How to Stop Binge Eating on the Weekends — Registered Dietitian Columbia SC

Back when I was a new dietitian, I tried really hard to practice what I preached. I thought my approach to nutrition was healthy and balanced because I wasn’t counting calories or cutting out food groups, but in hindsight, I was unknowingly struggling with some orthorexic tendencies.

One of the ways I tried to navigate enjoying the foods I loved while still being healthy (at least, what I thought was healthy at the time), was to save up “splurges” for the weekend. I would plan my meals and eat clean during the week, and that way I could enjoy socializing and all my favorite fun foods on the weekend without feeling guilty. In my mind, this seemed like a totally rational and balanced way to approach food.

As you might imagine, that didn’t work out so hot. Weekends turned into a giant “cheat meal.” Friday through Sunday, I stuffed myself with all the foods I avoided during the week. Then the guilt I felt for being so out of control fueled me to try and be extra “good” during the week, which of course left me feeling deprived yet again when the next weekend rolled around.

I thought I was being healthy by limiting the foods I viewed as unhealthy to the weekends, but in reality, I was anything but. I felt tired, anxious, struggled to focus, and was plagued with reflux and abdominal pain during the week, a pain I now recognize as intense hunger. On the weekends, I didn’t feel much better. My relationship with food was crap, even though I thought of myself as a flexible eater because I technically wasn’t dieting and allowed myself to eat all the foods I enjoyed.

Sound familiar?

Why Do I Struggle With Binge Eating On the Weekends?

With less structure and more socializing, balance and nutrition tend to take a back seat on the weekends. That’s OK! It’s very normal for eating patterns to shift from the weekday to weekends, and not something you need to worry about. Remember, humans are designed to be flexible with food.

However, for many people, weekends are a time they are more vulnerable to binge eating and feeling out of control around food. Quick note: eating “bad” foods or overeating isn’t necessarily a binge. While the definition of a binge is a bit subjective, it’s commonly defined as eating a quantity of food much larger than one would typically eat in a specific period of time to the point of uncomfortable fullness, followed by intense, and sometimes debilitating shame and guilt.