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Are weekends a challenge for you?
Is your routine disrupted and, while you start the weekend with wonderful intentions, do you find that pretty consistently, you fall into more chaotic eating patterns? Perhaps weekends have historically been a time of letting down your guard, throwing all caution to the wind!
I know for me, weekends signal me to “Celebrate!” which traditionally in my life has meant “It’s time to eat!” The whole mentality for me that weekends are a time not to work at anything creates a challenge with being diligent with 0 to 5 eating boundaries.
What can we do about this so we don’t end up the other side of the weekend, disappointed by our “failures?”
Preparation is our greatest ally for the weekends. If we expect the weekend to be disruptive, let’s take time to be with the Lord when the house is quiet. Let’s renew our minds about “fun,” about 0 to 5 eating being a good, godly, boundary that we can delight in, and call on His strength to help us. Let’s put on the armor of God found in Ephesians 6.
Know that there will be challenges to your resolve, but you don’t have to just let them roll over you like a tidal wave!
Consider the forms the challenges have taken in the past:
- A spontaneous family trip out for ice cream.
- A game night where snack foods abound.
- Nascar/other sports on the TV all day with people munching as they watch.
- One of the family members trying out a new cookie recipe.
One of the best strategies I know of is to plan ahead for all the fun. Then, I can plan my hunger to happen the same time as the fun.
For instance, we can plan the ice cream outing (or the cookie baking) ahead of time! Ask the family in the morning… “Hey, let’s go out for ice cream this afternoon!” Not only will it be fun to have the outing itself, but there will be joy all day at the anticipation. Spontaneity IS fun, but so is the joy in planning ahead! Once you have the plan for the ice cream outing (or going out to dinner…whatever it might be), you can plan your hunger so that you are at a “0” when it is time to go out. It is true that planning hunger takes some experience, but you can learn it in time. Just extend grace to yourself if you have never done that before. This is a process!
Let’s renew our minds about the connection of food with fun. The truth is we can enjoy the experience without the food. We can enjoy the laughter, the joy, the emotions, the hugs, cuddles, tickles of the family…just being together… without having to break our boundaries.
Let’s come out the other side of our weekends victorious. Let’s not shrug our shoulders, throw up our hands, and figure we can’t fight the disruption to our routines that often comes on the weekends. We can do this if we are committed to it!
If we do “mess up,” let’s observe and correct, rather than observe and condemn.
Invite God into your weekend. Renew your mind! Ask the family for their support. Plan ahead for the fun.
What can you do in your home life and family to ensure that weekends still provide fun without breaking your eating boundaries?
Heidi, it is so great you are addressing this challenge. Weekends do tend to be a time to relax and not think too much about anything. The lie I have lived with all my life is that if I am good all week, then I can just cheat here and there on the weekend and everything will be okay. The problem with this approach is that I leave God out of my whole experience with food. I love your suggestions about renewing our minds as to food and fun. I am so used to eating at parties that I think of food as the fun. The Truth is that I need to change my way of thinking and think of the real fun being the people and the reason for the celebration. Preparation is certainly key, which means I must commit to renewing my mind as to food, fun, and relaxation before my weekend as well as throughout the weekend. Thanks again!
Thank YOU, Lisa. I love hearing your interpretation and how you plan to apply this stuff! WOOT!
Thanks Heidi, I do struggle with the weekends and family choices. I find myself still struggling some with the mentality that I cannot have that….Riding early Saturday morning with dh went to pick out paint and found I was hungry he said want to go get a donut, I said I would love to but that is not good. Not to mention I would have wanted more and not stopped. Didn’t go get the donuts but did go through Mcdonalds…What? I thought I wanted something breakfast like it was 10:30 thought great no lunch time items they were after all selling breakfast got to the menue and fell over saw calories of 800 for a pancake breakfast opted for the 300 calorie ham English muffin….It was good I did eat till full but was more relieved knowing the calorie range…I know I have work to do Lol ..its a start.
Hi, Jen. If two options sound good and one seems to be a better choice, then it seems like the better choice is…well….the better choice! LOL! If you enjoy the ham english muffin, then enjoy it! 🙂 Bob loves the parfait at McDonalds. I opt for the sausage biscuit. Calorie watchers would be appalled, but I am fitting into my jeans better than I did 2 months ago! 🙂
I think the biggest thing is to not feel sorry for myself if the family decided to do something that I’m not at a place to enjoy (if it involves food). I can have it if I choose at a later time – it’s not a now or never situation. I can praise Jesus for being there by my side helping me through this time and focus on something else – don’t focus on “boy I wish I could have some of that/poor me boo hoo” but talk and keep my hands busy too or do something within the group setting to not draw attention to the fact I’m not participating in the eating – serve the family. It is fun to be part of a planned event/activity, but not always possible in our household.
Good point, Connie. I can renew my mind about deprivation and the joy that comes in making choices that I know correspond with what is truly my heart’s deepest desire.
The weekends can be challenging, especially because I don’t find as much time for quiet time with the Lord/bible study. I also want to relax – hang out with my family, relax my boundaries, have a drink in the evening, etc. I had new successes (didn’t eat lunch with family after church bc I wasn’t at 0, didn’t worry that I didn’t workout) and failures (watched movieand ate popcorn and sweets past 5) this weekend. I know that continuing to read my scripture cards, renewal of the mind goal card and praise are so important to walk with the Lord in my eating on the weekends.
Great strategies, CMK! 😀
Woo!! I feel like I majorly struggle with weekends and then just throw caution to the wind and screw up for weeks before attempting to get back on track. In fact I have struggled not beating myself up all day because of the scale not moving (just read your blog on that too!) and because I got off track Friday night and have struggled since then.
We have to learn to do the *struggle* well. We won’t BE perfect, but we can struggle well!