through the weekend. And since I know that, I make it a real point to do so. I challenge myself, almost make a game of it, to really, really stick with it. Like I said earlier, I do have some different and special foods that I incorporate into the weekend. When necessary, I use lots of "self-talk" to get me through. Don't forget there's also the you bite it you write it method. Helps a LOT. Makes you more aware of what's going into your mouth. I know the weekends where I veer off track (& I do) I am always upset with myself. But the weekends where I stick to my plan (& as of late I do and the year I was losing, always), I feel delighted and giddy. It's the best feeling. Never mind that it provides me with a slender me, but it's also the sense of control. I never, ever regret sticking to my plan.

Plan it out ladies. Challenge yourself. Pull out all the stops. Show yourself what you've got. Amaze yourself with just how capable you really are. I know you too won't regret it. Not a bit.

i think part of the problem for me, though by no means THE problem, is that even if i were to eat closer to on plan, the social life bit still kills me. even if i only have two or three drinks when i go out (highly unlikely on a weekend. doable on a weekday happy hour), and make it a light beer or straight vodka, it will still tip me waaaay over my calorie limit every time. and that's only on a good night.
i guess i just haven't reached the point yet where i'm willing to give up alcohol even though it is absolutely KILLING my diet. going out for drinks with friends or dates is just so much a part of the social landscape here, but i shudder to think of how many calories were in the mint juleps at the kentucky derby party i went to this weekend.

I finally had a weekend last weekend where I didn't cheat at all! It took me a really long time to do that. Basically, I have had to change what I think of as fun to be something that has nothing to do with food. Fun to me, is getting to my goal weight, going to a spinning class, swimming, a pedicure, etc. I am really trying to dissasociate fun things and food. I also like everyone's ideas for giving yourself a few hundred extra calories a day. That is a good idea!

I understand what you are saying. While I don't know you exact sitution, I do know mine. This may sound harsh, but maybe it should. You can either party now, be overweight, and have a life that is not everything it could be. Or, you could obstain from drinking until you lose your weight, get to party with the body that you LOVE!, and live for a long time. Giving up alcohol temporarily = more/better partys in the future. It is your decision entirely.

Plus, when you don't drink for a while it is way easier to get a buz, haha. Think how much money you'll save!!

What do you want more? Temporary fun or long term health/happiness.

Good luck! I know it is hard

Plan, plan, plan. Sometimes, on the weekends, I pack my lunch bag just like I do to go to work during the week - This helps me stay on track. You can always plan in a few goodies! This way - I can take my lunch bag with me shopping and running errands so I am not tempted to spend money on high calorie convenience foods.

I am a big fan of the single serving junk food - chips, etc. all come in boxes of single serving bags - these work for me, b/c I am able to stop with just one. (Also, I have noticed that a lot of the ice creams are coming out with little single serving cups!) This way - I am able to have a treat, but still stay on plan.

I LOVE drinking alcohol - to help cut calories - I try to cut my drinks with seltzer water. Even wine actually tastes good with seltzer (called a wine spritzer) which I didn't think it would. Although, I've never tried cutting beer with seltzer... I imagine that WOULD be DISGUSTING. Lol!

And like previous posters have said - I try to keep busy. The more I am doing, the less time I have to munch!

home stretch, i definitely think you are right. i just can't seem to commit to myself yet, it seems. the first month i started calorie counting (january) i actually had not been drinking much at all for some reason. it weirdly just didn't appeal to me for most of december and january. my tolerance was super low and it was awesome because i rarely wanted to drink, and when i did, it was really cheap both monetarily and calorically. but unfortunately whatever was happening in my body that made me avoid alcohol then has very much passed and i'm back to my normal self. and now that the weather is getting warmer everyone is wanting to go to outdoor happy hours and rooftop parties and drinking in the park.
but i keep reminding myself, i lost the most amount of weight in january, and i can't help but think a large part of that was because i was barely drinking... though i have no way of truly knowing if that is because it was my first month or because of the booze. i suppose the answer is somewhere in the middle. i still drink less now and less frequently that i did before i started dieting, but it still accounts for an appalling number of calories in my diet.

Go out with your friends, just order club soda instead.

Besides planning my food, I find it helpful to plan active activities for the weekend (especially easier now that it's getting warmer). Generally, other than social situations, I tend to eat most when I'm bored so key for me is to keep myself busy on the weekends.

As for the social outings and drinking, I try to plan around it as much as possible. I know I will be eating a little more on the weekends, so I tend to save some calories to the weekend. Stick to light beers and mix it up with club soda.

Additional physical activity I do on the weekend, allocating additional calories to the weekend, and lighter drinking is how I cope with the weekends.