Scenario: your nutrition has been really on point since Monday, but now it’s Friday evening and you want to go out to eat but you didn’t plan ahead and you don’t really have the wiggle room in your day for it.  “That’s ok,” you think, “I can make it work”. But then you have a couple of drinks or eat about twice as much pizza as you planned (it’s just so good!). Then Saturday rolls around and you wake up late and you’re out of all of your good protein and veggies you had packed for lunch all week so you kind of eat whatever. Then it’s Sunday and you’re just worn out and bored with tracking your food, so you just take the day off from thinking about it and remind yourself you’ll start over on Monday.

This happens for weeks, and you find yourself frustrated that you’re making such slow progress (or no progress) despite being so good most of the time.

Most of the time?

If your focus begins on Monday and ends on Thursday, you’re really only working toward your goal 4 out of 7 days per week. Even if you only loosen up on Saturday and Sunday, you can still cause your progress to lag or even stall out, depending on what your weekend intake looks like.  

Let’s say you have a fat loss goal and you’re eating at a moderate deficit of around 300 calories per day - by Friday you’ve accumulated a 1200 calorie deficit.  You only have to eat a surplus of 400 calories per day (more than your maintenance calories) for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to wipe that deficit out entirely. That’s less than three glasses of wine or one large slice of pepperoni pizza per day.

It can be a frustrating cycle that leaves you feeling exhausted and hopeless. Maybe you’ve been stuck in this cycle for years, or maybe it came about once you started tracking your macros with fat loss goals. Regardless of where you’re at, here are some recommendations to help you navigate weekends while still working toward your goals:

Don’t forget to drink water

It’s easy to feel hungry or snacky when you’re dehydrated.  Most people (myself included) do a better job getting enough water in their normal routine than on the weekends.  Set a reminder in your phone every couple of hours if that’s what it takes.

Use the same strategies you use throughout the week

I had a client who packed her lunches for Saturday and Sunday the same way she did through her work week. I try to make sure my meals for the weekend look pretty similar to the ones I eat on weekdays -- focusing on protein and vegetables for meals at home and meals out.

Pre-track your meals

You can do this either just before eating, or take a moment in the morning to put most of your food in MyFitnessPal for the day.  Making decisions before you’re hungry is a powerful way to stay on track.

Keep high-temptation foods out of sight

(Or out of the house, if needed). I am usually good about packing small portions of treats throughout the week.  But if there is something I really like out on the counter, I have a really hard time not going back to it over and over again.  Keeping treats out of sight helps me avoid overeating them.

Try a larger deficit on weekdays and a smaller one on weekends

If you’re working on fat loss, but have an active social life, it may be more difficult to have a “normal” weekend.  Having two sets of targets can give you a little extra room on weekends for social functions. Note: we employ this strategy with clients often, but not without some qualifications. They need to feel comfortable with tracking and have a solid relationship with food and themselves first.

Practice flexibility

Remember, you’re supposed to have some flexibility! If you have a busy weekend with tons of social outings and tracking your macros is not going to happen, focus on just hitting your target calories (hitting your protein goal is a bonus).

Weekends can be tough, but a lot of the time that’s because we end up preparing less and relying on willpower more.  Approaching your weekends with the same mindset as the rest of the week can help accelerate your progress.

As you get started, it may feel like a drag to keep up your effort during the weekend. But, as with anything else, it becomes easier and more of a habit over time.  And it’s less of a drag than working hard Monday through Thursday and never seeing that hard work pay off.

This weekend is the Super Bowl and there’s no doubt there will be some good food and celebrations happening. We have a whole resource dedicated to free macro-friendly recipes so you can enjoy game day without sacrificing your week’s hard work!