This is a holiday that you want to Navigate through with control. You do not want to play around with it because what follows Memorial Day Weekend? … SUMMER! This is a holiday that when it’s over — it’s really just beginning. The very last thing you want to do is throw away everything you have worked so hard for. And we all know it doesn’t take much to do that. Listen, I would love to tell you that you can go and enjoy your weekend and not worry about your plan— go ahead and eat whatever you want, life’s short. But you can’t because you will not only gain the weight back you will be miserable come Tuesday morning. Not only will you be miserable, I can guarantee if I asked you to tell me what was so amazing that you ate you wouldn’t be able to tell me. Because truthfully, if anything is amazing that you “NEED OR WANT” then you will have it on your Cheat Day.
Having fun, celebrating and doing all the things you want to do this weekend can be done without over eating. You need to have a plan and stick to it. Because if you don’t and you try and wing it I can promise you that Tuesday morning will come around and you will be miserable looking for some quick fix (that doesn’t exist) to make it all better. Instead, let’s try to do the right thing that will work for you this whole weekend.
DRINKING: If you are drinking — and it’s not water— you save your snacks for the alcohol. If you know that you lose control after two then only sip one through the day or night. OR have two far apart with lots of water in between. Losing control with the alcohol is not good for you, your weight loss or the people trying to enjoy the party around you. If you want to be the talk of the party then make sure the only thing they are talking about is how great you looked.
It’s a long weekend and it will be a challenge. But you constantly have to remind yourself what you want and how you want to feel come Tuesday Morning. here are some easy options to follow:
ONE CHEAT DAY: If you want to continue to lose this weekend and treat it like its any other weekend then you will have ONCE CHEAT DAY and you will be very mindful through the other days. You will go and have fun and enjoy and do all the right things like it’s any other day that you are celebrating with family and friends that you love. But you will not eat like it’s a cheat except for one day over the weekend. It is very doable and you will continue to lose and continue to feel great if you follow this.
MAINTAIN: Do you want to maintain through the holiday weekend? Maintain can be tricky because you need to know your boundaries. You choose to eat clean all day and only go off for dinner and dessert or dinner and drinks or just drinks. Remember, just because it’s a cheat doesn’t mean you can’t order a beautiful clean fish and steamed vegetables OR a grilled chicken on the bbq with a garden salad — and enjoy either your drink or ice cream. Cheats don’t have to be all out cheats. They are supposed to be special. Make sure you are cheating on things you love and miss. Never cheat just to cheat. If you follow this and do it Friday, Saturday, Sunday OR Saturday, Sunday, Monday — then you will maintain and when Tuesday morning comes you will feel like you stayed in control and you are not starting over but just continuing on to your weight loss week. After the weekend you give yourself a solid week of being back on program and by the next weigh in you will be the same number as the week before.
GAIN: Do you want to gain through the holiday weekend? This sounds like a question that should have an easy answer. But what is really disturbing is that it’s even easier to gain than it sounds. You can’t have a Cheat Day and then cheat meals. You can’t have cheats through out the weekend with no plan and you can’t do a Cheat Day and then a bunch of taste this and hand full of that. Trust me — you will think you weren’t that bad— when in fact you were really really bad. We all forget after the damage is done. When it comes to weight gain I can promise you that if you are overdoing it every day and lose control you will gain weight and it may be more than you can imagine.
What you need to do is know what your plan is and stick to it. Don’t be influenced by those around you. Always remember no one knows how hard have worked and what your goals are. You know it and I know it, and if you want to reach your goals you have to stay strong and stick to the plan. make sure you have what you need with you to stay on program. Make sure you are ready for the sabotages (including you sabotaging you), and make sure you know your triggers and be prepared for them when they are in front on you. No one is going to have to live with Tuesday Morning but you.
MOST IMPORTANT – don’t set yourself up. If you don’t want it and you don’t need it — SAY NO AND WALK AWAY.
LOOK AROUND YOU AND BE INSPIRED by those who make their health, body, and mind a priority.
THIS WEEKEND YOU NED TO PROVE TO YOURSELF how strong you are and what really matters to you AND that you can have fun, enjoy what’s around you— without it always being about food.
IT ALWAYS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE UNTIL IT’S DONE.
~LOVE TO LIVE HEALTHY WITH JOSEPHINE FITZPATRICK
