I did so good last week with food & exercise, counting calories, etc and then comes Friday and it all starts to go downhill. I went out with my friends and had some drinks at the club. On Saturday I went out to eat and got fried shrimp, and yesterday I really pigged out. I had about 6 beers, Subway, and ice cream.

It’s been a *long* time since I really pigged out like I did this weekend but I just feel so disappointed in myself and like I’ve ruined my diet. I always do so perfectly during the week but weekends are my hard part. Being young and out with my skinny friends they always want to stop somewhere for food. Subway, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, etc.

Any suggestions with weekend troubles and problems with friends always wanting to go out?

Weekends are a big challenge for me too! I'm in college and eating and drinking are two of our primary sources of amusement it seems.

First, you haven`t ruined your diet with a few days so don't get so down on yourself. Remember this feeling when you`re tempted on the weekends.

This past weekend was one of the best for me so far in my struggle, but it has taken a lot of thought and a lot of bad weekends to be able to make these choices..

1-The greatest motivator for not pigging out on the weekends is remembering how much quicker my weightloss would have gone if I wouldn't have taken 2 or 3 days off every week. After years of "starting over" on Monday morning, I've realized that I work far too hard at the gym to hurt my efforts with over eating. For me, it helps just to take a few minutes to reflect on those things and the results of my choices and actions.

2- Working out! It not only reminds you how hard it is to burn off all those extra calories but it can motivate you for the rest of your day and keep you active.

3- Investigating good choices while eating out. Subway, McDonalds and Wendys all have sandwiches and salads that are healthier than most of their menu selections. Be prepared when you go out so you won't be tempted.

Basically, I think that having a plan has helped me.

I completely agree with WT but also wanted to add that, in order to keep the weight off once you lose it, you have to make changes that you can live with in the long term. For the first 3 months of my "diet" I rarely left the house except for work and to go to the gym and completely stopped drinking. I knew that if I went out I would blow everything that I was working so hard for. The reality though, is that I don't want to be a skinny hermit. I want to look good & be healthy, but also enjoy my life.

The last few weeks I've made a conscious effort to balance having a good time and the occasional drink with my new healthier lifestyle. I've also started trying to come up with activities that help rather than hurt (I started playing soccer and am thinking about taking up rock climbing). The bottom line is, 1. don't beat yourself up over it (and quit trying) and 2. leave the house with a flexible plan but a firm resolve to make the best choices you can, e.g. yes, we will be going to a club and I will stop at a couple of glasses of wine.

I was thinking this exact thing yesterday. I didn't eat very well on Saturday and didn't make it to the gym. But I realized it's ONE day and I don't do that all the time. So, I just told myself I'd remember how bad I felt when I did pig out and not exercise so I know for next time. Just keep going. Don't let one or two days stop your plan. Just stick with it and next time try to make the better choices. There is nothing wrong with having a few drinks, just incorporate the calories in the drinks into your calories for that day.

Personally, I've found that thinking about what the people who are making the food in fast food establishments are doing to the food (or with their hands and then not washing them) to be a great deterrent for eating out. I never worked in a restaraunt, but I know plenty of people who have and you really would not believe the way they handle the food- at least here in Texas.

I agree there are healthier selections at all of those places you went too. Subway and ice cream can actually be a GREAT way to follow your "diet." Get a 6 inch under 6 grams of fat sub and maybe fat free ice cream or yogurt at the ice cream shop. You can also offer to be the sober driver so that you know you can not drink more than 2 drinks (which is what you should aim for, not that I should talk because I often go WAY over that). I agree with WT, after working SO hard over the week I try not to overeat on the weekend as hard as that is because I know how sad I will be on Monday when my jeans won't zip up. Next time maybe offer a place you know you can eat healthy and enjoy yourself. I love Chilis and TGI Fridays, unhealthy food for my skinny friends and healthy choices available for me.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions! It really is motivating when you hear there are other people in your same situation that are making it work! I will definitely take up a lot of those suggestions - thank you!

Subway can be pretty healthy, I'm sure they have the nutrition info on their site, just look it up.

If you need ice cream and are out and about, McDonalds actually has a reduced fat vanilla cone. It has 150 calories and 4 grams of fat. I wouldn't make it a usual thing, but if you need ice cream it's a good choice. DON'T be tempted to get a McFlurry from there, just because the ice cream is okay, an oreo McFlurry has over 500 calories and about 16 grams of fat.

Another healthy treat is the SNACK size yogurt parfait at McDonald's. Also, Wendy's will sell the Junior size Frosty separately from a kid's meal, even though it's not on the menu. This isn't as healthy as the yogurt, but it's not that bad as an OCCASIONAL goodie, and it is made with actual milk, as opposed to some other fast food "frozen treats." And of course Wendy's has the small and large fruit bowl with yogurt now, too. If you MUST have a burger-&-fries anywhere, order a kid's meal.

Don't get discouraged! You are changing your life, little by little. Just get back on plan and don't think about the past! You're doing great! At least 5 out of 7 days, you did good, right? Just keep exercising, and when you go out, think healthy. There are healthy alternatives everywhere...Subway is great, McDonald's has salads and grilled chicken sandwiches, etc. And, if you're going to go out and drink, just find something with the lowest calories. I don't drink, but my brother is on SBD, and I think he told me he drinks Bacardi and Diet coke. He said it was gross at first, but he likes it now. I think they also have light beer, right? As long as it's only once a week, it's fine. I have a "cheat meal' once a week, and so far I'm doing well despite my weekly pigfests...lol. I think as long as you're doing good the majority of the time, it's fine. If you deny yourself all the time, you will eventually quit and end up binging on EVERYTHING! GOOD LUCK!!!

i forgive myself for having 3 servings of choclate cake today!

up until 10 minutes ago...i felt like **** for pigging out on the left over b'day cake at my office. i have been so perfect for the last week and i mess all that up in a few hours...sigh....but after reading this thread..i feel much better.

i agree with tatiana....its better to have one bad eating day compared to 5 or 6. its hard to be perfect especially when it comes to losing weight......the key is PERSISTENCE....just keep at it...

This thread just saved me from getting really depressed! My husband and I went to the movies tonight, and I ate an entire medium size bag of popcorn with extra butter ON MY OWN!!!

Now, as I said, I plan to have one cheat meal a week, but this is my second cheat of the week. I was feeling depressed about it, but then I came back and read this thread, and now I feel better. I will just get back to being healthy tomorrow and not let it bother me.

The good news is that I got a medium instead of a large...lol. Believe it or not, I used to eat the LARGE bag on my own. Movie theatre popcorn is my weakness. Home popped stuff doesn't cut it for me. It has to be at the theatre. I CRAVE the stuff and can't go more than a couple of weeks without it...lol. Horrible. Next time, I am going to try to resist by sneaking in some healthy snacks instead. I know that if I can just make it through one movie without it, I will feel sooooo much better and be proud of myself for resisting the temptation. It's worth a shot!!! I think it would be MUCH smarter to save my cheat meal for an actual meal instead of this junk.

Chocolate cake sure sounds yummy right now! lol Trust me, it probably has a lot less fat and calories than my huge bag of popcorn had, so don't feel bad! I read somewhere that the theatre popcorn is like 1500 calories and 64 grams of fat or something along those lines. OUCH!!!

Ok, one more thing, and then I promise I'll shut up...this helps me....I just remind myself that my binge wasn't even a pound. If it was under 3500 calories, then it's not even a pound. BIG DEAL!!! So I just workout extra hard that day to try to burn a few more calories, and it helps me feel a little better.

I think we can ALL overcome this cycle with time. After we're used to eating healthy for awhile and we're maintaining our weight, I think we will realize that the unhealthy food isn't worth it. It will only get easier with time...at least I hope it will!!! lol

Even if you don't take your own snacks, you can also get it without the extra butter next time.

I just wanted to add something really quick to squash those feelings of guilt you are having over occasional indulgences. The body is not an exact calorie in/calorie out machine that adds the numbers precisely... Otherwise, every week we did the same activity and ate the same calories - we would lose the exact same amount of weight - I am sure that we all have been dieting long enough to know that that is just not true...

Several years ago, I got down to my ideal weight by exercising and dieting - BUT I allowed myself 2 really good cheat meals a week, after having read somewhere that doing that can actually HELP keep your metabolism from setting itself to a lower level. (I belive I read this in a muscle magazine.) Anyway, this worked great for me!! (You can see what I looked like before I suffered a back injury that kept me from the gym, and led to emotional eating habits AGAIN on my profile if you're curious). Anyway, I was in fantastic shape and I could still eat ANYTHING I wanted, I just had to restrict it to those two cheat meals that I had in the week. It took the pressure off so much, and really helped me get over the whole "well, I already screwed up today, might as well eat like a pig and start again tomorrow..." It also helped with my will power, because if I was tempted to eat something not on my diet, I would just say to myself "Is this what I really want to use as my cheat meal?". Often times, I knew that I was going out for dinner or something later in the week, and I knew that I could have a REALLY good cheat meal then instead of a so-so indulgence immediately, and I knew that the wait wouldn't be long. It was usually enough to help me say "no, I am going to save it for when I can have something really yummy." The secret is to confine it to those 1-2 meals/week, and not spread it out through a whole day. At least this is what worked for me... I felt freer and less restricted doing this, and I lost weight like crazy!! It is the plan that I am following again to get me back to where is was, because it worked and it was something I could LIVE with permanently (kept the weight off for three years until my injury) I'm not sure if this will help anyone, but it worked great for me - the only thing is - exercise is not an option - you gotta workout.

One other suggestion, workout early in the day, BEFORE you are going out with your friends - and put a little extra into your workout, planning your cheat meal - you will feel less guilty. I think guilt is a dieter's worst enemy - it is so self-defeating. Most people (emotional eaters anyway) have a hard time sticking to a diet if they feel like a failure... JMO... Anyway - GOOD LUCK with your weightloss!! You've done great so far - keep up the hard work!

I know! lol I could also get a SMALL, too, instead of eating the an ENTIRE MEDIUM or LARGE! lol