I love the weekends. Even though I’m a stay at home Mom, the weekends are still different from the weekdays. Schedules are more relaxed, the family has more time to visit together, and even chores are enjoyable bearable. Before I began my weight loss efforts for the last time, weekends were a free for all of food enjoyment. As a perpetual dieter, I was always on a diet, off a diet, or in between diets. Therefore, almost without fail, I was scheduled to start my new diet again on Monday.
Mondays were a dreary day, and as such, appropriate for dieting, deprivation, and depression. In anticipation of the new depressing diet, I’d very carefully plan my food intake for the weekend. And believe me, I wouldn’t plan on ridding the pantry of bad food, or starting my new eating plan a couple of days early. No, sir. I planned to eat as much as I could possibly hold, so that I could start my diet with a bang!
I’d eat candy, cakes, cookies and chips. I’d prepare high fat family favorites, and eat so much that there were no leftovers. I’d call up a friend to take a trip to the ice cream store, and I’d talk John into going out to eat at my favorite restaurant, The Roadhouse Grill.
After a weekend full of bingeing, I’d wake up Monday with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Not from eating too much, for I had an iron stomach, but from the dread that accompanied the knowledge that I was going to have to live in deprivation for the rest of my natural life. No good food. Good being fattening, of course. No more desserts. Desserts being fattening also. And no more fun holiday eating. Holiday eating had to be fattening to be any good.
I’d reluctantly start my diet, already defeating myself in my mind. The week would go by with me cheating as much as succeeding, until the weekend rolled around again. Out went the little WW folder, and in came the chocolate. I’d just eat until I couldn’t eat anymore, resolving to start once again on Monday. I revolved around this cycle for years. It wasn’t always WW that got my money, sometimes it was the latest diet book, or occasionally a magazine at the grocery store.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, and I’m sure you have, the point of this post is to encourage you to not wait until Monday to start or “fix” your new eating program. And if you are already following a healthy eating plan, then don’t completely give up just because the calendar says Saturday.
The point of weight loss finally clicked in for me. The weekends shouldn’t be for overindulging on high fat food, because the weekends needed to be treated like real life. People who easily maintain a healthy weight don’t eat like pigs on the weekend, and then diet like crazy during the week. No, those lucky people eat relatively healthy all the time. And thus, are able to have treats without guilt.
When I finally accepted that, I changed my attitudes towards the weekends. Instead of seeing how much I could eat to “stock up” on high fat food, I learned to treat the weekends as just another day. I’d plan my food, enjoy occasional desserts in moderation, and continue exercising. I think that was one decision that jas really helped me maintain my weight all these years. I no longer think of making wise food choices as a chore, but as just another way to stay healthy.
Don’t wait until Monday! Keep working your plan, or start your plan now. The weekends were made for more than just food!
How do you handle the weekends? Diane
I too treat the weekends like any other day of the week because of the fact that I need to lose this weight and maintain this healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life. For me, my start of my healthy lifestyle did begin on a Monday after I’ve eaten a lot that weekend before. But I think why I stuck with it, was that I was in the right mindset.
blackhuff´s last fabulous musings ..Learning to love different
Learning to handle weekends wisely is so key to losing weight and keeping it off! I used to have a terrible time with weekends, too. I think what helps me the most is to keep to my usual eating schedule like I have during the week – and not let myself get too hungry by skipping a snack or eating a meal way too late. If I am going to be out doing errands I try to remember to take a healthy snack so I don’t get stuck with having to buy something that’s not really so healthy and ends up messing me up.
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I’m very happy to be able to say that I reached the same conclusion back in August! That’s how I know that I’m going all the way this time!!
I don’t look at the weekends like a free for all any more. They’re a day just like any other.
Natalia´s last fabulous musings ..We went to the fair!
Funny that I find weekends more challenging for healthy eating since I am also a stay-at-home mom and my husband is home too. So our routine is pretty much the same.
Karen´s last fabulous musings ..Count Me In
When I was struggling to start and stay on a healthier eating plan I had many “farwell to the carbohydrate tours” which were how I referred to my white flour and sugar-filled binges. But I never made Monday my day to get back on plan – I usually started on Fridays for some reason. I’ve always looked at the weekends as a nice time to get additional exercise that’s enjoyable. A long walk, some quiet stretching in my room with soothing music. It’s a nice way to treat yourself without resorting to a food treat. And it really helps to find something you enjoy doing.
I too struggled with weekends but from a different viewpoint. I do better with structure/schedule. Weekends were a free for all. And I always had trouble with the Sunday thing (regrets for lost weekend and anxiety over week approaching). It took a long time to be able to handle weekends. I now do better if I get a lot done on the weekends – like grocery shopping, cooking/prepping and laundry. Things that make the busy week much more manageable.
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My weigh-in is on Thursdays, so I would have a big dinner (even maybe a big lunch), work from home on Fridays and eat whatever I wanted that day and then be so-so all weekend, not great, not terrible, and I wondered why the weight wasn’t coming off?
So now I do have a slightly bigger/more caloric dinner on Thursday nights, but my lunch on Thursday is normal. All day Friday is normal. Weekends there may be a little bit more treats but I don’t go crazy.
jessey´s last fabulous musings ..Weekly Weigh In
I guess I am fortunate because I have never viewed weekends in this way. I’ve just instinctively known that every day needed to be approached in the same way. You didn’t mention it, but I often see vacations being viewed the same as weekends – a total free-for-all. This would never have worked for me – I could easily pack on 10 pounds curing the course of a week’s vacation.
Sharon´s last fabulous musings ..Frightening Friday
Before, we always used to go out for Sunday lunch, but now we’re treating it like any other day and it’s perfectly fine!
Hanlie´s last fabulous musings ..Look inside you and be strong
Great post! I think it’s really about learning that there is no excuse to eat whatever you want. For me, it wasn’t so much weekends but “special occasions,” which however often happened on a weekend… I had found tons of “special occasions” and allowed myself to eat “whatever” because it was a “special occasion.”
Andrea@WellnessNotes´s last fabulous musings ..Baby Greens with Orange Muscat Champagne Vinaigrette and Roasted Veggies
I can’t speak to the past year, when I floundered, after losing 70+ lbs. the year before. I had some serious, life-altering medical issues I was emotionally dealing with (or not dealing with)….
That said, I’m on a new path. Really new for me. Learning to eat intuitively by going within myself when I’m wanting to snack, to identify the real reasons for my hunger, which so far, 100% have had nothing to do with stomach hunger and everything to do with boredom or stress. And each time I’ve found another, non-food way to nurture myself, and come out feeling better about myself. Weekends won’t change that at all. That is one more beautiful thing about this whole new outlook on food.
Diane, thanks so much for always blazing the path for me/all of us here. You are a real treasure and have helped me immensely.
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Weekends aren’t completely different for me. In fact they are easier because I have more time to cook and make multiple meals for the week. When we travel for work on weekends it gets hard.
Cynthia (It All Changes)´s last fabulous musings ..Not A Problem at New World Bistro Bar
Weekends for me are opportunities for longer workouts so I usually burn a lot of calories on the weekends. This also makes it guilt-free if I eat too much.
Diane – great post! Yes, people always wait for Monday to start & then eat all weekend long. What most people don’t realize is that you can eat enough or more calories over a weekend to more than make up for the loss in the week. Nothing wrong with a little treat but the whole weekend thing – not a good thing.
Also, no day like today to start!
My weekends are healthy eating with a planned treat for each day.. not an all out gorge day… just works for me.
Jody – Fit at 53´s last fabulous musings ..Weight Loss Plateau Sundae
Your post’s make me very uncomfortable. You make me face the truth about myself on so many levels that it scares me. I figure as long as I don’t say the words outloud it dosent matter. Thank you for a wonderful blog, while it scares me it really makes me think.
Bonnie
Weekends are more difficult for dieters, because that’s when most of the “special events” take place. My husband also likes to dine out a couple of times, so that is also more challenging. I can’t tell you how many Mondays in my life were supposed to be the day that I got on a diet and lost the weight. Needless to say, I don’t think I ever started a successful diet on a Monday–other days of the week, but not a Monday. Thanks for sharing–love your blog!
Jane´s last fabulous musings ..Staying the Course -The Importance of Consistency
Oh, weekends. Weekends can be tough for me. I love to eat out, and Friday-Sunday is when I want to do it. I’m mostly pretty good these days about eating at home instead, but I do still miss eating out 1-3 times over the course of a weekend.
Desert Agave´s last fabulous musings ..Stringing Together Some Good days
Fantastic post Diane!!! I couldn’t agree more! Mondays were the worst and weekends were to pig out. Ugh! I’m so thankful to have found a peaceful existence with food.
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Hey, love your blog! It’s so nice to see so many people losing weight and sharing their journey in a blog. It’s the perfect tool to keep you motivated. I recently started my own blog called “Brendan’s Weight Loss Adventure.” Check it out at brendanlosesweight.blogspot.com. Can’t wait to see more inspiring people. Thanks a lot!
Everybody wants to go to heaven; but nobody wants to die
I don’t have as much trouble with week-ends as I do with travel. I always had this idea that because I don’t have access to my “normal” foods that I can eat whatever I want.
Siobhan´s last fabulous musings ..the secret to success …
The weekend is not a trigger for me. The only thing that I don’t do particularly well with on the weekend is drinking water. For some reason, I seem to be more disciplined at work with that one…
‘Drea´s last fabulous musings ..Feeling Human Again
I used to do this… I figured I had already blown the diet so that gave me license to eat more until I re-started the diet.
Gotta love the logic (or lack of it).
John W. Zimmer´s last fabulous musings ..Diet No – More Eating to Live!
I’m still working on staying focused through the weekends. I allow one high-calorie meal and it usually ends up being Friday or Saturday. I’m getting better at not allowing this to turn into a high-calorie weekend, but I do still have no-so-stellar ones. I’m a work in a very, turtle slow process.
Thanks for the reminder that the weekend is more than food.
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