Do weekends sabotage your weight-loss plan? These 5 weekend-weight-loss tips help you stay focused on your goals

Joanna Kriehn, MS, RDN, CDCES - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)

These five tips tailored to weekends will ensure you don't skip a beat with your weight loss. You'll see how it is possible to stay on track with your healthy lifestyle AND have an enjoyable weekend.

Tip 1: Continue logging to stay on track with weekend weight loss

Weekends mean relaxed schedules and additional opportunities for socializing, usually gathering around food and drink. Eating out can be a menu minefield with oversized portions tempting you to overeat mindlessly as you catch up with others in conversation. Next thing you know, you missed your clues and cues and feel far too full.

Avoid any surprise calorie bombs by tracking your food and drink choices. Whether you choose to look up foods before ordering or quickly tabulate a meal right after you've eaten, knowledge is a powerful tool to keep you aware of your choices and how they impact your budget.

Tip 2: Snack smart to make alcohol work with weekend weight loss

Do you look forward to enjoying an adult beverage over the weekend but hesitate when you're trying to lose weight? Most alcoholic drinks are high in calories, yet more importantly, the snacking that goes along with them can set you back.

Since alcohol dulls your sensation of feeling full, you may overdo it when eating and drinking together. If you like meeting friends for happy hour, consider eating a healthy snack before you go. This way, you'll be less hungry and also less likely to overeat fried foods or other high-calorie snacks. Not sure what to eat before you head out? Consider these snacks containing 150 calories or less. For additional information on alcohol and weight loss, click here.

Tip 3: Find other ways to socialize without food and drink as the focus

Many social gatherings automatically revolve around food and drink, yet it is not a given. Think outside the box and suggest alternate ways to connect with friends and family. Perhaps they also want creative ways to manage their weight and will appreciate your suggestions. Consider meeting a friend for a walk at a park or schedule a family trip to the zoo. How about training together for a 5K walk or fun run?

Search the web to sign up for a class together: knitting, learning to play an instrument, line dancing, or yoga. If your friends are not interested in other activities, consider going solo. Chances are you'll meet others who also value life-long learning. These are just a few examples of something new to try less centered around eating and drinking.

Tip 4: Maintain a positive mindset to support weekend weight loss

Our thoughts impact our actions, and in turn, our actions affect our outcomes. Pay attention to your thoughts and question whether they move you closer to your weight-loss goals or further away. Reframing or challenging your thoughts when they come up can impact how you feel about yourself. So, reframe sabotaging thoughts to inspire you to keep moving forward with your weight-loss efforts.

Here's how reframing thoughts might look when it comes to weekend eating.

Thought: "I deserve to eat whatever I want this weekend. I had a tough week, and I deserve to treat myself."

Reframe: "I deserve to be healthy and happy, now and in the future. I will find a way to reward myself that doesn't undo my efforts."

Reframe: "I am going to reward myself today with beer and pizza. I'll enjoy one slice and a salad and sip my beer slowly. I deserve to enjoy this special treat and look forward to refocusing tomorrow."

For more tips on self-talk and a healthy lifestyle, click here.

Tip 5: Adjust your goal to weight maintenance instead of weight loss

Is your weekend stacked with social events? Permit yourself to enjoy the occasion and the drinking and noshing that comes along with it. Saying yes to indulgences and accepting that you'll go over budget occasionally is a healthy long-term habit when it comes to managing your weight.

Long-term weight management and a healthy relationship with food do not mean you must strictly diet all the time. If you indulge over the weekend, the scale may not reflect a loss on Monday morning, but you haven't completely "blown it," either. Get back on track as soon as you can and move on.

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