Over the last 10 of personal training, the biggest struggle i have seen with clients is managing the weekends.

There is no reason why you can’t enjoy yourself and still make progress, all you have to do is

Plan
Compromise
Mindset

Fail to plan…plan to fail

Instead of going into the weekend trying to be ‘good’ what about going into the weekend thinking damage limitation or maintain, instead of losing weight?

This is where implementing habits and a lifestyle approach is so important, to provide flexibility, instead of following a diet plan that’s too strict that

You can’t wait to escape from at the weekends
You don’t know how to mentally cope with when you go off plan
Unsure what strategies/habits to put in place to get you back on track

Plan – prepare in advance for your weekend if you have night out, a birthday, a wedding etc

Thinking of your calorie intake as weekly instead of daily will provide a lot more flexibility with your nutrition and social life. Bank your calories through the week for the weekend by eating a little bit less than you normally would and burn more calories through exercise

Strategies

Consume 200/300 calories less Monday – Friday (banked 1000-1500 calories)
on the day of the event, consume minimal calories during the first half of the day and bank calories for the second half of the day
Intermittent fasting- smaller eating window to consume calories e.g. 12-8pm
Increase energy output over the weekend by doing more steps or activities you enjoy e.g. cycling
Look at the menu in advance and mentally prepare for what you’re going to have

Compromise- learning to compromise will help you to stay on track but more importantly stay guilt free which will improve your relationship with food and the whole process of losing weight

opt for low calorie alcohol – 5 G&T’s = 275 calories, 5 glasses of red wine = 550 calories
If you have an event on a Saturday, commit to doing some exercise on the Sunday and getting back on track with nutrition
Have a 2 course meal instead of 3
Compromise with yourself and enjoy good food/drink on the day, but the next get back on track without feeling guilty

Mindset- Was it the takeaway and a few beers that derailed your progress? Or was it when you hit the f**k button and it turned into a 2 day feast

It’s how you react, not necessarily the ‘cheat’ meal that will determine your progress.

Enjoy, move on and get back on track.