“I care more about how you respond this week, than the actual weekend itself” – is exactly what I tell my clients.
In the big scheme of things, one indulgent weekend every couple of months is going to have little to no impact on your fat loss progress. If, however, you decide to let that indulgent weekend roll into the next week and continue to eat like crap, a week of this will have a significant impact on your progress.
Periods of indulgence are always going to be present in your life, in some capacity. Birthdays, Christmas’, anniversaries etc, are pretty unavoidable. So, you’re best port of call is to firstly, understand how to manage these occasions better (you can do that here) and then, manage your response so that you’re able to get straight back into routine.
Here is the 3-step process I take my clients through:
Step 1: Ask yourself this; “What 3 things need to happen this week, for me to be able to look back on Sunday and feel proud of my week?”
Put pen to paper and physically note down what this might look like for you. Break this down into three actionable habits that you can work towards this week, for example;
1) Go for a 15 minute walk before work each morning
2) Take lunch to work 3x this week
3) Sub my usual takeaway on Friday for a home cooked meal
These should be three things that you can actually see yourself achieving, so don’t make them too difficult. The point is to give yourself something to work towards that will bring about a sense of achievement, not to be overcompensating for your weekend.
Step 2: Spend 10 minutes each evening making a plan for the next day
Go through the following;
- What time are you waking up?
- What form of movement are you doing tomorrow?
- What are your 3 main meals going to look like, roughly?
- If you need a snack, what are your options?
- What time will you aim to be in bed?
This is not designed to be a plan that you cannot deviate from. Sometimes life gets in the way and it’s important that you’re able to be flexible but, the more prior thinking you can do, the more likely you are to make choices you’re proud of. It’s as simple as that, don’t leave it to chance.
Step 3: Do not weigh yourself, nor take any other forms of physical progress measures
After a day or two of eating more than you’re used to, your weight will be up. Even though this is very unlikely to be fat gain, seeing a spike in weight on the scales on a Monday morning is not going to do your mental space any favours.
Instead, be conscious of where you focus your energy and where it’s going to make the most difference. Weighing yourself, doesn’t actually get you any closer to your goal. Planning your day and being conscious of the choices you make, will though.
Take at least a week off any physical progress measures and instead, channel your energy into what is actually going to produce the outcome you want when you next step on the scales.
If you found this helpful, please consider sending it over to a friend who may also benefit. Thank you in advance.
