"Free" Meals

Many people plan "free meals" on the weekend, and that's fine, but don't allow yourself to get carried away.

Often times people use "all-or-none" thinking, meaning that if they are going to go out to eat and get a burger, they decide they might as well get extra cheese, fries, mayo, soda or beer, etc. While you could still enjoy the burger, strike a healthier balance without getting out of control. Instead, ask for your burger without cheese or mayo, have soup or salad instead of fries, diet soda or water, etc. Ask the waiter to bring your salad first (in lieu of fries) and go ahead and box up half of the burger. This way you'll begin getting full with the salad and the first half of the burger will be more than enough.

Whenever you feel you've "cheated," -LET IT GO!
Enjoy it and then get right back on track.
Far too often people say, "I'll just enjoy myself now and then start over on Monday." Instead, have a "modified cheat meal", (I prefer the term "free meal"), by ordering what you want, but make simple, small changes to eliminate the unnecessary unhealthy "extras", and then get right back on track with your healthy, planned eating.

With the right mindset and a little extra effort and planning, you can turn weekends into an enjoyable experience, and still take steps towards achieving your goals.