Conquering the Weekend

The weekend has always been my problem area, even when I started losing weight. Now that I've got a really small margin to work with in terms of calories and deficits, it's become my #1 nemesis. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the weekend. I don't have to sit at a desk all day, I get to explore DC, I hang out with my boyfriend or friends. It's great... except the fact that it bring an entire host of temptations and unhealthy situations that I love and hate at the same time.

Usually the way my schedule works, I don't get to exercise between Saturday afternoon and Sunday night. Not a huge deal, I try to get a workout in Saturday morning to make up for it and a Sunday off isn't bad when I've worked out nearly every other day during the week. But we do have a tendency to eat most of our meals out on the weekends. Which leads to some unhealthy choices. And I know that's my own fault. It would be easier to not eat out at all (and we are trying to scale back), but I've taken eating out as an excuse to eat whatever I want. Bad mindset!

I've been focusing extra hard this week on making good choices. I didn't get any snacks at the movie on Wednesday and I brought my own water bottle and 100 calorie popcorn bag. I worked out Mon, Tues, Thurs and I'm going to the gym tonight. And I've been under 1400 (usually 1300) calories a day. And I've lost 1.7 pounds this week!

But here comes the test. The weekend is where it all goes to crap. And I cannot let that happen anymore. What's the point of all that hard work during the week if I can't keep it up during the weekend. There are things I can adjust without having to stay in, workout, and not eat anything for the 2 days (don't think my boyfriend would like that very much...).

- Pick the healthiest option possible when eating out, not the tastiest. Salad with dressing on the side, fish or chicken... no heavy sauces or dips. It's not impossible. And I can veto a restaurant if necessary.

- Keep the drinking to a 2-3 beer max. That's gonna be the HARDEST one. It should be 2... but going out for a few beers is what we do. I love it, we hang out, try new bars, new delicious beers, etc. And unfortunately I have a taste for darker (i.e. more calorific) beers. Having only 2 will save my wallet and my waistline

- Workout Saturday mornings. Sometimes I get lazy, or make excuses. It's not impossible to wake up at 9 or 9:30 and workout for 45 minutes in my living room. So, I'm gonna do it. At least it will boost my metabolism for the rest of the day.

So there's what I'm going to try to do. Writing it down makes me feel more accountable for my actions. It will make me think twice when I order something. I can treat myself later, for the next couple weeks I really need to focus on losing a few pounds to get down to 150 or so and get my running stamina back. Carrying around the extra weight isn't making it any easier!