Monday-Friday, I average about 1300 calories per day, which is, for my weight and activity level, not too little. Throughout the week I am rarely hungry, because if I feel myself getting too hungry between my scheduled meals I eat enough to stave off overeating. I am definitely NOT starving, so it's not a matter of my body overriding my brain and forcing me to eat to stay alive. On weekends, however, I stay with my dad who unfortunately stocks high-carb, high-fat binge triggers and I generally end up consuming approximately 2300-2700 empty calories on Saturday and Sunday, which negates all the positive work I've done throughout the week.
I know what I need to do is form healthy habits for the weekend in the way I have for the week. It's just, with the calorific treats at my fingertips, it's harder to exercise self-control.
For those of you who have to deal with this issue, how have you trained yourself not to binge on the available diet-killers?
I don't think I've trained myself yet, but whenever I'm around High Carb stuff no I just repeat in my head "no, no, no, think of all the great things you've done for yourself in the past week - don't blow it on this yucky, unnecessary stuff!"
It does work trying to reason with your Inner Self - sometimes
Monday-Friday, I average about 1300 calories per day, which is, for my weight and activity level, not too little. Throughout the week I am rarely hungry, because if I feel myself getting too hungry between my scheduled meals I eat enough to stave off overeating. I am definitely NOT starving, so it's not a matter of my body overriding my brain and forcing me to eat to stay alive. On weekends, however, I stay with my dad who unfortunately stocks high-carb, high-fat binge triggers and I generally end up consuming approximately 2300-2700 empty calories on Saturday and Sunday, which negates all the positive work I've done throughout the week.
I know what I need to do is form healthy habits for the weekend in the way I have for the week. It's just, with the calorific treats at my fingertips, it's harder to exercise self-control.
For those of you who have to deal with this issue, how have you trained yourself not to binge on the available diet-killers?
It definitely sounds like it WOULD BE harder having those foods around, but than you my dear are just going to have to WORK harder. That's all there is to it. You have found out that you just won't get anywhere adhering to a healthy lifestyle on a part time basis. Those over the top weekends can and will surely derail a whole weeks good effort.
I plan out the weekends just the same as during the week. Yes, they're more difficult, no work, kids and hubby are home, yada, yada, yada. But it's a MUST. I do shift around my calories a bit because of the scheduling, but that's about it. The key for me is planning.
I really think you need to have the "right" foods on hand just like during the week, knowing in advance exactly what you will be eating. I also think you must absolutely, positively, without a doubt consider your dads' foods - OFF LIMITS to you. NO MATTER WHAT. MAKE IT A STRICT RULE. It's his foods, not yours, it's not intended for you, it's not ear marked for you. Not a bite. Because when you let in a bite, it most likely (always) will lead to more bites and more bites. It's much easier resisting that FIRST bite, than the ones thereafter. Another thing to keep you on track - write everything down BEFORE you eat it. You bite it, you write it.
Set yourself up for success. Have those right foods on hand and ban the wrong ones make them DEFINITE NO'S. DEFINITE NO'S. This way it's not an option TO EAT them. I would also try to get out of the house as much as possible. Keep yourself busy. Some socializing, some physical activity. Get yourself past one weekend and you will be THRILLED with the results and it will make it MUCH easier to get past the next one and the next one.
You without a doubt have the ability to do this. And you should!!! And I know for certain you won't regret it for one minute. I look forward to hearing of your success.
I know exactly what you mean: at the weekend I go to my parents, and my Dad makes all these meals all the time--high salt, high fat, high everything--and plies me with them as soon as I'm in the door. I mentioned it to my Mum and now I come home and there's much more diet-friendly foods in the fridge.
Sometimes I really need to persuade myself not to eat the bad stuff... but I also use tea as a deterrent for hunger when I'm at home, it gives my hands and mouth something to do, other than shove food in my gob...
Since it's your dad's house, he might not want to give up his foods--but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Just a request that he not have quite so many bags of chips, whatever, when you come over on weekends. Maybe he's stocking up because he thinks that's what you like.
Also, can you take your own snacks with you? That way when you are having trouble resisting, you'll at least have something more weight loss friendly to choose.
I too can be awful on the weekends, I do so well during the week and then when I get to the weekends I always feel like I can splurge... BAD idea.
I live alone in my apt, so what helps me is making sure my kitchen is stocked. I used to do my grocery shopping sunday afternoon but have switched to saturday mornings so now im not in my food-less apt all wknd forcing me to go somewhere to get food. Also, during the week I try to eat very clean, so on the wknds when I feel the urge to splurge on, for example, pizza, I make sure I have a Lean Cuisine pizza in there. Or maybe a Lean Cuisine Fettucinne alfredo. I feel like im splurging, and while I try and avoid LC's in general b/c of sodium and an overall desire to avoid all things processed, its MUCH better having a 300 calorie LC than an entire pizza AND it def. satisfies my craving. Bottom line: be prepared!!
I don't know the situation (why you're with your dad, etc), but it might help to frame it as a new hobby. Maybe this weekend you could hand him a list and ask him nicely to pick the stuff up while he's shopping. Something like, "I'm trying to learn how to cook [whatever dishes] and these are the ingredients I need. Could you maybe grab them for me while you're shopping?"
If your dad is like most other men, he'll jump at the chance to have someone else cook for him. Of course, you'll have to do the cooking then...
FIRST and foremost, you need to be honest with your Dad and tell him you are trying to shed some extra pounds. I don't know a Dad in this world who would resist their overweight daughter from getting healthy. (You don't state your height and weight, so we don't know if you are 5 pounds over "normal" or a few pounds into overweight or morbidly obese...) If you are trying to lose a couple vanity pounds, or say get to a size 0 from a size 2...well, I can see why Dad does what he does.
Next, after you talk to Dad and tell him your goals, then you need to possibly raise your calories by a couple hundred for the weekend. I did that a few months into my weight loss and it "SAVED" me. We travel to the city to my Husbands elderly parents house almost every Saturday. Weekends were getting hard on me because we were on the road, and we'd eat out often...etc. So I upped my weekend calories by 300 a day. I could eat more, still remain in control, and I still lost at nice rate. If you actually permitted yourself more, (within reason) for the weekend you might not feel the need to binge. You also might not want to UP your calories, but I can guarantee you that an extra 500-600 for the weekend is a heck of a lot better than an extra 500-600 per meal....KWIM?
I have had the same problem, although for me it isn't high calorie food, it's the temptation to enjoy a few cocktails after a stressful work week.
During the weekends I try to take a Calories In/Calories out approach. For instance, I know a Lite beer is 96 calories. I also know that walking approx 1 mile burns around 100 calories. So if I want to enjoy a few beers later that day, I force myself to walk a few miles first. This does two things 1) if I burn 200 calories I can afford 2 beers, and 2)at the very least, it delays my action of grabbing a bottle out of the fridge by at least 30 minutes. While I'm walking, I'm feeling good and may end up changing my mind before I get back home. If I don't change my mind, I enjoy 2 drinks and go on without too much guilt.
I'm not suggesting that drinking is a good thing, but I don't beat myself up over it either. The point is that come Monday morning, I'm not taking two steps backwards.
I think this problem is a pretty common one. Weekends are usually associated with relaxing, cutting loose, dining out, etc. It's so easy to make poor food choices. You've gotten some great advice already, so I'll just add that for me, it helps if I really plan out each of my meals for the weekend. I buy groceries, pull out recipes, even write down what I'll eat each day. It's when I leave things "open" that problems occur. We do typically dine out at least once every weekend, so I factor that in too. Usually I'll eat something healthy at the restaurant like grilled chicken, but this way I feel like I treated myself to a lunch or dinner out and I don't feel totally deprived or stuck in the house all weekend. And just make sure you bring your own healthier snacks.
I think it's okay to up your calories a little on the weekends, but blowing the week's work by binging on low-nutrition snacks isn't going to help things. Just plan ahead and do your best to resist it!
Thank you all for your great advice! I will definitely ask him to stalk up on baby carrots, among other things :P I think a problem is that I do the 'just one bite' mentallity (which always turns into 'just one more)!
Weekend Binging--How can I avoid it?
