Do you binge on weekends?
On that note I hope you had a great long weekend this past week, but I wanted to bring up this topic because it is something that nearly all of my clients struggle with and this may sound very familiar to you to.
You are "good" all week, painfully exercise "discipline" and "control" and then Friday night comes along. You secretly long for it and dread it at the same time....
Here are the two main reasons you binge on the weekend....
1. YOU HAVE AN ALL OR NOTHING MINDSET
When you’ve lost weight in the past (temporarily), you exercised a lot of discipline and control. Each time you rebound and put the weight back on you assume that the problem is a lack of discipline and a lack of self control.
So you decide that the solution must be even greater levels of control! So you get even stricter, even more precise, even more tightly controlled. Which of course creates even greater levels of internal pressure, stress and a greater sense of scarcity, all leading to an even more severe rebound.
And so the cycle continues…
Excessive restriction and control > rebound > even tighter control > even greater rebound!
DOES ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU???
The rebound is most likely to happen when you encounter values that come into conflict with your goals. E.g. your values for comfort and relaxation, or your values for socialising, connection and fun (which there is noting wrong with by the way!)
For most people that’s on the weekend. They have no idea how to switch off, relax, or have fun without excessive indulgence or binging.
Hence the weekend rebound!
2. DIETING MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE MISSING OUT (FOMO!)
Most people go on a diet because it’s the lesser of two evils:
“I hate being overweight, but I also hate dieting. Which one do I hate the least? I’ll suffer through that one!”
Either way you’re hating life!
This happens because people have no idea what they actually want. If you ask them what they want, they’ll tell you what they DON’T want. They don’t want to feel fat, self conscious, embarrassed, etc. It’s all a list of things they want to get rid of, or “not feel” anymore.
The only times they really feel any serious motivation are when these negative emotions get so bad they can’t tolerate it anymore.
That type of emotional pain is great to kickstart somebody into action at the beginning. But of course it’s unsustainable long term because the source of motivation is you hating the whole process. It’s not based on ADDING value to your life, only taking away.
So, come the weekend you desperately feel like you’re missing out. Missing comfort, missing variety, missing stimulation, or whatever emotional associations you’ve created with food.
Then comes Sunday night you feel guilty and like you’ve let yourself down. You DON’T want to feel like a failure. You DON’T want to feel like you’re out of control. You DON’T want to keep struggling with your body.
So you “start again on Monday” - chasing the elimination of what you don’t want, what you don’t like, and what you want to get rid of.
It’s something you feel you HAVE to do, or SHOULD do. It’s not something you WANT to do.
So the FOMO builds throughout the week, and then your brain rebels against the whole process at the weekend.....
QUESTION... Are You Ready to make a change?
TO STOP DOING THE SAME STUFF THAT DOESN’T WORK AND "HOPING" FOR A DIFFERENT RESULT!
I have 2 one one on coaching spots available for June. This 12 week program can be done in person or online, it can be just about nutrition or the whole package of personalized training and nutrition.
When these 2 spots are full, they are gone, so if you want to get started, now is the time. Fill out my no commitment application for coaching and let's let up a call to make sure this program is right for you.
Now is the time to get the health and fitness you have always wanted.
Comments