I do great all week.  I can lose 3 - 4 pounds from Monday to Friday morning.  Come the next Monday morning I've gained back at least 2 of the pounds I've lost throughout the week.  I am a 3/4 time student and am home during the day, but for some reason when the weekend comes it throughs me off my schedule and I can't seem to get in my exercise time and all the veggies I normally eat during the week.  Any suggestions of how to stay the course through the weekend?

The biggest problem with weekends is that you might be out more and away from the foods that you might consider safe. I find my best bet is to get up early( 6AM ) and take my dog for a nice walk---that way I know I have done something for myself and for him. I then get on the alli site and plan, then eat, my meal for breakfast, and plan my snacks. I have a small soft cooler which I then pack with the food that I will need for my snacks. My husband and daughter have left lunch and dinner suggestions up to me since they are able to be  more flexible, although my daughter will often follow my lead (she has grown up loving healthy food and hates junk food to a degree). Saturday is our food shopping day and I know approximately where we will be, so I plan accordingly and do bring my shuttle with my alli in it--both the lunch and dinner dose in case of emergency. Dinner on a Saturday is usually Chinese/Japanese, and I bring my Healthy Eating Guide with me to help guide me in making my choices. Sunday we can be almost anywhere and that is where the Healthy Eating Guide really comes into play for me. For instance, if I am visiting my in-laws I get together with my other sister-in-law and we decide who will bring what since she, too is on alli. This is how I deal with the weekend, but then I don't know what you are facing. If you could be more specific me or someone else might be more able to help you. Anyway, you are free to add me to your circle and pick my brain---I have 8 neices and nephews who do it anyway, and I would be more than happy to add one more.

Debbie

I have that problem as well, because it seems like every weekend, my husband wants to eat out more often. And with him purchasing that fast food and bringing it home, it makes it more difficult for me to avoid temptation. 95% of the time, I can be good and not indulge in any of the junk food brought home, but once in a while, I give in, and have a few fried tortilla chips w/ salsa. I just have to make sure I don't overdo it, since my check-in day is on Mondays; and all that hard work that I've been doing throughout the week won't be outdone by the weekend temptations. What I find that helps me on the weekends is trying to stay busy (ex.- doing housework, playing with my daughter, or exercising.) I know it may seem cliche, but it really helps me. By the time I do those things, it takes my mind off being hungry. Also, keep plenty of healthy snacks in the fridge (carrot sticks w/ low or no fat ranch dressing, apple slices, low-fat string cheese, etc.), so when you absolutely must have something to snack on, at least it's something healthy. Watch out for activities that may "trigger" you to eat (watching t.v. show marathons on weekends really makes me want to snack.) Hope this helps.

Crystal 

 Thank you both for the suggestions. I think these will be very helpful.  My issue is that after cooking all week, I don't want to cook on the weekends, and my husband likes to take me out to eat so I don't have to cook.  I try to make healthy choices but still tend to go over my total fat for the day.  Where did you get the healthy eating guide?  Did it come in the starter kit?  I can't find mine if it did.  I've been taking Alli for about 3 months now and I've lost about 15 pounds.  If I didn't slip on the weekends it would be much greater.  I've added both of you to my favorites so we can help each other...

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Leslie

Hi Leslie,

Try to set a different plan for the weekends that will allow for some extra calories when you eat out and not require that you cook too much. There is no one "right" way to do this so it's fine to have a different weekend and weekday plan. One option is to use meal replacement bars and/or shakes during the day with fruit or salad with them. These are quick and portion and calorie controlled. Another option is to use frozen meals with some added veggies on the side. Frozen veggies, premade salads, and vegetable soup are fast and easy ways to get your veggies in. These options will give you balanced meals with fewer calories so that your meal out can have some additional calories. You can go to www.calorieking.com to look up the nutrition information for many restaurants and fast food. It's always good to look ahead of time to see if the choices that you are making are worth the calories.

Does all of this make sense?

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD

 Betty,

Thank you for the great suggestion.  I will try to get in more fruits and veggies during the day, so in the evening I'm not "blowing" it by not having as many.  This should work out great.  I'll try starting this weekend.

Leslie