Weekend overeating happens. It’s nothing to be ashamed about. And generally speaking, as long as you’re active and making smart nutrition choices during the week, you can afford to indulge a bit on the weekend.
But if this is a recurring pattern for you — enough that you’re troubled by it — then I’d like to share a short but effective exercise you can try to help get to the bottom of it.
You see, overindulging on the weekend — or any time, really — doesn’t happen randomly or by accident. There’s always a reason for our behavior, and there are usually circumstances that lead to it.
There’s also a cycle related to this behavior, and it goes something like this:
You’re feeling stressed, anxious or upset.
You overeat.
You feel guilty or ashamed for overeating.
You vow to do better.
You go all-in with an overly restrictive routine that isn’t sustainable.
You start feeling stressed, anxious or upset again …
…. And, the cycle repeats.
The next time this happens, notice the circumstances surrounding the episode of overeating or overdrinking. Take stock of the people who were around, and what you were doing.
Look for patterns, and be curious about them.
Notice some common themes and patterns.
“Every time I have a work deadline, I reach for the wine …”
“Hmmm, every time my mom calls, I go straight for the ice cream …”
“I do great from Monday-Thursday, but as soon as Friday hits, watch out …”
Once you identify your triggers, you can brainstorm some strategies for addressing them.
Don’t be frustrated if it takes some time to identify your triggers and come up with some solutions. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that breaking the overeating cycle is simpler than you think.