Survive the weekend

How To- Weekend Survival Guide

For most the weekend is a time to relax, unwind, and spend time with those we care about most.  Unfortunately, the weekends are also a time for things to start to fall apart when it comes to our nutrition plan.  Our Monday-Friday routine creates a structure that forces us to stay prepared and on top of our food intake.  Furthermore, we are typically so busy during the week that prepping our food is a necessity and makes it easy for us to hit our macros.  The weekends, on the other hand, come with birthdays, weddings, baby showers, and every other social event possible.  It may be easy to use the “just this once” excuse but this can quickly become a harmful recurring habit.

Your goals can’t just be put on pause for 2/7 days during the week. We have to come up with a solution that works for ALL days.  It really comes down to creating a mindset for yourself that the weekends are not to be treated any differently than the rest of the week.

With that said lets go over some strategies to help you tackle the weekends just like you would during the week days.

Social Events

Plan ahead. Browse online menus and plan out what you are going to eat ahead of time. (For more detailed information, click here)

To drink or not to drink. If you feel socially obligated to have a drink at a event, pre-calculate the drink and log it.  Tracking everything in ahead of time will prevent you from over indulging.  Also, there is nothing wrong with choosing diet soda or seltzer!

Eat before you go. You know how they say never go to the grocery store when you are hungry? Well same rules apply here! Try eating something before you head out to prevent yourself over eating at the event.  Fill yourself up on high fiber/ high protein food sources to help hold you over.

Say no.  You have goals. It is perfectly acceptable to set boundaries and just say no!

Find alternatives ways to socialize.  Socializing does not have to revolve around food and drinks. Take the initiative and suggest an outdoor activity or even inviting friends over for a meal that you can prepare yourself.

Create Structure

Plan. Plan your meals out for the day just as you would during the week.

Stay active.  It’s easy to snack on foods all day if you have nothing else to do.  Instead of lounging for the weekend try staying busy to fight off grazing.

Meal prep.  If you have extra time over the weekend use it to your advantage! Take the time to go grocery shopping and meal prep for the week.

Weekends are what you make them to be.  You may have the tools necessary to stay on track but it is ultimately up to you to make that decision on whether or not to apply them.  Things will not always go as planned but the more often you make an attempt to solve the issue, stay on track, and create a structure that helps you reach your goals..the easier it gets!

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Stephanie Young and No Bull Nutrition