This is what happens when you stop weekend binges and eat food you love all week

Which of these scenarios describes you? A) I eat healthy foods during the week, but on the weekends I eat things that are bad for me. B) I eat healthy and fun foods every day of the week.

For most people, scenario A is real life. You eat healthy all week and then feel like you deserve to treat yourself over the weekend, right? It sounds like that is balance. But it’s not. 

Unfortunately, eating well over the week and not caring over the weekend is actually considered binge eating. And that back and forth is what’s causing you to lose all your progress and even gain weight. 

Let’s dive into why weekend binges make you gain weight and how to avoid the need to eat whatever you want on the weekends. (Hint: it’s about ditching restriction and finding daily balance!)

What weekend binges do to your health

First, binges mess with your metabolism, and not in a good way! We all want to boost our metabolism and there are ways to kickstart it with more food, but binging every weekend doesn’t work.

Your body craves consistency. And usually, when you’re restricting calories during the week and then eating whatever you want on the weekend you’re creating too big of a calorie gap.

Your body is constantly shifting between deprivation and excess and it doesn’t know how to handle that. Your body doesn’t know if it’s going to have enough energy to perform all of the tasks it needs to do during the week, so it holds onto the extra calories you’re eating over the weekend, just in case it needs them later. And all of that is causing weight gain, instead of boosting weight loss.

I’m not saying that you need to restrict your calories all the time because that has drawbacks too. Instead, you need to learn how to eat for your goals - including knowing when to eat less and when to eat more.

Change your weekend mindset and eat food you love all week

Instead of restricting yourself all week and then giving in to every temptation on the weekend, what if you found a way to eat something fun every day? That way it didn’t feel like you’re always having to say no, or like everything you eat tastes like dirt.

Good news, mama! That’s what balanced eating looks like. Balanced eating means having fun food and “healthy” food as a part of every day!

Your body needs certain nutrients to function at its best: protein, fat, and carbs. Yes, carbs are essential! If you try to cut one of those groups out, which traditional dieting encourages, then your body can’t function like it’s supposed to.

So yes, you should eat lean meats, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats, but there’s also room for fun foods!

When I first started out on my macro-tracking journey, I was astounded when my coach told me to eat the ice cream bar or the bagel I’d been craving! She explained that the more I restricted myself the more miserable I would be. Instead of telling myself I couldn’t have certain foods, and then binge them in secret, she explained I just needed to be accountable for all the food I ate.

If that meant I ended my night with an ice cream sandwich, then I just needed to balance out the rest of my day with healthier, more nutritious choices.  

Food doesn’t have to be the enemy anymore! Food is a mental and physical part of our health. Sometimes you’re going to eat super nutritious food if you’re working toward big goals. And sometimes you’re going to eat food that improves your mental health. 

Fun foods like cookies, ice cream, chips or whatever your favorite indulgence is, are perfectly fine to eat in moderation. I teach my clients to use the 90/10 rule with fun foods. For the most part, you should eat healthy, whole foods, but every now and then indulging in a cookie isn’t going to hurt your weight loss goals.

How to find balance for yourself

Everyone has different nutritional needs, which is what makes balanced eating so difficult. We can’t say that all women need X calories in a day because every woman’s body reacts differently. 

Inside my Macros Made Easy Program, I teach busy mamas how to understand all of the factors that go into setting calorie and macro goals. The biggest factors that play into how much food you need are:

  • Starting weight

  • Age

  • Gender

  • Activity level

  • Likes and dislikes

  • Medications

  • Diet history

Then, the next step is to start tracking your food. I don’t mean, tracking how much you think you should be eating. I’m talking about tracking the amount of food you’re currently eating. 

This is a huge step that a lot of programs and diets miss. But I’ve seen more success when I start mamas with where they’re at and work them to where they need to be rather than making them start where they should be.

Once you know where you’re at you can start making progress toward your goals.

If you need help learning how to get out of restriction diets and start eating a balanced diet, then let’s chat!

For the past decade, I've helped women shed 40-65 lbs without resorting to shakes, pills, shots, or sacrificing their love for food. I’ve also helped women let go of food guilt and shame while achieving their weight loss goals.
I can help you too! Schedule a free Healthy Mama Blueprint Call and we can chat about the fastest, most efficient ways to help you reach your goals!

Krista Moreland