"It's the freakin' weekend, I'm about to have me some fun...." Yeah, I totally just aged myself by singing R. Kelly, yikes! But you can't tell me that those lyrics don't pop into your head when someone talks about the weekend?
I got to thinking, I always give my challengers some tips for the weekends, why not share them with my blog followers too, all 4 of you. 😂 Kidding. Sort of.
Raise your hand if you LOVE going out to eat. (raises hand)
Raise your hand if you LOVE enjoying an adult beverage, ok maybe more like 3 adult beverages.(both hands up)
Raise your hand if you LOVE the dessert menu. (hand goes up REALLY freaking fast)
Yeah, the weekends are ROUGH. Going out with friends, concerts, sporting events, birthday parties, barbecues, etc. It is a lot & it can be hard on you if you are working towards some specific health & fitness goals.
If I am being super strict on my diet, my weekends look different than when I am following my 80/20 rule in life. When I am working towards specific goals, I go into the weekend with the same attitude I have all week long. Meals are prepped & if we are going out to eat, I look at the menu ahead of time & know my game plan. If we go to a friends house or a family get together, I am that person that takes my own food. Yes, I know it sounds rude but I let people know in advance so they aren't surprised by it & most people actually understand! Also, if I know there will be salad and protein, I may just bring my own dressing & throw together a salad at their house. It doesn't have to be a 5 course meal that you pack & take with you! AND I even take my shake with me so I can have dessert without devouring whatever is on the dessert table! I mean after all, if you friends & family care about you, they will understand & care about your goals too!
You can also find different things to do on the weekend when you are aiming to hit a specific goal & don't want temptation to derail your progress! Do you usually have date night every weekend & go all out? Why not make it an active day date instead!? Rent bikes, find a trail & go for a ride, then enjoy a salad for dinner somewhere outside with a view. Does sitting inside with nothing to do during the weekend make you want to eat?! Call a friend & go for a walk, a run or even do a fun class together at the gym! Find a close friend (or significant other) that wants to be your accountability partner throughout your journey so you can turn to them when temptation strikes, you guys can keep each other on track!
And here are some tips of mine when going out if I am not being AS STRICT, because let's be real, you have to enjoy yourself sometimes too! It all just depends on you & what your specific goals are at the time!
1. Don't be afraid to ask for modifications to your meal! Don't want butter, tell them that!
2. Ask for extra veggies, less carbs! When I order fajitas, sometimes, I tell them no tortillas, just extra veggies! Or if we go to a pub, I get no fries & a side salad!
3. Go for grilled, not fried!
4. A lot of restaurants now have healthier sections on their menu, don't discredit that section as food that won't taste as good...remember, healthy isn't always boring. You can look it up ahead of time online.
5. Either split your entree with a friend or significant other OR ask for a to go box once the meal is delivered so you can immediately box up 1/2 of it for tomorrow's lunch or dinner!
6. Order a salad first, like I said in #2, I always do salad over fries & ask for my salad out first, it helps to fill me up so I don't overeat the rest of my meal (we all know a burger at a pub is still WAY more than one portion) & it keeps me from picking at the kids food as much.
7. Something I learned a long time ago, dip your fork into your dressing, then put some salad on the fork and boom, you have your bite of salad without it being smothered in dressing! Less calories, still tastes good!
8. Ahhh, this one is so hard for me sometimes but SKIP THE BREAD! If the waiter offers you bread, politely tell them, no thanks! (I mean, if you are a Fixer like me, you probably want those yellows for wine anyways)
9. Drink a glass of water before your meal! And during.
10. No foo foo drinks! They are loaded with sugar!! Opt for wine or even a martini (no, not one loaded with chocolate)...believe me, I can tell you from experience, I drank LOTS of foo foo drinks on our cruise & the scale let me know it when I got home!
11. Avoid the appetizer menu! It is usually loaded with fried foods.
12. And last but not least, this is the hardest for me...when they ask if you want to see the dessert menu, just say NO! Unless of course you are celebrating something special, then by all means, get dessert damn it! Often times, I share dessert now if we go out for a specific occasion. Once your body adjusts to not having sweets all of the time, eating one piece of cheesecake solo can be super rich & too much to handle!
So, as you can see, I don't believe in completely depriving myself of things I love & enjoy, I have just learned to find a balance in my life!
My goals change often & when they do, I adjust my lifestyle to fit those goals. If I am working REALLY hard to get my ass into shape before a trip, I focus on no alcohol & no sweets for a certain period of time & follow my meal plan guide to a T. If I am just wanting to focus on maintaining, I live by the 80/20 rule.
You have to do what works best for you & your goals but I hope some of these tips help you!
Now, I am off to get ingredients to take a big ass salad to a friends house tonight for a get together!