The work week is finally over. It's Friday night and you can't wait to dig in to all those foods you have been struggling to avoid all week long. However, those Friday night cravings most often turn into a big Saturday breakfast, maybe a few drinks (and more food) with your friends that night, and then the Sunday dinners you just can't resist that leave you in a food coma. But it's the weekend and you ate healthy all week, so what's the big deal, right?
When we face the truth, all that overeating never actually leaves us feeling great. By the end, we probably feel bloated, possibly sick to the stomach, uncomfortable and regretting the unnecessary amounts of food we just ate. And the worst part? The reality that you most likely put on those few pounds of fat you just worked so hard to get off.
Don't let your week determine your bad weekend overeating habits any longer. Here are some ways that might help shift your food and dieting mentality.
Loosen up. Don't be a stickler about having the perfect diet and eating rules. These things most often lead to choosing one extreme or the other, the spinach salad or the large pizza. Relax, and aim for "good enough". You'll most likely find yourself choosing the healthier option more often instead of giving up when you aren't "perfect". Throw the when's, what's, where's and how's of eating out the window, and allow hunger to tell you when you should eat and fullness when you should stop eating.
Consider forgetting about the "cheat days". This is probably your favorite day of the week. However, since it becomes the only day of the week you allow yourself to partake in the foods you "love", you most likely eat as much of them as possible. This happens because you have put yourself into food prison every other day, making more desired foods a scarcity. If they become "scarce", you are more likely to binge on them when they are "available".
Be mindful and take ownership of the food choices you make. Take into account the consequences of all your food choices, and own your final choice, even if it's not the healthiest one. If you are okay with the result of that choice, then do it, but don't make an excuse for it later.
Don't keep justifying your unhealthy overeating. Make it a point to ask yourself why you are really eating what and as much as you are. The more you do this the more quickly you will begin to recognize the root of your overeating patterns.
It's time to kiss those overeating habits good-bye and make a change that will actually last!