So many people set up their weekly schedule with a fitness routine and are perfect at meal prepping and planning. This is because they thrive on consistency and routine, their life during the week is chaos so it has to be planned, or they have a goal as a driving force. Come the weekend, however, they go completely off the rails and go crazy on all the “bad foods” all weekend long. Then, they wake up Monday morning with the internal battle that they will never eat like that again. We all have had this mental battle and have struggled with weekend overeating at some point in our lives. This has been the story of my life for many years! But for the last few, I have learned some tricks to help set me up for success.
Tips for avoiding weekend overeating
- Prepare some healthy food choices for the weekend… YES, go to the grocery store and find some fast and healthy options (especially protein) or get a couple of pre-made meals.
- Create a weekend routine. I get it. The weekend is our time to relax and let go a little bit. But “winging it” usually sets us up for failure. Stick to similar meal times, workout routine, and log in some kind of food tracker (Fitness Pal) as much as you can. This consistency will create a habit. And establishing healthy habits is how you will reach your goals long term.
- Change your mindset about “cheat meals”. Try to figure out why you are feeling the need to have an all-out disaster meal. Is your super strict meal planning creating a mentality of less flexibility, then causing you to feel more deprived and going ham on a pan of brownies? Or is there a deeper reason? Having a coach can help you navigate the reasons and learn how to create habits for long term success.
At the end of the day, we are all adults. We make choices every day on how we are going to treat our bodies. We can’t blame others, but we need to take responsibility ourselves. However, we are all human. If you fall off the wagon, be kind to yourself. Have the courage to make the changes and then get right back on where you left off.
