Q: I eat well during the week, but I find it hard to eat well during the weekend. It feels that weekends may be ruining my progress. Any tips for helping with the weekend eating?
This is pretty common. Typically we do well with our weekday nutrition and workout habits because we are in some kind of structured routine dictated by other areas of our lives such as work, school, and/or kids. It’s a lot easier to maintain the status quo when things are relatively the same or predictable day to day.
The weekends tend to be a sore spot for most people for a few reasons.
- That structure is stripped out from under them, and while most people are happy to enjoy unstructured days as a break from the day-to-day grind, they also struggle to adhere to healthy behaviors without the structure.
- Some people maintain so much structure during their week that weekends become a free-for-all. This is a classic restrict and binge cycle in action. You deny yourself certain foods, beverages, and activities during the week only to go overboard over the weekend as a result.
So how do we find balance between our weekdays and weekends to help us meet our goals?
SET YOUR MINIMUMS
I use this tactic a lot with my nutrition clients – a minimum is a goal you feel confident you can achieve that is aimed to keep you on track toward your goals even with obstacles that contain a lot of unknowns in the way such as travel and social outings.
Before getting into your weekend, identify your minimums. This might look like 2 servings of vegetables per day or 54oz of water per day. Set anywhere from 1-3 minimums to focus on each weekend. You can always exceed minimums and do better, so don’t feel limited by the goals you set.
PLAN AHEAD
If you make a plan for yourself Monday through Friday for meals and workouts, why wouldn’t you do so over the weekend? Sometimes our weekends can throw us curve balls and surprises, but generally speaking most of us usually have a general idea of what our weekend entails.
If a surprise does come your way, consider if there’s planning you can do in the scenario. If you’re invited on a hike, should you pack a lunch? If you’re invited last minute to a brunch with friends, does the menu provide you healthy options or maybe you can compromise by eating dinner at home and enjoying your time at brunch. It only takes a few minutes to assess the situation and determine the best course of action according to your goals and values.
ASSESS YOUR ACTIONS
You might be able to evaluate your own actions and identify where you might be self-sabotaging.
Are you restricting during the week resulting in binging on the weekend? Consider giving yourself grace and incorporate fun meals or a glass of wine on a weeknight and you might find that giving yourself permission will help you find more balance.
Are you acting in a way over the weekend that is not in alignment with your goals? YOU have the power to change, but you need to be intentional about it. Want to drink less? Incorporate a water between each drink and a cut off of when to stop drinking for the evening. Want to eat healthier? Cook at home more or make more health-conscious decisions when you eat out. It’s possible to realign your actions, but you need to identify how you’re acting out of alignment and what you need to do to change.
Do you have a topic you want covered in next week’s Wellness Wednesday? Ask me here.
Coach Diana Leigh is a Precision Nutrition certified coach who uses habit-based coaching to help her clients get stronger and feel amazing in their bodies without the restriction and overwhelm of dieting. For more helpful tips, follow her on Instagram @coachdianaleigh.
How you can work with Coach Diana:
1:1 Nutrition Coaching: I take you from being dependent on diets to independently intuitive through building foundational nutrition habits and with personalized guidance on portion intake based on your goals for a stronger, leaner, or in general overall healthier body.
Nourish With Confidence Group Coaching: An 8-week group coaching program that helps active individuals create a healthy relationship with food + ditch dieting for good through foundational nutrition habits, balanced strategies, and high-level support.