By: Tammy Hamilton
Weekends are typically the hardest part of the week when you’re trying to eat healthy. Many people do great during the week then erase all the progress they’ve made in 2 days of the weekend. Which can lead to feelings of failure and might make you want to throw in the towel. Don’t let that be you! Here are a few tips below to get you through your first weekend of the challenge:
Be prepared! Whether that be meal prepping or having your meals for the weekend written down on a piece of paper. Planning ahead will help you to stay on track. If you know you are going to go out to eat at a restaurant, look up their menu ahead of time and pick a healthy meal ahead of time.
Don’t let yourself get too hungry! Going too long between meals will make you more hungry and more likely to crave foods that are not approved. Make sure you are eating at least 3 meals a day with 2 snacks. Think about volume in your meals. Fill your plate with a lot of meat and veggies to fill you up. Snack on things like nuts, apple with almond butter or hard boiled eggs that will keep you more full.
Resist Alcohol! Not only because it isn’t allowed in the challenge, but alcohol causes you to have more cravings because it lowers your blood sugar. Which can lead to deviation from your approved foods…. which can then cause feelings of regret or failure and it can spiral from there.
If you find yourself having a hard time resisting certain foods or alcohol, I want you to think about why you signed up for the challenge. Thinking about your goals each day or even writing them down and sticking them somewhere that you will see each day can help you stay on track.
And most importantly, don’t be discouraged if you had a bad day. It happens! We are all human! Don’t throw in the towel because you had one unapproved meal. The most important thing you can do is dust yourself off and get back on track.