Congratulations! You made it to the weekend! You can finally relax, unwind and let loose! If you’re trying to maintain your weight or lose weight, the weekends may be the most difficult time of the week when it comes to staying on track with your diet and exercise choices. You may find it hard to get to the gym or stick to having just one mimosa at brunch. The weekend is also the time that many people choose to schedule in their cheat days. The problem here is that most cheat days tend to spiral out of control because you’ve done so much restrictive eating during the week.
If you find it difficult to refrain from overeating on the weekends, check out these 5 tips from nutritionists to help you stay focused!
Know Your Triggers
You may not realize it but overeating triggers can often be emotional, social, or even physical environments. It’s important to understand what may trigger your weekend overeating. Field notes, “Do you have a particular friend group that’s all about weekend drinking and late-late-night eats? When you’re overtired and feeling lousy, do you order food to be delivered? If you walk into that one restaurant, will you be face-planting into a pile of carbs and deep-fried goodies within minutes? Rather than trying to muster all your willpower and discipline to avoid overeating in these circumstances, try avoiding the trigger completely so the temptation no longer exists.”
Create A Weekend Routine
Registered dietician, Emily Fields says “If you’re struggling with weekend overeating, I encourage you to establish a weekend routine…Think of your weekend routine similar to your weekday routine: You generally know what you’re going to do, where you’re going to be, how you’re going to get there.” Creating a structured weekend doesn’t mean that you can’t be spontaneous or have fun! A weekend routine can include activities like going to a bootcamp class with a friend, doing food shopping on Sunday mornings and meal prepping on Sunday evenings, or waking up early at the same time on Saturday and Sunday. This steady routine can foster healthy, good habits on the weekends!
Exercise On The Weekends
A healthy lifestyle should always include exercising on the weekends! Our weekdays are typically regimented and we make sure to schedule in workouts. Don’t let your workouts falter on the weekends – make time to get in a healthy dose of exercise! A little bit of exercise on the weekends goes a long way. Not only will you release feel good endorphins, but you’ll also be more likely to make better decisions about what you’re eating on the weekend. Brigitte Zeitlin, R.D., owner of BZ Nutrition explains, “…working out always keeps you more cognizant of what you’re ‘spending’ those extra calories on…The more movement you have going on, the better you’ll feel, and the less likely you are to overindulge.” This doesn’t mean that you have to sweat it out on the treadmill for an hour. You can walk to brunch, go for a bike ride to a friends house or take a stroll through the park.
Choose To Have A Treat Meal Rather Than A Cheat Day
Cheat meals often lead to cheat days. Before you know it, one cheat meal on Saturday night can lead to an entire Sunday of cheat meals. Zeitlin suggests, “Instead, pick one meal during the weekend that you are going to treat yourself on, whether it’s a dessert at dinner Saturday night, an extra glass of wine, or the pancakes at brunch on Sunday. Pick one item for one meal and savor every delicious moment of it.”
Use A Food Tracker
“In my nutrition practice, my clients are tracking their foods on weekdays and weekends alike,” explains Field. “So even though they have similar calorie and macronutrient goals each day, they appropriately plan around brunch, social events, and birthday parties to account for the food and drink they want to enjoy.” If you know you’re going to brunch or a decadent dinner, pre-log the food you’ll think you’ll be having so that you can see where you’re at, and gauge the rest of your food choices accordingly.
