Do you find it easy to keep on track during the week when you have the same routine, but weekends are a challenge? Can a couple of indulgent days really undo five days of hard work? The answer is yes, it can! It might not result in weight gain, but it can certainly slow your progress. The trick is to allow for extra calories at the weekend by careful planning, and being as healthy as possible on most days of the week. Live by the 80:20 rule – if you eat healthy 80% of the time, you can afford 20% to be more relaxed!
Plan ahead (you need to do this on Monday!)
Plan your week ahead being more mindful through Monday to Friday to enable a more relaxed weekend.
Lighter indulgence We don't believe in banning foods, so you can include some treats in your diet. But a way to stretch your calories further is to swap your weekend takeaway for one of our lovely lighter versions. You can feel like you're indulging, but without the hefty calorie tag. Try this Fake-away recipe Fish and chips
Fish and Chips
Serves 2 - 509 k cals per serving
Ingredients
350g potatoes
½ tbsp olive oil
1 medium egg, beaten
60g breadcrumbs
30g plain flour
2x 150g fresh haddock or cod fillets
Black pepper
150g frozen peas, thawed
2x wedges of lemon
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas mark 6.
Peel the potatoes and slice into equal chunky chip sized portions. Cook in an Air-fryer with ½ tbsp of olive oil, as per the instructions.**
Meanwhile, put the egg and breadcrumbs into 2 separate bowls.
Sprinkle the flour evenly over the fish, then coat with the egg, then the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over some pepper.
Place the fish on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, turning once.
When the fish and chips are 5 minutes from being done, steam or boil the peas for 5 minutes.
Serve the fish, chips and peas with a wedge of lemon.
**If you don't have an Air-fryer, par boil the potatoes for around 4-5 minutes, then evenly spread on a baking tray with a little Fry light and cook for 30 minutes.
Most supermarkets also tend to have lower calorie takeaway style ready meals that can hit the spot. M&S have a 'Count On Us Chicken & Vegetable Chow Mein ready meal which contains just 262 calories for example... leaving calories over for a treat dessert!
Fancy something more authentic? We know there will be times you'd rather reach for the takeaway menu. So if you're going for the 'real deal', just be smart with your ordering and pick the least calorific options. Here are our top tips:
Share! Cutting down on portion size is the simplest way to cut calories. Split the main dish and order extra veggies on the side.
Don't 'double carb'. Avoid having two portions of the starchy carbohydrate such as chips, rice, pasta, noodles etc.
Skip high fat dishes. These are meals containing ingredients such as cream, coconut milk, crème fraîche, cheese, butter, breadcrumbs or batter.
Healthier Chinese options include steamed dishes like Szechwan prawns, or prawns with ginger and spring onions. You should ideally always go for plain boiled rice (not fried) and only half a portion too.
For Indian takeaways, the best bets are always drier or tomato based (not creamy) dishes. Tandoori chicken and other grilled options tend to come with a salad pot on the side too.
Other tips
It's not just takeaways that can derail your diet at the weekend. Here are some other practical tips to help you stay on track.
Continue to weigh food. Do this during the week and at weekends. It will give you a good sense of where the excess calories are coming from – and might surprise you.
Think damage limitation. Don't slip into the mindset that once you've started over-doing it, you might as well carry on. The sooner you stop, draw a line and get back on track, the less impact your slip up will have.
Increase your exercise. That way you'll feel good and have a few more calories to play with.
Go easy on the booze. This might be your way to wind down at the weekend, but alcohol is often a trigger to get the munchies. So try and limit the volume – swap your usual tipple to a spirit and slim line mixer to save calories, or dilute your favourite drink e.g. white wine spritzer with more 'spritz' than wine.
Don't set yourself up to fail. If you don't buy the foods you binge on, then you can't eat them. Allow yourself some treats in the house but keep these out of sight. (And maybe don't buy your absolute favourite).
Load your plate right. Fill up your plate at every meal with veggies or salad first (half the plate), then choose a lean protein (quarter plate) and finally add a complex carbohydrate (quarter plate). The fuller you feel after a meal, the less likely you'll be to snack.
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