Sunday Dilema

[readytogo]

Is Sunday the worst dieting day. A day of leisure often turns into a day of overeating and I am desperately trying not to undo all the good work of the previous 6 days. 3 lbs lost this week. Any tips?

[wirralrunner]

I know what you mean... try going out for a walk and banking some extra calories? Plan what you are going to eat. I'm having a chicken salad for lunch and strawberries and 1/2 fat creme fresh(can't wait - love cold roast chicken) Drink more water to keep you full and have a treat planned into the day. Good luck.

[Bkkbull in reply to wirralrunner]

hi

have you tried steaming a chicken breast ( skin removed), let it go cold and have with a salad. tastes great and fantastic for a diet

[readytogo]

I do try to plan in advance but then find myself thinking about food for endless hours and then feeling really hungry! I need to find a way of changing my Sundays and mind set. Thanks for the banking calories idea.

[bunblebeaz]

Hi readytogo,

Unless you are very overweight, then you have exceeded the recommended weekly weight loss already (1-2lbs per week). How long you have been on your weight loss regime also makes a difference as you tend to lose more in the first 1/2 weeks as your body adjusts to the changes you have made.

You probably need to find something to distract you if planning doesn't work. Get out and do some exercise and use the time off to do something you wouldn't have time for during the week. Boredom is my biggest threat - just so easy to reach for something out of the cupboard, but I have learned to stop that now (almost - yesterday was a little slip up)

Or, find a better alternative for the snacks and foods you might have. Rich tea biscuits are ~34cal ea, so 2 of those with a cup of tea won't break your calorie bank!

Have a look at week 4 of the NHS plan, it has information and tips on snacking.

nhs.uk/Livewell/weight-loss...

[Hidden]

Hi readytogo,

I'd pretty much agree with bundlebeaz - it sounds a tad like you're getting into 'boredom eating'. It's not actually 'comfort-eating' but the strategies for dealing with it are similar. You kind of put boundaries around it and distract yourself away or ensure it just can't happen by making sure the (wrong) things that you would munch on aren't there.

One other thought - which will perhaps sound rather severe and I genuinely don't mean it to - but try to steer yourself away from sweet, creamy fatty type snacks. I'm much more inclined to go for the more savoury.

So for example, I might buy a small pack of smoked salmon, some of the 'Philly' mini lite soft cheese things - I buy those because I always seem to chuck out most of a full size soft cheese tub when it's all gone green!

I then have some rice cakes with some lite soft cheese on them and a bit of smoked salmon - ably assisted by my trusty assistant (the dog) - with a bit of black pepper or similar on my bits. I might use up the salmon up over the course of a weekend or a few days. Or another one is a small tin of tuna mixed up with just a tad of lite mayonnaise and a couple of finely chopped cherry tomatoes on some Ryvita or similar biscuits. Again, it doesn't all have to be used in one hit. Or, share it, it there's someone else around to share it with.

The reason I'm saying that is because if you keep going for the sweet and creamy things, you'll encourage yourself to want more sweet and creamy things. If you go in the direction of the savoury / tangy, you won't find the sweet and creamy things so 'normal' and will effectively wean yourself off of them.

I'm not saying that necessarily applies to you personally, but I do think it's something to 'factor in' to the planning for anyone finding it a bit difficult.

And use the pepper and the chilli flakes, etc. Spice is the friend of the dieter.

Good luck.

[readytogo in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for these pointers. I have a lot to loose and am desparately trying to not give up at the first Sunday hurdle which has been the downfall of previous diets. I have also spent some time looking at other posts when I've felt tempted. So far so good!