How To Fix Those Weekend Problems

Weekends are always an opportunity for us to overindulge and let ourselves go. However, this poses a whole new set of problems for the serial dieter. You’ve been good all week, so why not let your hair down at the weekend? In theory, that’s fine, but you must control the situation and not let yourself go too far. Control is key.

The Weekend Shop

Always Tricky!

Yesterday, I wobbled slightly, but not enough to hamper my first week’s proceedings.  Weekends were always my downfall.  An opportunity to drink alcohol and eat everything I shouldn’t.  As I’ve reported before, this habit has got completely out of control in recent months.

Food shopping is a pain, and yes, we do it online, but we also find a pain.  A different kind of pain.  We visited three shops during the day but still hadn’t managed to get spinach for the recipe er indoors is going to try for Sunday lunch.  Plus, some other items as well. To save going out this morning, I decided to go to my local Tesco.  Funny, cos the wife thought I was sneaking out this time to purchase alcohol!  Something I used to do in a past life!  Then, I hid some of the stash in the boot of my car.  Luckily, I was only an alcoholic on Saturdays! But, the weekend was when I tended to be bad.

Dealing With The Weekend

Learn To Be Strong

For the first time in decades, I have been working Monday to Friday, so weekends are extra special. Dealing with them was always going to be a little tricky.

Having eaten properly all week, I used to weigh myself on a Saturday and then descend into food and alcohol carnage whether I’d lost weight or not.  I mean, I’d worked hard, it was the weekend, I’d been good all week, time to let your hair down, etc. Your brain naturally thinks that way, so you take any old excuse to indulge.  Another reason why I’m convinced a good percentage of our problems stem from how we operate our brains!

I’m weighing myself on Monday before the weekly Zoom meeting with More Life. I wasn’t sure if this was going to work. Even our coach said Saturday is fine for weighing yourself. But after deciding on such a massive change, I thought I’d see if I could do it. So far, so good.

I had breakfast and lunch but noticed post-dinner that I was quite short of calories for the day.  So, I decided to try a little experiment.  Let’s get around 800 calories of snacks to watch in front of the telly.  BBC 2 showed a Beatles compilation followed by a compilation of Liverpool music before the football highlights.  Having not watched one second of TV all week and having stuck with my guidelines, it was the least I deserved!

I Gave In…

As I constantly stipulate, nothing is off-bounds.  And remember, this is more than simply counting calories.  It is working with your brain, not giving in too easily to temptation, eating better and living better.  I still eat processed foods; I am careful about which ones I consume.  I am wary of food labels and food content.  Get these few things around your head, and you are one big step closer to living a healthier life.

As time passes, I find myself craving such foodstuffs less and less. I think back to my days of consuming 4,5 and even 6000 plus calories and shudder with horror. And I never felt fulfilled in any shape or form. Emotionally, I’ve learned to live with aspects such as insomnia and hunger; I am also so much happier. I feel I’m getting the weekend under control, which is another major step. The next step is to determine whether I can sustain this lifestyle in the long term.

I gave in but in a controlled manner; this is where I need to move forward.

Fixing Those Weekend Problems

The best approach is to try not to beat yourself up too much if things go wrong, which they inevitably will. But don’t fall into the traps I used to, where I’d promise myself I’d start on Monday but never did. This is where you must reprogram your mind to gain results.