Surviving Weekends & Vacations

Stay ON Program With Our Top 11 Tips!

Don’t undo 5 days of hard work over the weekend or on a vacation, just to have to start all over come Monday. It’s so easy to let things slip after working hard all week, we get it, you’re ready for some rest and relaxation and those thoughts can extend to your diet – but don’t let them completely take over or you always be playing catch-up.

1. Plan ahead.
   If it’s not in the house you can’t eat it! If you plan on being on the go, plan ahead bring bars/shakes along or your needed portion of veggies/fruit. Also make some healthy meals ahead of time and put them in separate containers for the upcoming week.
2. Start your week with us.
   Weigh in on Monday’s to hold accountability for your choices made over the weekend.
3. Don’t skip breakfast or any meals.
   Start the mornings just like you would during the weekday even if you awake/go to bed at a different time.  Push everything back an hour or two, if needed, but make sure you fit everything in.
4. Log your food.
   It’s easy to get caught up with activities on weekends and forget how much you’re really eating throughout the day, make sure to track your meals in your NuYou Food Tracker, especially if you’re rearranging or flipping and borrowing from other parts of the day.
5. Stay Hydrated.
   Drinking water will make sure you are eating through hunger and not thirst.  Keep your NuYou water bottle with you. This will serve as a good reminder to continue drinking water and will help you stay hydrated, prevent you from becoming too hungry, as well as help you resist the temptation to reach for a soda or sugar-packed beverage.
6. Eat less at restaurants.
   Going out for dinner- why not lunch instead?  If you do want to grab a bite, stick to lunch—it’s easier to eat light, and you probably won’t order cocktails. Also try and limit yourself to eating out only once during the weekend. Restaurants will usually be accommodating to special diets just ask- hold the sauce, oil, etc. Restaurants tend to also serve overly large portions.  Box half of it up before you even start to avoid the temptation of eating the whole portion.  It also helps to eat a light snack before going out, to keep yourself from being too hungry and over-indulging. See NuYou Coaches for more information regarding “Eating Out & Staying on Program”.
7. Get some exercise.
   Go for a walk, hike, bike ride, bowling, dancing or enjoy some other activity since you may have more time on the weekends. Not only will you burn calories, the exercise will improve your mood and may distract you from your cravings.  Remember if you’re burning a lot of calories, you should make up for it with an extra Nutritional Supplement, especially on the lower calorie programs.
8. Stay busy.
   Avoid vegging out on the couch for hours on end as your “relaxation” method of choice. Stay busy with healthy activities that you enjoy and keep you moving. Try a new workout, get outdoors and take a walk, or just run a few errands that get you out of the house – giving you less of a chance to just sit home and eat.  Save vigorous chores (scrubbing floors, raking leaves, washing & waxing the car) for the weekends so that you know you get at least a minimum amount of exercise.
9. Get enough sleep.
   Missing out on necessary sleep can take its toll on your metabolism and leave you more hungry than usual throughout the day. Try and stick with a consistent sleep schedule so your metabolism is running at peak efficiency all day long.
10. Doing something special.
    Catch a movie, get a massage, go shopping. Pamper yourself by treating yourself to a non-food reward.  The feel good rush we get out of eating is only short term so why not find other ways to pamper yourself.
11. Don’t save your splurging for weekends. Allowing yourself a few of the NuYou treats throughout the week will help you avoid the mindset that the weekend is an excuse to go bonkers.  By spacing your treats evenly, you’re less likely to get sudden, irresistible cravings.

By implementing some of the suggestions above, you can make some changes to ensure you stay on track so you don’t have to regret the weekend or start over every Monday! You have worked all week for it…… so relax and enjoy the weekend on plan!