Weekend Calories
Do you lose your nutritional mind on the weekends?
We all have a love-hate relationship with the weekends when we also have health goals. Right! Whether you’re just getting started with nutrition or you’ve been at it for a while, weekends can feel tough. It takes practice to carry the habits you have Monday-Friday into the full week. Here are some of the top tips to help them tackle weekends:
Keep as many of the habits that work during the week in place over the weekend. This includes:
Prepping meals for the weekend when you do your meal prep through the week. It’s tempting to prep for weekdays only and think, "I'll have time to cook on the weekend." Weekends are actually when you want to have foods ready to grab and go when you're busy, so you’re not tempted to reach for convenience foods that are tougher to fit into your day.
Keep meal timing as similar as possible to weekdays. This keeps your body in its "normal" habits, making it easier to recognize hunger cues and steer clear of mindless snacking and overeating.
Exercising, drinking plenty of water, prioritizing sleep, and engaging in habits that make you FEEL good. When you’re confident in your skin and your efforts, you’re more likely to make nutrition choices that keep you feeling that way.
2. Plan ahead as much as possible. If there is a chance you may go out to dinner, you can assume that carbs/fats will likely be higher for that meal. Consider this as you make morning and afternoon choices (eat more veggies and lean protein!) so you have wiggle room later in the day. Worse comes to worst, you don’t go out and have more macros to play with for a special, home-cooked meal.
3. Commit for one weekend. If you can get through one weekend hitting your macro targets or sticking with your plan while enjoying time relaxing, hanging with friends, etc. you will prove to yourself that it is possible, and then it will get easier and easier as you continue to commit.
4. Do the math. Saturday and Sunday make up 30% of your week. Extend crappy weekend nutrition choices from Friday to Sunday, and now you’re looking at over 40% of a full week.
This adds up fast if you consistently exceed your macros, calories, or general nutrition plan on the weekend. Knowing the numbers can help you visualize and come to terms with the fact that “a few days” may be a bigger deal and have a bigger impact than you think (aka, completely negate the deficit you create during the week).
Start by committing to one healthier decision each weekend. That will kickstart your drive and motivation to keep at it as you see results, feel better in your skin, and get more confident in your ability to have fun without going overboard.
So, whenever you’re ready... here are some ways I can help you live a better weekend life.
1. Join Positive Image Fitness classes Free for a 7 Day Trial – Click Here
Access to all the in person and live online classes plus the video library with 100's of workouts for all fitness levels with minimal equipment.
2. Get on a Personal Zoom Call with Me – Click Here
15 Minute Zoom call with me to discuss your goals, answer any questions you have on fitness, nutrition, habits, or recovery and the best way I can help you.
3. Subscribe for FREE to the Beyond life and fitness Podcast – Click Here
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