Do you find it harder to stick to your plan on the weekend? Are you frustrated with falling off plan on the weekends and then restarting your “diet” on Monday? Are you tired of seeing that number on the scale jump up after the weekend, making all of the hard work you put in throughout the week, feel like a waste of time and effort? Me too.
I hit my goal weight in May of 2021. Although I would like to lose more, I have more or less been maintaining for the last year.
My weekends are usually all or nothing. I start to track and then I never finish tracking the day. There are so many celebrations in the summer between birthdays, graduations, bridal showers, and weddings. It is a constant struggle for me to stay on track, and when I decide to eat something I know will put me over my BITE allowance, I tend to stop tracking. When I do this I find myself standing in the pantry grabbing snacks and binge eating to where I feel miserable by the time it’s time for bed.
A couple weeks ago I had a binge eating afternoon where I stopped tracking and stuffed my face with chocolate chip morsels that are meant for baking and Hershey’s Bars that are meant for S’mores. The next day I decided that I was tired of binge eating and the fact that it causes the number on the scale to go up, my clothes to fit tighter, and makes me feel overall just miserable. I tried a new approach which is how the Healthi app is meant to be used. I tracked everything and it helped me to enjoy the weekend, but to also be mindful of what I was eating and how much I was eating.
Here are some tips that I want to share with you all that I know will help you if you are struggling with overeating on the weekends just like I was.
I am going to start by saying that the free version of the Healthi app is amazing, but once I found out what comes with PRO and the low price for a year subscription, I took the plunge and I am never going back. There are so many amazing features, and I will discuss some of them below that I have found extremely helpful on not just the weekends, but the rest of the week as well.
Here are some tips to help you if you are struggling to stay focused on your tracking goals for the weekend:
Restaurant Guide (PRO feature):
The weekends seem to be when most people go out to eat. Use the restaurant guide to help you find food to help you stay closer to your BITES range. Try to stick to these chain restaurants if you really want to be accurate with tracking. If you eat at a restaurant not on the restaurant guide, then find something on the menu that you can eat at other restaurants and track that item. For example, I went to a restaurant and had a chicken sandwich. It was very similar to the Wendy’s chicken sandwich, so I put that in my tracker.
Substitution:
Eating out is hard especially when you go to a fast food place with really good French fries and it’s been awhile since you’ve had some. You want to order them and you tell yourself you’ll only eat a few. Nope. Stop it. Don’t do it unless you KNOW you have that good of control. Find something you will enjoy that will cost you less BITES. Have a baked potato instead of french fries. I did this at Wendy’s and it satisfied my want for a side and helped me to not miss the French fries. Similarly, if you go to a restaurant that has a side that you do not want, they will substitute it for something healthier. I often get a meal at two different restaurants that is salmon, seasonal veggies, and mashed potatoes. I ask for no mashed potatoes and double the veggies instead. Both restaurants will do this without an up-charge. Little tweaks to your meal can save you a ton of BITES.
Double Tracking (PRO feature):
You can choose a secondary metric with the PRO version. You can choose to track macros and/or calories. I like to see my calories. I found that even though I was going over in BITES, I was still close to my daily calories. Women should eat about 2,000 calories a day. That is not in a weight loss situation. I was happy to be close to those calories and it helped me more to maintain my weight throughout the weekend.
Don’t be afraid to ask what ingredients are in the meals or what the nutritional information is. Just this week I asked a waitress what was in a chicken sandwich and she asked the cook and then let me know. I also messaged my favorite protein shake place and asked if they could give me the 3 things that I need to figure out the BITES for a protein shake I wanted. She replied that they can do that. When I went in and ordered I asked the girls behind the counter and they gave me all 3 of those numbers so quickly like I was not the first to ask this of them. Just ask. The worst they can say is no.
Portion sizes:
Be mindful of portion sizes. Eyeball the amount you are serving yourself. If there are a lot of temptations, have more items, but smaller serving sizes. Either way…track it all and you will not be disappointed. You may find that by doing honest tracking (although you feel like you’ve gone over) you are likely just using weekly BITES and activity BITES. I’d rather enjoy food when presented with those situations. If you’re really good, the number on the scale may go down. If you are mindful, but over in BITES, the scale may go up a little. It is better than completely blowing it and having your weight jump quite a few pounds.
We can do this. We are a community. We are here for each other. You are not alone.
– Healthi Coach Stephanie
