Don’t worry – I have a cure for you.
It’s the weekend.
Picture the scene. You’ve been eating well all week, sticking to ‘the plan’. But the clock hits
It’s time to treat yourself after all your ‘good’ behavior. A bottle of wine and a pizza. Ooh, and some cheesecake for afters. You’re going all in.
Sound familiar?!
It doesn’t matter what the food is (or even if it’s tasty), it’s going to be thrown at your face with gleeful abandon. It’s the weekend and you deserve it!
This weekend-itis can also show up as evening-itis. It’s usually followed by feeling a bit rubbish, so bloated you can feel the fluid swishing in your tummy and perhaps a dollop of regret and/or self-loathing for good measure.
It’s even possible that every weekend, you erase ALL your progress from the previous week.
This is often a symptom of all-or-nothing thinking and dieting.
It’s when you follow your ‘rules’ SO strictly that the joy of screwing them up and doing the opposite becomes just too alluring.
I know this because I have been there too. In fact, all I’m really doing here is describing my past self.
But the great news is that there are 5 simple ways to cure YOUR weekend-itis, once & for all. Here’s how it works.
Causes & Cures for Weekend-itis
Cause #1: Aiming for perfection.
This is where you follow a strict diet all day or all week & don’t allow anything ‘off plan’ to pass your lips.
You get SO bored
Cure #1: Good enough is good enough.
Make the mindset shift from aiming for perfection, to simply aiming for good enough. A ‘good enough’ method that you stick to is way better than the ‘perfect’ one you quit.
Cause #2: All or nothing thinking.
This is where you’re either 100% healthy or 100% unhealthy. There’s no in-between for you.
e.g “Oh, I can’t have my normal stir fry loaded with veggies so I’ll have a large fish and chips with curry sauce and ice cream for dessert…”
Cure #2: Quit all or nothing thinking.
Instead, think of foods as being on a food spectrum. Not ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
If you’re going for the large pizza with pepperoni and extra cheese – could you maybe choose the small pizza, with normal cheese and extra veggies?
Or maybe you could choose a baked potato instead of fries?
Just aim for a little bit better. Do this consistently enough and it gets easier, making a long-term difference in moving towards your goals.
Cause #3: The ‘Screw it Effect’.
This is where you’ve started eating and drinking – so you may as well go all in.
You wolf it down, don’t listen to your hunger cues and don’t try to eat anything remotely healthy.
Cure #3: The Food Spectrum.
Again, the food spectrum will help here. What decision could you make that is a little bit better? How about a salad with your wine, instead of fried onion rings?
Could you also be more mindful of your eating behaviors? Try eating slowly, really
Cause #4: Playing the victim.
We all play out familiar stories over and over and they become
For example – “I have to drink a bottle of wine every night in the summer holidays because it’s so stressful looking after the kids all day & it’s the only thing that helps me relax”
Or
“I was so just busy, there was no other option but to eat junk.”
Poor you. Just a victim of circumstance every time, with no control over any of it!
Or DO you actually have some control?
Cure #4: Notice the story.
The key here is to notice the stories you’re telling yourself & challenge them. You’ll notice the same ones popping up. Think about how much control you honestly DO have.
Reframe the story in your mind. Start practicing it, playing it out in alignment with your values and goals (instead of it working against you).
This is most effective if you can identify the story ahead of time and plan in detail how you want to re-write it.
For example – maybe your story is “I have to visit the in-laws every weekend & get
Or is it YOU who is putting your fork into your mouth? Could you be doing your own servings? Could you eat more vegetables &
Cause #5: Feeling ‘The Void’.
That feeling of emptiness – maybe you feel sad or lonely. This comes to us all so please don’t think you are alone with this one!
But reaching for food to fill that void can quickly turn into a habit.
Cure #5
I know it’s hard when you’re feeling low. But what else could you do, to make yourself feel better?
How could you fill that ‘void’ with something that serves you – rather than something that makes you feel even worse
Maybe it’s calling a friend or your sister. Going for a walk. Spending time in your garden. Taking a new class or learning a new skill. Volunteering with a local charity. Or simply going for a long, hot bath with a trashy novel.
Final words on weekend-itis…
Tough love here – but you are an adult. You get to CHOOSE how this all plays out.
As an adult, you get to decide. No-one else gets to make the rules for you.
Make a decision and OWN IT.
Different choices, different outcome.
And if any of this resonates with you – do click here to join our (free) Facebook group. It’s a community of over a thousand women like us, on this journey together.
And determined to beat the vicious dieting cycle, once and for all!
Until next time
Fran
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