Are you 5 days “perfect” followed by 2 days of anything goes?

When 5pm Friday rolls around, is it “party time with the pantry”, time to unwind with a few (dozen) beers or glasses of wine?

“Oh, c’mon man, it’s the weekend, it’s meant to be enjoyed!”

Friday is like the gateway drug to the weekend!

And, perhaps you might even have a social circle that supports and encourages this type of behavior.  Whether it’s “wine o’ clock” with the girls, or beers with the boys, it’s pretty understandable why this happens.

Modern life is stressful and often frustrating.  We feel trapped, pressured, stressed, controlled … almost like being in a straitjacket, and when the weekend comes, it’s time to blow off steam, unwind and throw all restrictions to the wind.

What’s really going on here? Can we do anything to overcome this?

1. THE WEEKDAYS:
Be a bit flexible with your nutrition throughout the week. Resist the urge to slash calories and restrict yourself from your favorite foods Monday — Friday. This doesn’t accelerate progress, it only leads to overcompensation. What to do instead?Find ways to incorporate your favourite foods into your eating each week. Overeating is an indication that you’re feeling deprived

2. FOOD IS NOT THE ENEMY:
Avoid placing moral/emotional labels on food choices. (Good/bad/clean/dirty) You are not a “bad” person if you ate a piece of birthday cake in the break room

3. YOU DON’T NEED TO “CHEAT”:
Eliminate “cheat” days. Words like “cheat,” “deserve,” and “live a little” are used by people who feel deprived. When you eat nourishing foods that you enjoy on a daily basis, you never need to feel deprived or the need to “reward” yourself

4. ASK WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON?
Identify the real reason why you’re overeating. Overdoing it at meal time generally means you’re looking for a mental/emotional escape to numb or diminish an uncomfortable feeling

Resilience is built when we can face uncomfortable feelings. Allow yourself to feel all the feelings, instead of using food as a crutch to avoid dealing with what’s really upsetting you

5. BE KIND AND PATIENT WITH YOURSELF:
This is hard stuff. Particularly if you’re trying to undo years of poor dietary behavior and habits

Don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake. You always have your next meal to get it right