Most of my clients have very different eating patterns on the weekdays and weekends. Weekdays are structured and people tend to eat similarly, then on the weekends things are totally different. Does this sound like you?
Some trends I see on the weekends:
- Skipping meals (in particular lunch because people tend to have a late breakfast/brunch and then dinner)
- More splurge worthy foods
- Larger portions
- More alcohol
I’m not someone who believes that you need to alter every dish at a restaurant if you eat out to make it “healthy.” However, if you eat out 3-4 meals over the course of the weekend you may want to make 1-2 of them is on the healthier side. Decide which meal is really worth splurging on. Then for the other meals, eat like you would if you were at home. If it’s brunch out – get a vegetable omelet with dry whole wheat toast and a side of fruit. You can save tons of calories by eating that instead of french toast, pancakes, eggs benedict, bacon/sausage, home fries, you get the picture. Same principle if you have multiple dinners out. For your regular meal (not the special one) try to be mindful of what you’re eating. Order two appetizers like soup & salad as your meal. Or order a salad to start and a piece of fish or chicken as your main – but make sure to limit bread, alcohol and desert (again eat how you would at home).
My other recommendation is to NOT skip meals! When you skip meals or wait too long between eating your blood sugar drops and you are ravenous! When you sit down to your meal you want lots of carbs (to raise your blood sugar) and you will likely eat a huge amount since you’re literally starving.
If two meals on the weekend is realistic, then make sure to add some snacks in between. This will help to bridge the gap between your meals, maintain your blood sugar and keep your hunger at bay.
Do you have problems with healthy eating on the weekends?
