Are you trying to lose weight but it just seems like you are getting nowhere? This is a common, frustrating feeling for anyone that has started on their weight loss journey.
Weight loss can often feel like a puzzle. You have all the pieces and you know what the end result is, but you just can’t seem to get everything to fit together perfectly. Maybe you have even started putting some pieces together; you are starting to see some real progress, feeling motivated, and excited about all you have accomplished.
Until one night while you were sleeping the cat jumped up on the table and scattered the puzzle everywhere. You wake up and see what that little beast has done. Suddenly, you feel like all your progress is ruined.
There are still some pieces intact, but it is just too discouraging to get back on track and you just say forget it, I didn’t even what to do this stupid puzzle to begin with.
The cat, in this eloquently crafted story, is all the little events that happen in life that can set you off track. That could be the summer cookout, the weddings, the “treat yourself” days, or the just-because-it’s-a-Tuesday days.
One of the biggest problem areas for people on their weight loss journey is the weekend, which starts on Friday the second you leave work and goes until Sunday afternoon.
To give you a nice visual of what this looks like, here is my mid-June/early July calendar. This type of schedule could be why you aren’t seeing results, or your results seem slow.
As you can see, every weekend from June 17th to July 4th I have some kind of event that could entail eating and/or drinking. If you eat great during the week and you have a cheat meal once a week you should still see results. If you have a large cheat meal, cheat day, or a few cheats within the week, at best you can hope to maintain, worse case you backslide a little.
There are a few things you can do once you know what your month looks like with events/parties.
Option 1: You just enjoy yourself at all the events. This will lead to you either maintaining or gaining for the month.
Option 2: Pick one or two events to let loose at. This will most likely lead to you maintaining on those weeks you let loose. For the month as a whole, you may just lose a few pounds or maintain.
Option 3: You keep in mind portion control and limit yourself to only one or two adult beverages. This will give you the best results. Your progress may be slowed down a little but you should not backslide with this approach.
The Main Point
Even if you are watching what you eat throughout the week you could be sabotaging yourself on the weekends. Looking at my calendar it is going to take a lot of self-control to not overeat. That means, at best, I should hope to maintain; if I were to lose a little, I would consider that a bonus.
Look at your calendar and do a little planning ahead. What does the future hold for you? If it is a crazy month, prepare mentally to use self-control or pick where you are going to indulge.
I’d love to hear your feedback or comments below.
Giving you the tools to succeed since 2012
Josh W
