Going Off Plan

Pushing The Fu*t It Button

You know exactly what happens every weekend, but you keep pretending it’s a mystery.

You nail your food Monday to Friday, stick to your calories, feel like you’ve finally cracked it…

Then the weekend hits, and suddenly it’s takeaway, drinks, snacks, brunch, and the classic “oh well, I’ll start again Monday.”

The problem isn’t that weekends exist—it’s that you don’t have a plan for them.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: you can wipe out an entire week’s deficit in two days—without even trying.

Why Weekends Stall Fat Loss

Fat loss happens over weeks, not days. It doesn’t matter how “good” Monday to Friday looks if your weekend wipes out the progress you made.

Most people “diet” Monday to Friday and then hope for the best on Saturday and Sunday.

Here’s what actually happens:

Stick to calories Monday–Friday → deficit created

Overeat Saturday–Sunday → deficit erased

Add a couple of high-calorie meals → best case you’re back at maintenance, worst case you’re now in a calorie surplus!

You don’t need to be in a deficit every day, but your weekly average determines progress.

That’s why understanding your calorie target matters. (We cover that on the next one)

How to Handle Weekends Without Wrecking Your Progress

1. Use Calorie Banking (The Sensible Kind)

Drop 100–200 calories per day Monday–Friday to free up 500–1,000 calories for the weekend.

Example:
Daily target: 2,000 calories
Monday–Friday: eat 1,800 (save 200 per day)
Saturday–Sunday: you now have an extra 1,000 calories to work with

You stay in a weekly deficit, and your weekends feel flexible rather than chaotic.
Most Push Pull Health clients use this strategy without even noticing — it makes weekends feel normal instead of stressful.

2. Stop “Saving Calories” for a Binge

Starving all day so you can go wild at night is not a strategy—it’s sabotage.

It leads to:

Overeating because you’re ravenous
Poor decisions because you’re too hungry to think straight
One meal undoing your entire week

Eat normally during the day. Don’t arrive at dinner already defeated.

3. Pre-Decide What’s Actually Worth It

Not every weekend needs to turn into a buffet.
Ask yourself:
What do I genuinely want to enjoy?
What’s just mindless eating?
What’s worth the calories—and what isn’t?

Do you need the wine and dessert?

Enjoy the foods that matter. Skip the stuff you only eat out of boredom or habit.

Your Task for Today

Look at how your weekends typically go—are they helping you or holding you back?
Try calorie banking this week and see how it changes your weekends.
Decide what’s actually worth the calories vs. what you eat on autopilot.

On the next one: How Many Calories Do I Actually Need?

Want Weekend Flexibility Without Losing Progress in Herne Bay or Whitstable?

If you want to enjoy your weekends and your goal is to lose weight, tone up and strip belly fat, here’s where to start.

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Regular check-ins. To keep you motivated outside of the gym as you adapt to your new routine.
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