Can anyone help me with slipping on the weekends? I can stay pretty routined, eating reasonably, exercising. Once friday comes along, i start indulging in sweets and carbs (altho whole grain carbs), eating more than I need. this continues through sunday. Then I feel guilty on monday.
I had deprived myself in strict low carb diets for 1 year, and then i could not stand the deprivation any longer, and I gained back all the lost weight and then some. so now, i am climbing back from that dark period, and for much of the time, doing pretty well. It is just the weekends that I fall apart. Any advice?

Hey, I am overhwelmed by the amount of positive on this forum. wow! I am blown away. thank you so much. I truly felt heartfelt concern and comraderie in each and every one of your messages! You all picked up on my downfalls also. I am a perfectionist and when i fail, i feel like such a failure.
i think my pitfall is the "treat" mentality. I am much better. Two years ago, i was bingeing on the weekends. now, i am indulging in crunchy snacks and cookies but not to the point of feeling overstuffed. I still have to get out of the "the weekend is to treat myself" way of thinking. I have tried to have one sweet every day, even if it is just a fat free yogurt, or a small low cal biscotti. that has helped a great deal.
I think the other thing is that saturdays and sundays are very very busy for me, driving my daughter to all her activities, cooking, shopping. I just want to drop dead by 6pm each evening on the weekends. So i guess one thing i could work on is to build in some kind of pleasure on the weekends so i am not seeking "treat" via bad foods.also, i could clean up the pantry more, no doubt. ok, baby stpes. i won't beat up on myself. thank you all. Every day i do not overeat is a small victory. thank you again.

Do you think maybe you are getting caught up in the all-or-none cycle? This is what I call it when I seem to decide that once I've gone off plan that I might as well keep going. If you think that might be happening on the weekends you might try one of a couple things:

1. Decide that you are going to only eat on plan x number of meals on the weekends. If you are counting Friday in the weekend, it might look like you are going to focus on eating clean for breakfast all 3 days, lunch 2 of 3 and dinner 1 or whatever is a baby step for you.

2. Focus on good, better, best choices on the weekends. Instead of trying to eat perfectly, just try to make a couple of good and better choices and at least one best choice each weekend.

These would be incremental improvements at least while you figure it out. Welcome to the board! Hope you'll visit often!

Peg

Maybe you're still being too strict with carbs during the week. Whole grain carbs are good for you and should be in your diet. (Yes, you still need to maintain portion control.)

As for sweets, maybe you need to make room in your diet for one really good dessert on weekends. (I think that is what Denise does.)

Maybe if you allow this for yourself, and you KNOW you'll get to have it, then you won't go overboard and you won't feel guilty.

Guilt and food are a lousy combination. If you do slip, don't beat yourself up, just adjust calories elsewhere or kick up the exercise and move on.

I know that one of my problems on the weekend is timing. I tend to get up a little later, eat a bigger breakfast, and then lunch becomes a problem. I can't skip it. My inclination is to just have some snacky stuff in the mid afternoon, and that is what causes trouble. I have started buying some Lean Cuisines for just this occaision. It seems to be helping me.

Of course it doesn't solve the eating out on Friday and Saturday nights problem, but I figure one step at a time...

Sending hugs. Sounds like you are finding your way. Do some stuff you love on the weekends. What would feel super good and indulgent? Read a book cover to cover? Make soup? Watch a movie? Hang with people?

Welcome!
Maybe you are being too strict with yourself during the week and subconsciously you are "treating yourself" for making it thru the week.

You could be trying to change too many things at one time. Check out the "Baby Steps" thread at the top of the page.

What keeps you from having a routine on the weekends? I don't mean the exact same one that you have all week, but setting aside time to exercise and planning meals?

If it works for you to get up on Saturday morning and "make" lunch so you know what you're eating, no one here will think you're strange. If it's going out to eat and making good choices...let us know where you're going and I'm sure we'll have good recommendations.

Is the stuff IN your house, or are you out buying it? Is there something that triggers you? I have a VERY hard time not eating chips and salsa at a particular restaurant, and once I start...well, it doesn't stop. So I know when I walk in there, I need to ask to not have chips on the table OR to be okay with eating them and not feeling cruddy about it later.

What are you doing on the weekends? Is there some way to get yourself away from wherever it is you find the food, or to have activities that aren't about the food?

And all things considered, weekends are two days out of seven. If you're proud of what you're doing five other days a week (that's over TWICE as much time doing well!), then that's a huge victory in my mind

Hi and welcome!
I tend to have the same struggles on the weekend. For me, it's just a function of being in the house more and having easy access to food.

What works for me is keeping a "clean" pantry and kitchen where there aren't lots of foods to get me in trouble.

I also find that staying active and getting out of the house help too.