I had a great 4th of July weekend. I drank too much, ate too much, and had tons of fun with tons of friends. I also got in a ton of walking, and while I didnt get in an official workout, my steps each day totalled out to about 17000. Which is really good for me when I wasnt even trying by hopping on one foot while watching tv or making extra trips to bring in the groceries.
So this morning as I was sipping my coffee and picking at an english muffin with peanut butter because I am still full from last nights burgers, pasta salad, mojitos and fruit from a friend’s birthday party, I opened my email to find this little gem: Weekends Slow Weightloss.
I know for me, on the weekends, not only do I tend to eat food that normally wouldn’t be my first choice, but the times I eat at tends to be all over the place as well.
During the week (Mon-Thur) I always eat like so:
4:45- Breakfast
10:30- Snack
2:30- Lunch
5:30- Dinner
9:00ish- Snack
Friday, during the day is the same, but I usually go out (either a party or otherwise) and snack a lot more, or have a few drinks. I NEVER drink during the week. Just dont have any desire to. Its more of a social thing for me.
Then Saturday, its never same, but usually:
10:30- Breakfast
3:00- Lunch
8:00- Pick up something quick, or snack the whole night away, depending on the plans.
Sunday, is the same as Saturday, but dinner is a bit more structured.
I dont keep track of the calories, but during Friday and Saturday I know I eat a lot more than I do during the week.
Keep in mind, I rarely have any guilt when it comes to food (which took me a REALLY LONG TIME and a CRAP TON OF MONEY to get over) so all of this isnt an “I ate way too much I feel horrible,” or a “I screwed up/cheated this weekend,” kind of post. Cheated what? or Who? I never really got the turn of phrase. BUT it is an observation, that even for me, someone who has no intentions of losing weight, and doesnt restrict whatsoever, I still goes overboard on the weekends just like everyone else.
Or does everyone else?
Does anyone out there have, say, Monday as they day the stray from their normal eating patterns?
Does anyone eat consistantly throughout the entire week with no noticable difference in their intake?
For those of you that use “cheat days” to help keep you sane during the week, do you use them as an excuse to go completely nuts, or are they actually a day that you splurge just a bit to keep you on track? Are you doing a structured diet, (atkins, southbeach,) or do you just try and watch what you eat and stop for a day during the week?
What makes those days you cheat different than others? Do you pick your day in advance? Is it always the same? Or does it change depending on the situation for that week?
For me, its that I don’t work on the weekends, so I dont have that set schedule of knowing where i will be and when i will be able to eat the entire day. Also, on the weekends there are more social engagements where the food and alcohol are abundant.
Do you think people are just using the weekend as an excuse? I don’t know anyone that uses cheat days on, say, Thursdays, because you’d rather save it for the weekend when those chances to go really crazy and cheat your heart out are more common. Is that healthy or is it planting a negative message about food?
