How to stay on track over the weekend.
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If it is one thing I have found when starting any health and fitness journey, it’s that the weekend is hardest for staying on track.
Maybe its because my husband is off work, and he is the instigator of eating bad food and skipping workouts. Or it could be I felt like I had such a hard week that I deserved to have a little treat…or a lot. Oh, or my personal favorite, I’m going to enjoy this (insert treat) with my kids.
Whatever the reason, I personally find the weekends the hardest of all. I would do amazing all week, find I lost a pound or two and felt pretty good, only to ruin it with pizza or junk. Then come Monday, I had gained everything I worked hard to lose the previous week, just from the weekend. It was depressing honestly. I knew that I could have already been at a healthy weight if I just stayed consistent on the weekends. It was frustrating knowing I needed to lose weight but was just staying stagnant on the scale because of my actions on the weekend.
One would think that since I identified the problem area early that it was easy to fix. Let me tell you, I struggled the most with the weekends.
Again, I think it was a combination of things, but no matter what, I just didn’t have the willpower to beat the weekends for a long time. Then one day, something snapped. Allow me to share what worked for me. Hopefully, you can take some of these tips and use them on your own journey if you’re struggling. Or, share it with a friend if you have a friend that struggles with the weekend.
Staying on track over the weekend
Here are my top tips for staying on track over the weekend.
First, know what your short-term and long-term goals are. Why is this important? Because your efforts have to match your goals. If you have a goal to lose 30 pounds, you have to do some planning and work. If you are in maintenance mode, it may not bother you so much to just maintain your weight week to week.
“Your efforts have to match your goals.“
This was not my case. I actually had 50 pounds or more I needed to lose, so I had some work to do. I never wanted to be one of those people though who bounced around on the scale. My goal was good results and a good foundation of healthy habits to get me those results.
Write down your short term goals. What do you want to accomplish this month? This week? One thing I do is encourage people to make this more about the habit. I want to move my body for 30 minutes 5 days a week. I want to cut out soda, or I want to eat vegetables at every single meal. Write it down and look at it daily. Let it keep you motivated, think about how you will feel when you accomplish your short term goal. Once you accomplish it, make a new short term goal. Rinse, lather, repeat!
Then write down your long term goals. This is where I like to mix it up. Have a healthy goal, talk to your doctor, what is a healthy weight for you? Don’t use some unrealistic number because it’s what you were in high school. We are not in high school and our bodies have produced humans! I’m not saying it can’t happen, but just be realistic with your body. Maybe you want to lower cholesterol, run a marathon, lose 30 pounds. Just know what the long term goal is and WRITE IT DOWN! Put it in a place where you can look at it. Know what your goals are. This is the first step to staying on track over the weekend and anytime really.
Come up with a plan
My next tip is to come up with a plan. Now here is where I am a little different. When I am planning my meals, I plan on Friday or Saturday ( I like to shop on Saturday and meal prep on Sunday) for the following week. But I only plan for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and here’s why. I do not know now what I will really want on Thursday or Friday.
So I plan for part of the week, then on Monday or Tuesday I plan for the rest of the week. I make a click list to pick up on my way home Wednesday after work, and I am set. This works for me for two reasons.
Number one, as I said above, I do not know what I will be in the mood for come Friday of next week. This may not matter to some people but it does to me, and I learned that the hard way. I enjoy my food, the flavor, all of it.
Second, I am able to re-evaluate my goals and any family plans to see what meals we should cook for the weekend.
A reset for my plan
It is almost like a reset for my meal plan and allows me to stay very conscious of what my needs and wants are and how to fit them in with my goals.
Now keep in mind this is what works for me personally, it may not be easy or best for you. Maybe you like to have the whole week planned and shopped for, if that works for you go for it.
“The idea is to create healthy habits.”
The idea behind all of this is to create healthy habits and a lifestyle you can maintain. It does you no good go hard for 30 days to lose 10 pounds if you cant maintain it for the long term. Keep in mind, this is why crash diets don’t work!
The other thing I like to do is plan for treats. Now, as I mentioned above this is a lifestyle, but there are going to be special occasions that pop up and you should plan for them too. If you know that your grandma’s birthday is this weekend and dear Aunt Betty is making her world-famous chocolate truffle cupcakes, skip the sweets tonight. That way you are able to celebrate and enjoy the cupcakes with your family.
One thing I always like to ask myself with things that were not planned is, does this align with my goals. I can have it, no food is off-limits, but is it worth it? The answer may very well be yes, and in this case, you should have no guilt after eating it!
The conclusion for how to stay on track over the weekend
In the end, you have to know what your goals are and your effort has to match said goals. If this is too difficult, maybe re-evaluate your goals. Make a plan, and then have a backup plan! If planning for the whole week works best for you, go for it, but I personally love the plan a half week at a time method. If you are struggling or you have tips for how you overcame the weekend struggle I would love it if you commented below!
Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!