The answer to that question can probably account for 60-70% of the adult UK population and is especially prevalent in people who are trying to diet and lose weight.
This is a real problem that is plaguing men and women all over the country who TRY and diet to lose weight in order to look good and is a major roadblock on their journey to success.
Men and women all around (and maybe you are one of them) will practically eat like a Buddhist monk during the week and long for the weekend when they can have what they want ‘because they have been good’ all week!
How often have you heard or said that:
“I’m fine during the week……it’s the weekends when I come unstuck”?
I always used to have a real tendency to binge eat.
I think this came from when I was a child and my mum always used to tell me to clear up all the food on my plate as it would otherwise go to waste. This put me in the mindset that food shouldn’t go to waste and got me into the habit of eating more than I should.
I don’t want to sound like I am blaming my mum here because I’m not. It was me who put the food in my mouth so it’s ultimately my fault, but we all have influences in life and this was mine.
When I got older and I got into health and fitness and wanting to look good, I fell into the trap of eating well all week and then I would have a ‘cheat meal’ at the weekend. The problem was that my ‘cheat meal’ quickly turned into a ‘cheat day’ and then my tendency to binge eat turned the day into a weekend.
The result was that I never lost any weight and ended up getting really frustrated at my lack of results from the amount of effort I was putting in.
When I found the path to success, overcoming this obstacle was one of the major things I had to address and I would say was certainly up there as one of the main contributing factors to getting great results.
Today, it is one of the most common things people say to me when we are talking about their diet and how they need my help to lose weight.
And it is certainly one of the things I spend a lot of time covering during my time working with people.
When you think about it though, it’s kinda crazy and arse about face.
Most people are off work at the weekends.
Therefore you theoretically have more time to
- Shop for your food
- Prepare your food
- Enjoy eating your food
To that end, we should be able to be more on point’ during the weekend.
Time cannot be our excuse…
Too busy is not it either…
So why do we?
(And I include myself in this category)
Tend to fall down when it comes to the weekend?
I have come to the conclusion that there are 3 main reasons:
#1 Lack of structure or a routine at the weekend
Weekdays are more likely to have a routine.
You arrive at work at a regular time, you eat your lunch at a regular time, you get home at a regular time and so on.
At the weekend, there is less routine, less structure and more potential to go off track.
Therefore it is important to have some sort of plan when it comes to the weekend.
I am not talking about a rigid routine that doesn’t allow you to go off and have fun.
What is a weekend if we can’t relax and have some fun?
But how often has one bad meal or a night out on a Friday night turned into a whole weekend of eating and drinking things you shouldn’t have?
#2 – You feel guilty when you have indulged
I think we have all been here with this one.
During a diet, you break from what we should be eating and indulge in something that you ‘believe’ to be ‘bad’ for you.
This makes you feel guilty for what you have done.
You believe you have betrayed yourself and this leads to feelings of guilt.
Whilst in this negative state, temptation creeps up and hits when you are most vulnerable.
This lead to the further indulgence of something on our ‘taboo’ list.
We then just crumble, say “sod it, I will start again on Monday”!
And thus we travel in this vicious circle of dieting stalemate.
What I get my guys and girls to understand is that it is what is achieved over the long term that matters.
Therefore, eating something ‘bad’ every so often (once ever 3 or 4 days) will not have any negative return if they control the portion size they care consuming.
Another thing we discuss is that they shouldn’t just live for the weekend…
#3 – You have a mindset issue
The weekend has become synonymous with relaxing, partying, unwinding and generally letting go of the weekday shackles.
Therefore we already have it in our minds that the week is there to be good and strict, and we can be liberal at the weekend.
This is the major stumbling block I face with people.
“You have to work hard at it so you can let go at the weekend” was a response I got from one of my athletes.
And this is repeated by most if not all of the people that come to see me.
This in itself is a massive mindset issue.
You see, to be successful long term, you need to shift your mindset to thinking over the period of a month, rather than a week and then over a year, rather than a month.
Your body doesn’t reset itself at the end of each day, week, month…..the calories we consume carry over to the next day and so on. Therefore if we over indulge excessively at the weekend, we are very likely to undo all the good work during the week.
You are even likely to go over you weekly intake, meaning you put on weight!
What I work on with my guys and girls is to learn to fall off the wagon. Whenever this may be (Tuesday morning, Wednesday lunchtime, Thursday evening and maybe even at the weekends), but also how to get straight back on the wagon and remain focused for another 3-5 days before they feel the need to fall off again.
This way they control it and don’t feel as though they have to battle to the weekend.
But how can YOU solve/minimise this problem so it has an instant effect on YOUR situation?
Here are my top tips to avoid weekend bingeing or to at least minimise the damage:
1 – Exercise at the weekend
I don’t like to give this one as advice normally as you can never ‘out exercise’ a poor diet and this is very much in the damage mitigation category.
Earn your indulgence with an intense workout. At least this way, your body will be primed to handle the extra calories more effectively.
2 – Eat regularly
This will programme your stomach to accept that food will be coming at regular intervals and thus it will not release signals to the stomach that it is hungry all the time.
It will also add routine into your weekend and will stop you from eating big as you can tell yourself that the next meal is not too far away.
3 – If you are going out, adjust your food intake to accommodate the indulgence
If you are going out for a meal, then adjust what you eat during that day BEFORE the meal. Stick to a few portions of protein and lots of vegetables. Stay clear of sugary foods and starchy products. Basically, we are leaving room beforehand for the extra grub that is coming your way.
4 – Initially say no
I know, easier said than done at the weekend, but if you are meeting a group of friends, why not try saying no if you are offered a drink or a slice of cake.
Instantly say no!
Then come back to it 15 minutes later. Did you really want/need it? If so then have it.
You will probably find that you never really wanted it anyway and it was just the fact it was offered to you that made you desire it.
This all being said, I am not asking you to be a saint.
I have written on this topic before and I say to my clients all the time that there is no such thing as good food and no such thing as bad food….just how much we eat of it!
One burger never got someone fat. The Pringles, occasional sweets, chips and several pints of booze on a regular occurrence did!
What I am saying though is that you need to learn to control when you say….’sod it’ and you have strategies to:
1) minimise the damage and
2) learn how to get immediately back on the waggon and continue with your eating plan.
This is something I work closely with my clients and it is having a great response.
If you have any cool strategies you wish to share with people then post them below and help others out.
Speak soon, Gaz
