Stuck in a pattern

[marinik]

I have this pattern of eating during working days and weekends. I loose about 1-1,5 kg during MTWTF and then put it all back on S&S. And I do not pigout/binge during those days of rest... The only thing I do is maybe have some corn bread and a few glasses of wine and some chocolate - a few "squares". During the rest of the week I do not eat any carbohydrates.

It is driving me crazy. I need to loose about 6-7kg because of my back problem. I have done this in the past and I know all I have to do. BUT here comes the big but... I seem to loose my willpower on Friday evenings. And then what is my crazy body up to putting on so much weight in 2 days! That is supposed to be almost impossible if you do not bombard it with about 6.000-8.000 calories a day.

Anybody an idea how to brake this pattern?

[Liz Caitlin]

Originally Posted by marinik

I have this pattern of eating during working days and weekends. I loose about 1-1,5 kg during MTWTF and then put it all back on S&S. And I do not pigout/binge during those days of rest... The only thing I do is maybe have some corn bread and a few glasses of wine and some chocolate - a few "squares". During the rest of the week I do not eat any carbohydrates.

It is driving me crazy. I need to loose about 6-7kg because of my back problem. I have done this in the past and I know all I have to do. BUT here comes the big but... I seem to loose my willpower on Friday evenings. And then what is my crazy body up to putting on so much weight in 2 days! That is supposed to be almost impossible if you do not bombard it with about 6.000-8.000 calories a day.

Anybody an idea how to brake this pattern?

First of all, most people's weight fluctuates anywhere from 1-3 pounds throughout the day. Why? Well, it's water weight - just one pint of water weighs 1 pound (in metric, 1 liter of water weighs 1 kilogram). This is the reason women aren't crazy for wanting to weight themselves in the morning before they've had anything to drink

So basically, if you don't lose or gain more than 1-3 pounds, you probably haven't actually changed your weight a significant amount. If we take your 1.5 kilograms, that's still within the range I mentioned. I know I'm more hydrated on the weekends - maybe you're the same? I never drink enough water at work whereas I drink a TON on the weekends.

Second of all, that cornbread and chocolate and especially the wine can really add up. A lot of people aren't aware of just how many calories they're actually consuming. The easiest way to keep track of this is just write down everything you eat throughout the day & tally it up at night when you have a spare moment - it's easier than ever nowadays thanks to every restaurant posting nutritional information & an abundance of websites that let you type in common food items to find out their caloric content.

You might be surprised by what you're actually consuming. My guess is that your weekday diet balances out your weekend diet & you're actually just maintaining your current weight - as you know, to lose weight you'll have to limit the number of calories you consume.

When I want to lose weight, I cut out carbs, or at the very least all simple carbs - sugar, white flour, "enriched" wheat flour which isn't really whole-grain, etc. Admittedly this means you can't eat dessert or pasta, white rice, most bread, etc., but it's quite effective. Basically, I just eat calorie-dense foods - fruits, veggies, nuts, lean proteins & low-fat dairy products, etc. Or at least, that's what I find easiest - when I know having something high in calories means I pretty much can't eat the rest of the day if I want to stick to a calorie plan I've laid out for myself, that food suddenly becomes far less appealing. I hate being hungry!

I would recommend either stocking your house with foods that you find appealing but that have a ton of calories or finding activities to do on the weekends that get you out of the house and away from food to make eating fewer calories easier.

I hope this helped a bit. Good luck with your weight loss!

[marinik]

Thanks Liz. My problem is not what I eat during the week because it is a vegetable, fruit fish diet mostly. And I just added all the additional calories I ate during the weekend and it is about 1.000 more per day, if that much. And I am more active on weekends so there is no chance to gain that much weight. I weigh myself the same time each day so no it is not the water/fluid intake. Unfortunately I can't stack my house with only food I should eat, the rest of the family does not have to be on restrictive diet, specially not my parents in their late 70s.

I need a trick to trick (LOL) my brain not to be on a Friday evening/Saturday/Sunday mode. Break the pattern!

[Liz Caitlin]

Originally Posted by marinik

Thanks Liz. My problem is not what I eat during the week because it is a vegetable, fruit fish diet mostly. And I just added all the additional calories I ate during the weekend and it is about 1.000 more per day, if that much. And I am more active on weekends so there is no chance to gain that much weight. I weigh myself the same time each day so no it is not the water/fluid intake. Unfortunately I can't stack my house with only food I should eat, the rest of the family does not have to be on restrictive diet, specially not my parents in their late 70s.

I need a trick to trick (LOL) my brain not to be on a Friday evening/Saturday/Sunday mode. Break the pattern!

Now this is like a medical mystery I want to solve, lol!

Two thoughts come to mind. First, you only need to eat 3,500 calories above your energy expenditure to gain one pound. Of course, even with 1,000 extra calories for 3 days in a row, that doesn't even add up to a pound, let alone the weight gain you're experiencing. Which leads to my second thought...you said you weigh yourself at the same time every day, but I don't think that eliminates the water weight theory. If you weigh yourself at, say, noon every day, but you drink very little water before that on Thursday and a lot of water before that on Sunday, your weight will still be different on those days. Even if you weigh yourself first thing in the morning, it's still possible (though much more unlikely) that you drink a lot more at night on the weekends, and that shows up on the scale the next day.

If you figure this out, though, let me know cuz I'm really curious!!

[marinik]

I had this a few years ago and solved it by going to a nutritionist. So I know what to do but just "override" it every weekend. It's like my body goes into winter mode on weekends and has this logic: "I should stack all I can because she will feed me all this healthy stuff during the week and I will be hungry!". and my brain says "comply"!

[C33]

Well,I experience the opposite thing: I eat healthily during the week, walk almost 2 hours daily back and from work, and whenever I step on the scale on the week days: It looks like I've gain weight or haven't dropped any.

On Fridays, I usually have some alcohol and some celebratory snacks, and on Saturday, my weight has either dropped, if I am dieting, or is the same as usual, if I am just maintaining my eating and expending about 350 calories worth of physical activity per week day.

I usually eat more on week-ends.The only explanation I have had about this, is that my weight is linked to my sleeping pattern and stress level: when I work and experience the usual work stress, as well as waking up early and not getting my 8 hours minimum of sleep time, I retain water. Rolls the week-end and I get to sleep in an relax, and my weight gets to drop.

Maybe you are the opposite, and when you get to sleep less, it is a metabolism booster.

One thing that could be helpful would be to program yourself to think of Sunday evening as preparation for the work week, so that you make it an evening of healthy eating and relaxation.

Alcohol is a ♥♥♥♥♥ and really slows down one' s progress towards healthy living and weight loss. I had a personal trainer who advised low carbs and 1 glass of wine per day, but forbid to cumulate the glasses on the week-end.

Some people manage to lose a lot of weight by indulging in one glass of wine per day mixed with daily exercise and low cal eating. I guess it depends on one's discipline pattern.

Some people fare better if they're a bit naughty every day. Some people need to have a really bad day per week where they eat everything in sight for one full day, then go back to very strict, disciplined exercise and eating.

I think that planning ahead the naughty days is essential as well as working with your nature. If you have a rebellious nature, and if having something forbidden makes you obsess over the lack of it, you might be better off indulging daily. If the desire for it results in binging sessions , it might be better to plan ahead, as when one is into craving mood, the calories consumed cannot be controlled easily.

You might be able to design an eating and exercising plan that takes into account those extra week-end calories and lets you enjoy them instead of feeling guilty about them.

Maybeyou need to trick your mind into getting out of deprivation mode by including little indulgences in your week days such as one or 2 slices of pizza per week, 1 plate of French fries, 1 slice of pie, etc...

One last thing: Maybe you need to eat earlier in the evening on the week days, so that you don't sleep on your dinner. I have noticed that I eat way less if I plan my dinners ahead and eat as soon as I'm hungry, and not wait until some self-imposed schedule.It might be hard with a family to take care of.
Please post here how you dealt with the situation and what kind of progress you made.

[marinik]

We all so different C33 it sometimes really fascinates me. Thanks for the useful tips. I will have to think of something. Maybe my body is just used to this amount of food during the week and then the slight change in calorie intake during the weekend is enough to gain the weight back again... I have to "shock" it in some way you are right.

[Small]

Originally Posted by marinik

I have this pattern of eating during working days and weekends. I loose about 1-1,5 kg during MTWTF and then put it all back on S&S. And I do not pigout/binge during those days of rest... The only thing I do is maybe have some corn bread and a few glasses of wine and some chocolate - a few "squares". During the rest of the week I do not eat any carbohydrates.

It is driving me crazy. I need to loose about 6-7kg because of my back problem. I have done this in the past and I know all I have to do. BUT here comes the big but... I seem to loose my willpower on Friday evenings. And then what is my crazy body up to putting on so much weight in 2 days! That is supposed to be almost impossible if you do not bombard it with about 6.000-8.000 calories a day.

Anybody an idea how to brake this pattern?

I have the same pattern. On fridays and saturdays (sometimes) I lose my discipline and eat more than what I really need. What I found is that when I change my habits and rituals on those days I tend to lose my discipline. If I do the same things in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays my body doesn't notive and doesn't crave for more calories. It has like a switch that tells it that it is the weekend. If I keep doing the same things, that switch doesn't go on.

[Nameless One]

Just toxifying the body can make it retain more water temporarily to water down the toxic laod until the stuff gets flushed out

Good thing too, if it didnt you'd be getting severe toxicity effects

[marinik]

Originally Posted by Nameless One

Just toxifying the body can make it retain more water temporarily to water down the toxic laod until the stuff gets flushed out

Good thing too, if it didnt you'd be getting severe toxicity effects

Toxifying? Can you clarify?

[marinik]

Originally Posted by Small

I have the same pattern. On fridays and saturdays (sometimes) I lose my discipline and eat more than what I really need. What I found is that when I change my habits and rituals on those days I tend to lose my discipline. If I do the same things in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays my body doesn't notive and doesn't crave for more calories. It has like a switch that tells it that it is the weekend. If I keep doing the same things, that switch doesn't go on.

Thanks, I think I can use this very well! Thanks again!

[Ekhart]

the good thing is,you know your pattern.
now,what can you do to interupt it?
close your eyes and focus,make a film or cartoon of yourself in that situation,see your self re - acting differently.
give your self a choice of re-actions.

you can do this xx

[Nameless One]

Originally Posted by marinik

Toxifying? Can you clarify?

Anything in the body that shouldn't be there is toxic. Now obviously we won't consider a knife toxic... that's just getting stabbed, but you know what I mean. So a toxin is any substance in the body that shouldn't be there. If more toxins are introduced to the body, and they are not able to be promptly removed, the body will be more thirsty for water, and retain more water, to dilute the toxicity.