Weekend Overeating: How to Quit
How often do you find yourself in the following scenario?
You’ve been “good” all week, exercising and sticking to your healthy routine full of fresh, natural ingredients and homemade meals. Then, the Friday afternoon creeps in and you’re thinking of rewarding yourself for being on track with “just one croissant” followed by “Oh, that sugar-packed spiced pumpkin latte looks great” and an evening take away meal because “I worked so hard all week, I don’t want to cook tonight”.
Is the weekend your gateway to overeating “because it’s Friday” or “because it’s Saturday”, or perhaps “because it’s Sunday”?
How often does this pattern occur?
For some, the weekend takes on a new theme, a different meaning - it’s where ‘normal rules’ are redundant or disappear.
This is not to be confused with binge eating where you have an episode of eating food without thinking. Weekend overeating is habitual, it’s social and it is what happens possibly after a stressful week at work or home, and all the responsibilities that come along with it. It’s like a ritual that can make you feel comfortable and relaxed…
But, does it?
Obviously, as every weekend eater knows, the joy of runaway weekend indulgence comes with consequences. While weight fluctuations are inevitable as you change your nutrition, if you want to stay healthy and fit or make permanent changes, then overeating at then weekends can and will SABOTAGE your goals.
Aside from the extra body fat accumulation or stalled performance, there are other things to factor in as you feel too full to exercise properly, or just lie in bed or on the couch feeling bloated from all the overeating of indigestible foods.
Getting your weekend food under control is about STILL keeping track of your meals.
Don’t make the week of meals too ‘perfect’. Yes, you read that correctly. Why? Because by the weekend you’re ready to give in. If you make it too restrictive, then you’re bound to fall prey to everything over the weekend.
Solution: Aim for good enough over the week and weekend. Make it a mindset that you are thinking about seven great days, not five perfect days, and two all-out overeating.
Let go of the overly restrictive rules and let your hunger and fullness guide you. Eating by very strict rules and setting too many restrictions for your mind, always leads to overeating crap during the weekend.
Stop rationalizing weekends or presenting all sorts of comfortable justifications for eating junk food and making choices that are in no way nutritious, but damaging instead.
Make food decisions by acknowledging the outcome that you will expect based on your experience. In other words “That tub of ice cream will probably make me feel nauseous and bloated” - if you don’t admit to it, you can’t change it.
If you do go overboard, and it may happen, wake up and start fresh again. Don’t overthink yesterday, don’t dwell on your mistakes by making more of them - work on today and try to get better tomorrow.
Lisa
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