Weekend Success

For routine-driven individuals (like myself) and even for those of you who are more flexible or spontaneous, weekends are the hardest time of the week when you're working on weight loss.

Something about not having your normal schedule and wake up times and eating times makes food logging and preparation harder. You likely are going out and not around the house for all your meals, either. I'm happy to report that I had a very successful weekend food-wise. And I even got in almost 18,000 steps on Friday (okay, it's because my brother and I went to Six Flags, but hey, steps are steps!). I'm even down another pound (for a total of 6 pounds in just shy of 2 weeks).

Source: someecards

So, just in case your weekend wasn't a great success, here are my tips for making next weekend (and every one after that!) a success.

1) Plan ahead. Going shopping in the afternoon? Stick a power snack in your purse. Going out to dinner with family or friends? Look up the restaurant's menu/nutrition info online before you go so you can already know what you want to eat within your desired calorie range. Want to splurge a little on dinner? DO NOT forego calories earlier in the day to "save room." Just plan to eat a few hundred extra calories for dinner. Maybe drop your evening snack, but don't "save" calories. Just plan for an extra indulgence.

2) Be honest with people. Worried about turning down the bucket of popcorn at the movies or the extra scoop of ice cream on your cone with your friends around? Be honest and let people know you are trying to eat healthier. Don't hide it or apologize for it. You'll be surprised how supportive people are - and how food doesn't have to be the center of every get together.

3) Get moving! Don't sit around and watch TV (and the clock until it's time to eat again) all day. Go window shopping at the mall. Find a rummage sale. Walk to the park. Hop on Pinterest and find a DIY project you'd like to try out. Keep yourself busy with fun and productive tasks and you won't even miss your bag of chips.

4) Leftovers. Cook on weeknights. Make enough extra that your lunches and dinners are taken care of on the weekend. Less work for you and you'll have food ready by the time dinnertime hits and you find yourself wishing you didn't have to cook.

5) Step on the scale. I do not advocate daily weighing - it just sets you up for frustration (more on that in a "dieting traps to avoid" post coming up), but I do suggest you weigh-in on Sunday and Monday mornings (and Thurs or Fri are the best days to be your official weigh-in day). Knowing you'll be accountable to the scale tomorrow for what you did today can help you make smarter choices. You can also see how one hamburger and fries can impact your bloat/water weight. Gaining a pound and a half overnight can really help you learn what foods you should avoid.

How do you stay motivated?