This past weekend I had a few interesting encounters with fast food. I ate a burger, fries, pizza, and chinese food. All of this is in addition to the sugar I normally consume on weekends.
This morning I stepped on the scale as I do every day and discovered I was up several pounds. I didn’t freak out, but I found the fact that I was up that much interesting. It started the wheels turning in my head – Was it actual gain? Doubtful. Was it because I ate too much food? Not really. Was it the sodium causing water retention? Likely.
Since I don’t eat much salt during the week, hardly any really, I think any huge amount of sodium over a couple of meals back to back is going to cause this kind of “gain” on the scale. And while I know the bump in the scale number is just that, it still has got me thinking about my actions over the weekend.
I enjoyed the fast food/restaurant food/sweets I had over the weekend. They were delicious and I enjoyed sharing them with Kepa and his mum. But now I’m regretting it because all I can think is, “What was I doing to my body?”
I try not to harp on the fact that I have kidney stones, but I try to follow the guidelines for eating healthy to help prevent forming more. Those little buggers were the worst pain I’ve ever felt and ruined my Fitbloggin experience, so I try to bow down to them and treat my body well so they won’t be a huge problem. This past weekend I don’t feel like I was doing that.
For instance, one of the things I’m supposed to be following is: Sodium should be limited to 2,300 milligrams (1 teaspoon) or less each day. That’s why during the week I make healthy foods and don’t add salt to things I make. But this past weekend I ate way too much sodium (the recommended amount in just one meal of Chinese food!) and didn’t drink enough water. I basically did the exact opposite of what I should be doing for my health.
I’ve reached the point where I’m wondering what good is it to eat healthy all week if I just ditch the healthy stuff on the weekend? It doesn’t make sense. It takes me time to come to realizations like this. It’s just like when I wanted to eat sweets each day but realized that wasn’t working for my body and I needed to limit my sugar consumption to feel better. I’m now thinking I need to limit my sodium/grease/fat ridden fast food consumption too, further than what I’ve already done.
I don’t want to be someone who always says no to things like alcohol and junk food. But at the same time I want my body to be healthy for a long life and I don’t think those things are going to make that happen. I wanted to build routines when I moved here and I now think I want my routines to be healthy ones every day – not just Monday through Friday. Healthy living is a full time thing, not just on certain days. Just some food for thought for me.
Have you ever reached a point where you realized what you were doing wasn’t really what you needed to be doing?
Are you practicing healthy living all the time or just during the week?
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{ 35 comments }
I’m practically healthy all the time (minus today).
I allow myself two meals a week out but I’m still careful.
Laura´s last [type] ..Adventures of the Nikon
I fall into the weekend trap, too. For me, though, it’s more important that I go to the gym to work on my knee injury. I’m good during the week but come the weekend, it’s so hard to go. I think the same thing as you: Letting it slide on the weekend isn’t doing myself a favor and I could be hurting myself by not following my physical therapy.
Tracey @ I’m Not Superhuman´s last [type] ..Your Last Chance to Win Lots of Loot
My is not a weekend vs. week thing, but this summer I seem to eat well abut 5 days a week and not the other two. And the scale seems to respond to the bad two much more than the good five!
Karen´s last [type] ..Twiddling My Thumbs
I think that there is “eating healthy” and “being perfect”. I eat healthily, but am not what people consider “perfect”. Everyday, I have a little sweet something (about 100 calories, sometimes a bit more, sometimes less) and a little salty something (about 120 calories because servings tend to pan out that way). Other than that, I eat food I make which is what most people would consider “healthy”. I did a post recently of a “representative day” which shows what I tend to eat and most of my food is fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, except those few things.
I think that eating perfectly is a hard order for most people in the modern world. It’s not about temptation, and resisting it or giving into it. It’s about balance. Around 13% of my daily calorie consumption is in the range of what might be considered “junk”. I don’t think this is hurting my health. In fact, even if I had certain health issues, I’m not sure that this would be enough to create complications.
The main thing I don’t do is give over entire days to eating whatever I want or “splurging”. Every day is a toe in the pond of food-based pleasure, but the rest of the body stays in the healthy area. This has been a good balance for me because it allows me to have anything I want, but only in small amounts. It has helped with portion control and placed treats in a context for me which makes them special.
Mindful eating really helps to do this. That’s when I pay attention to every bite and eat very slowly. If you do this for certain foods, you really don’t need much of them because you extract the maximum sensory experience from every bite and 1-3 bites seems like it’s plenty to really enjoy a food.
Screaming Fat Girl´s last [type] ..A representative day
It’s definitely not about being perfect. I think it sounds like you’ve got a good handle on things. You can consume stuff in smaller portions without it negatively affecting your health…. as long as it’s in smaller portions. I would venture to say it does a lot for your mental health because it keeps you happy. :)
Yes, 100%.
I have fibromyalgia, which I have never really talked about on my blog (I don’t really know what to say, to be honest) and because of the fibro, I have to eat in a very particular way or I am in can’t get out of bed kind of pain. And it has taken me quite some time to intuitively figure out which foods work best and which ones don’t and when I catch myself eating outside of myself I really question why I am doing it. I think it ultimately goes back to those old thought patterns of feeling like I don’t deserve happiness – including feeling well. It is a challenge but one that I face every single day and I try to do so with honor for my body.
Christie {Honoring Health}´s last [type] ..Women Food and God Chapter Two
I didn’t know that Christie, thank you for sharing.
We have one day a week we allow ourselves to have whatever we want. It makes staying on track the other 6 days a piece of cake. I think people who push too hard to stay on the “perfect” pedestal are in for a hard fall. It’s all about balance.
I have severe IBS but got locked into the mentality of eating in moderation even if I got sick from a moderate portion.
I finally had to give up meat, sugar, sugar alcohols, most dairy, most gluten and a few other things. But I feel so much better for it. And when I slip up (uh coconut ice cream loaded with sugar the other day) I pay big time as a nice reminder to not do that.
Sorry you have the pain but see it as an opportunity to explore new things you would never think of.
Ah, yes, I always fall into the weekend trap as well. So much so lately that I’ve gained about 6 lbs. back of my 90 lb. loss. The weekends always get me, no matter what I do it seems. I’m alone a lot because my husband works on the weekends, so I’ll do a lot of boredom eating. I’ve been doing a little better on that though because I’ve been chosing to eat at the table, and I’ve been writing down what I eat.
When it comes to “healthy sometimes” or “healthy all the time”, I like to think of things as “mostly healthy.” I think it really is about balance, and finding the balance that works for you. I’ve found what works for me is that I have a few meals out on the weekend, and I’ll usually have one where I give myself permission to “blow it” and then my other meal I try to keep healthy. I’m still working on things too. So again, you just have to find your balance. :)
I think it’s ‘what does your body want’? I have to ask myself that question a lot. It’s when I lose track of that..and start to over think things..that I forget what my body is telling me. It’s usually saying ‘NO COFFEE…H20 PLEASE’. Or no more food. Or..sugar…a little bit..please!
So I don’t think there’s a hard and fast rule about it. I am actually writing about that tomorrow..what is ‘healthy’ esp. in the ‘healthy living blogging’ context. But, I think what you’re doing is living life, making observations and knowing that it’s a journey not a destination.
Michelle@eatingjourney´s last [type] ..Music or No Music
I don’t know if I necessarily agree with Michelle because my body wants Chinese food (and my ex-boyfriend). Last night I almost left my house to walk over my local chinese food restaurant even though I wasn’t hungry. Somehow I was able to overcome the craving.
I think that we have to silence all the other noises so that we can really hear what’s good for us. Especially when we’re accustomed to questionable eating habits.
Alexia´s last [type] ..In Defense of Eating Out
Alexia your comment made me laugh. ;)
Weekends have ALWAYS been a struggle for me. In the beginning I used to sabatoge my weight loss all the time by eating everything in sight on the weekends and then not exercising.
To stop I had to super plan my weekends as far as food goes. If I kow I have a party I make sure to eat light all day so I can have a beer or other yummy party food. If I know I will just be sitting in the house I make sure to get some exercise in prior to me getting nice and comfy on my bed or couch.
Every weekend I have to do this. If anything I am more self aware on the weekends since in my head weekends mean automatic free for all. With that being said…sometimes my planning works sometimes it doesn’t. The fact that I am actively trying to rectify the issue keeps me moving.
Marsha from “A Weight Lifted” brings up an important point in her blog today. She writes: “We encourage our participants to eat regular, well-balanced meals that include richer components if they feel like they want them. But we also talk to them about the definition of “want.” If “want” only applies to how something tastes, we encourage them to expand the definition to include how they feel after eating. If we are in touch with how we feel, we can see that eating richer foods in excess doesn’t make us feel well. That’s a much more immediate gauge of whether we’re eating in a supportive manner, rather than what the scale tells us. The trick here is being in touch with our bodies. Many of us are so removed from that due to stressful, sedentary lifestyles and poor eating habits, that we don’t realize what feeling good feels like any more.”
And I have to say this really resonated with me because I have gotten to a point where if I eat just a little of the “wrong” food, I feel like crap. I’ve been chalking it up to age, but also to the fact that my body is now in balance…and it was out of balance for so damned long that I didn’t know the difference!! And when I say “the wrong food” I don’t mean it like “good” and “bad”…I mean “wrong” for my system. I used to be able to eat pretty much anything. Now I can’t and it’s not just a matter of a little weight gain, it’s a matter of feeling sick. When I used to hear others say that they felt sick after eating whatever, I thought “yeah right.” But now I know what they are talking about!
KCLAnderson (Karen)´s last [type] ..The Emperor’s New Clothes
I follow the same eating pattern most of the time, with only occasional deviations into the world of truly unhealthy. (Four or five meals a year? That sounds about right) Since I exercise 6 out of 7 days, I need the steady nutrition. And the odd brownie here or there for mental health. :)
Cammy@TippyToeDiet´s last [type] ..Dear Readers
I like that idea of needing steady nutrition for your workouts. And the brownie bit. ;)
Think about it this way: As a girlfriend, wouldn’t you want to demonstrate love to your partner 100% of the time? Or would you prefer 75% of them time?
Especially recently, I’ve really been considering how I love my body.
Alexia´s last [type] ..In Defense of Eating Out
I do indulge a little on the weekends but to be fair, my harder workouts are usually on the weekends too. I think it all balances out.
Lisa´s last [type] ..A Different Kind of Sunday Steak Night
I used to be in the camp of – okay, weigh-in is before lunch on Thursday – I’ll be good again on Monday. We also talked about weekends a few times in WW – if you aren’t good from Friday night through Sunday night, that is 7 meals which is 1/3 of the week. So needless to say, I have stopped using Thursday and Fridays as a reward- we used to do Pizza Fridays, but now I try to cook something normal since I currently do grocery shopping on Fridays. As for Saturday and Sunday, I’ve decided to allow myself 2 meals to go a little crazy with – preferably Saturday so I have 3-4 days for the sodium to go away and actually to lose weight. I really try to be on plan the rest of the meals on the weekend – doesn’t always work out, but if I am making somewhat of an effort, it is better than a free-for-all the whole time. And when I was working out, my short time doing it, Sunday mornings I am able to get get a long work out in.
I also want to add that, during the week I eat the exact same thing for breakfast, snacks and lunch. And I figure my dinners are pretty much the same calories from day to day. So I do like to mix things up on the weekend so my body isn’t so complacent with the same thing each and every day.
I can’t do that. Eating the exact same thing every day is torture for me. LOL. I have to play around and try different things. :)
All the time :-)
That’s just the way I roll.
I find that I can easily undo a week of being healthy with a weekend of being unaware. But I have decided I need to pick my battles – if I’m home and can fully control what I’m eating, then I should, but if I’m out with friends and family then I might as well go with the flow!
I am “ok” with letting myself eat pizza and burgers, because it is what I want to eat. I don’t have them everyday- but when I do I enjoy them guilt free!
I think it is important to do what is best for your body and that is exactly what you are doing :)!
Sana´s last [type] ..Siblings
I guess my answer to this question is all in how I define being “healthy.” So I’ll start there. For me, being healthy means giving my body everything it needs – lots of whole, healthy, nutritious food; plenty of water; good rest; quality exercise; etc. The eating part of that, for me, is about choosing foods that taste scrumptious and that fuel my body to do what I ask it to do on a daily basis (like running 5.64 miles andyeseveryhundredthofamilecounts). But I also view eating as a pleasure, and I think that’s healthy, too. So if the pleasure I want today is a square of dark chocolate, I eat it. If I am craving pizza, I eat it. All in moderation, though. I’ve found that, for me, limiting my less-than-perfectly-healthy food consumption to a moderate serving in the context of a day when my eats are overwhelmingly healthy, I don’t start craving that less-than-perfectly-healthy food more and more. Where if I eat too much of it, I do set off a craving cycle.
So that’s my $.02. I’m healthy all the time, because I believe including foods you love that may be less-than-perfectly-healthy, in moderation, balance, and harmony with my goals is, well, HEALTHY!
SeattleRunnerGirl´s last [type] ..Never Give Up or- Back to the Beginning – Guest Post
I try all the time…. however, the weekends are usually my problem.
Hey…. try to have fun in NZ!!
WeighDownSouth.com
Rob Dyess´s last [type] ..Exercise Will Improve Your LIFE!
I don’t eat fast food, but I do eat chinese food once in a while (youre right it is super salty) and burgers sometimes, but not from fast food places. And I have sugar/sweets as I want them. But mostly, I eat pretty healthy…no chemically stuff, etc. I don’t eat much differently during the week than I do on the weekend – sometimes I eat less on the weekend because I sleep later, and also because I’m busier. But I do not work out on the wekeends. So I guess I am less healthy during the weekend than the week. I just need a break from the routine though. Overall though I think I maintain a pretty balanced level of healthy/unhealthy throughout each day. I always wonder if the healthy things cancel out the unhealthy..
Yes, I have definitely realized that what I was doing was definitely not healthy for me and even if I tried to rationalize it, that it was hurting my body. That has been one case in particular in the recent past, and in that case, I just forced myself (with help from peer pressure) to straighten up and fly right lol. And I feel a lot healthier.
merri´s last [type] ..4 Yrs Ago- 8-22-06 Reno
I pretty much follow a healthy lifestyle all days. Even my treats as I know you don’t like that word but for me fine.. I have them on the weekend but the rest of the food is healthy like I normally eat during the week. I don’t go crazy very often & better for me as my stomach & bod attack me & I don’t like the way that feels…. bloated & sluggish & cramps from too much crap….
I do believe that many people undue what they have accomplished during the week by going too crazy on the weekend & then start over every Monday as they put back on what they lost…. you have to find the right balance.
Jody – Fit at 52´s last [type] ..Toning Shoes – The Good- The Bad- The Truth
first, i just gotta say, i love your attitude when it comes to the scale. i feel the same way: it’s just a tool, it lets you know where you’re at. but it doesn’t define you, and it doesn’t have any more power than what you give it. (amen!)
second, yeah, i’m definitely on a vicious cycle of being good all week, only to sabotage myself on the weekend. cuz if you think about it – say you have a deficit of 500 calories from Sunday to Thursday, that can easily be undone with 2 friday night cocktails! egads, why do they make those things so tasty? :)
Angela (the diet book junkie)´s last [type] ..do yoga- get happy
The weekday-weekend thing is something I think a lot about…I think I’m practicing healthy living during the week and less healthy living on the weekends…and sometimes unhealthy living.
It’s not like every weekend I plan to have a free-for-all, and I certainly don’t always end up doing it. But it does seem like at least one day every weekend I eat about 500 calories more than usual and the other day about 250 more. (I try to stick to about 1500-1600 each day.) This is how it’s been for the past six months and I’ve still lost about forty pounds, so I’m not incredibly concerned about changing my ways. I think because it’s always conscious…I’m always aware of what I’m eating, even when I am eating more than normal. And I always write everything down.
But that said, I see your point and can appreciate why you want to build 7-days-a-week routines. I want to try a bit harder to keep my weekend eating in check, too. There’s always something that I see I’ve eaten and I think, I really didn’t need that, even though I’m ok with overeating a bit.
janedog´s last [type] ..A very busy week
Sometimes I feel like I could try harder, yet sometimes I feel like I’m so preoccupied with that I ‘should be doing’ that I am no longer present in my own GD life. Where do you draw the line?
I’m trying to figure that out.
BodyByPizza´s last [type] ..Keeping It Classy
I tried to stay true all week, but yes, weekends are harder. I find it easier if I stuff myself with ealthy food first, before giving in on a “bad eating choice”. If I’m going to a restaurant, fine! But I eat an apple and a pear right before going there. Since I’m satisfied that way, I tend to order a more healthier choice, since I’m not that hungry to start with. It’s a very good strategy, try it some time!
Reinaldo´s last [type] ..We will survive
I usually stay true all week and most of the weekend if there is no party or something going on. I allow myself one “eat what you want”-day a week, but now after a while it doesn’t excite me as it used to and I rarely crave junk food anymore and I keep going back to my normal healthy foods :)
This year I learned a lesson about eating healthily. I was eating a lot of veggies and such and thought I was healthy. After a blood sample I learned that I had VERY high cholesterol and even though I thought I was eating the right foods I was not. It was a tough lesson to learn and I had to cut back on foods which were my favourite, but now I have learned to enjoy them in moderation.
A few months ago I realized that I wasn’t living the way I wanted to be living. I decided to start a blog dedicated to healthy living (conveniently called “The Healthy Living Project”). I have no idea what I’m doing. I was an okay cook and I ran sometimes, but having a blog has really kept me accountable and allowed me to work through the frustrations of not seeing weight loss. It didn’t start out as a weight loss blog, but being overweight and eating all kinds of terrible crap was the first thing that needed to change before I could accomplish other aspects of healthy living, such as running a 5K or planting a garden. I mean, I don’t need to be in tip-top shape to run a 5K but I at least need to be able to run around the block without wheezing like an asthmatic and having joint pain, ya know?
Denise´s last [type] ..a tactic