Down time on weekends...??

[ali76]

Is it bad that I plan to be bad on weekends?? Well - I'm not planning on being bad as such, just not as strict with myself.

I'm super strict during the week - exercise, diet and NO drinking, no carbs after 4pm and nothing after 8pm.

I'm thinking as a 'treat' and to keep myself motivated during the week, that on the weekend if I to be naughty (within reason - a pub meal, a glass or 2 of wine) that I will be...I'll still try to get to the gym and not eat carbs for dinner, but if I do it's not a big deal.

What do you think?

[sassi]

my personal view is that this is about lifestyle changes & needs to be something i can maintain in the long term. and that means i can't live in a way that i will rebel against so i think having some downtime on the weekend is fine.

i think the danger with being too controlled is that at some point it might be too hard to maintain & then you'll feel like you've failed if you break your rules.

whereas deliberately incorporating a pub meal or wine like you've said is really positive because you've acknowledged that it's okay to have these things in moderation.

i say go for it

[EvilWombatQueen]

Personally I like to have some downtime on the weekends. Unfortunately for long term weight loss that doesn't seem like a good choice, though. And it's probably why my weight hasn't budged since mid December!

I read an article about a month ago about a study where they analysed the habits of people who lost weight and kept it off for at least one year. One of those habits was that they held themselves accountable every day. No weekends off. They would allow themselves treats, but only within the parameters of their weight loss plan.

I couldn't find the original article, but here's one that looks at the same study and says the same thing:
http://au.health.yahoo.com/051118/39/dgpn.html

I guess the key is following a diet plan that is kind enough so that you're willing to follow it every day of your life.

[hysterical_oliver]

Down time is always OK in moderation and as the guys already said you need to be able to keep up your efforts in the long run and it's unreasonable to be good 100% (especially if you're coming from a place when you were good 0% of the time ) Moderation is the key, treat yourself occasionally

[Fireball]

If you feel deprived, you will probably end up bingeing anyway. I don't consider having a meal and a glass or 2 of wine to be a problem at all. Actually if you can't do that you're probably not on a diet that you can maintain for life. It's about the bigger picture of what you are doing; consuming and exercising. Of course if by "a pub meal" you mean you will order 3 courses and the biggest fattiest ones you can find, you may have a problem.

[elsaglory]

[Sussy]

I used to do this, problem was that after the weekend was over i'd still eat like it was the weekend. Not all the time, it's just that sometimes i found it difficult having to go back to eating diet stuff and so the weekend would end up being a whole week of "Down Time" until i could get some self control again and get back on track. WARNING : This causes weight gain which causes unhappiness.
But if you have the discipline to do it, then go for it.

[ForMe]

In my past attempts to lose weight I used to have weekends off and eat whatever I wanted, thinking that it would keep me motivated, and the same thing happened to me....I would just keep the weekend going into the next week and eventually give up on the idea of losing weight and getting healthy for life. I'm only into my second week this time but part of my plan now is not to get to the point where I feel so deprived that I have to consider the weekends as the only time I can relax my eating habits. I haven't had any particular strong craving yet but if I do I plan to have whatever it is I am craving, check my portion control and satisfaction feelings, and be done with it, weekend or whenever. That way I reckon I can keep moving towards the goal but live everyday happily. I think its about really believing that you have a choice and the strength that comes from that. For me its not about "I can't have that because I am depriving myself (and the world sucks that made me overweight and unhealthy!)", it's about "I can have that if I chose and I will be responsible for the consequences". That's the only way I think I can get off the yoyo.
Having said all that, I too reckon you have to be able to factor in a pub meal and some vino in your weightloss journey. There's always something healthy on the menu so you can have your cake and eat it too! And if there's not much looking healthy, you can ask for something to be modified a bit to suit. You can chose an entree size of something you really love that's a bit naughty too and have it as your main. You can socialise and laugh and whatever and not feel like you are deprived of normal social contact just because you've chosen to get healthy.
My downfall is the vino. My only "binge" since recommiting to losing weight has been a couple of nights where I had lovely white wine with my partner and probably too much for my own good. I am still losing weight and feeling heaps better for it, so I reckon I need to watch that I manage my "wine nights" to make sure I am not blowing away all my good work elsewhere.

[EvilWombatQueen]

Hayles, I learned a trick at Weight Watchers which is helping me cut down on my wine drinking: mixing white wine with soda water. I find a bottle lasts me twice as long and I actually feel better for drinking it because the soda water helps keep me hydrated. Plus I feel less pissed at the end of the night (which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you view it!)

[ForMe]

That is a good idea. I have a half full bottle of soda water in my fridge actually. Its been there for just over a week - the night before I started dieting I made a ridiculously high fat deep fried dinner, tempura, and I used the soda water in the batter! Now I can use the rest of it for much healthier purposes! cheers

Hayles
xx

[ali76]

Thats a great idea...

I have a wedding on the 23rd and by then it would've been 3 weeks since I've had alchol! Adding the soda water will keep me hydrated and sobre so I can drive home and not waste $50 in cab fares, but being 'allowed' to have maybe 4 glasses (half and half so really only 2 full glasses of wine) will make me not feel deprived!

GREAT thinking! Thanks!