Do This To Stay Within Your Macro Goals On The Weekend

Life is busy, unpredictable, and unstructured, especially on the weekend. That’s when most of our healthy habits fall apart.

We skip breakfast and sub in an extra cup of coffee. Lunch is a whirlwind, so we throw on three boxes of macaroni and cheese to quiet the kids and our hungry stomachs. Between errands, we swallow a granola bar that has more sugar than a Reese’s Cup.

By the time we join our friends at the restaurant for dinner, a salad’s not going to cut it. Chips, queso, and one burrito the size of a baby later, and we’ve blown past our macro goals (and our jeans button).

Lack of structure and eating out are the two battering rams against your health plans. Thankfully, they’re super easy to address, with these two steps. 

1. Create Structure for Success

One simple habit that can help you stick to your goals on the weekend is to set up meal times that you aim to follow every day.

Let’s say that you (like my clients and me when we’re in a season of weight loss) focus mainly on (1) hitting your protein goals and (2) staying in a caloric deficit.

Here’s an example. Let’s say that, in a season of weight loss, you’re aiming to eat at least 120 grams of protein and under 1700 calories each day.

Every day, whether it’s Monday or Sunday, you should eat:

• 40 grams of protein and around 550 calories between 8am and 10am
• 40 grams of protein and around 550 calories between 12pm and 2pm
• 40 grams of protein and around 550 calories between 6pm and 8pm

Following a meal schedule of three solid meals a day with less snacking will make food choices on the weekend much easier.

Your schedule may the same every weekend or it might have to change based on your weekend activities. Either way, a little planning, like you do for the week, can make all the difference.

Think about your weekend to come. What do you have going on? What’s going to prevent me from hitting your protein and calorie goals?

Let’s think of a weekend-friendly schedule that’s easy to follow:

Breakfast: Between 8am and 10am

Breakfast is a powerful meal. It points you in the right or wrong direction for the rest of the day. If you start your day tossing back a pop tart, you’ll struggle to turn the ship around and hit your health goals.

A healthy, balanced breakfast, on the other hand, wakes up your body and your mind, giving you the fuel and energy you need to make great choices the rest of the day.

But on Saturday morning, you often are burnt out by kitchen duty throughout the week. You know yourself—you want something you can grab out of the fridge or cabinet on the weekend. So, you plan ahead to eat this no-cook protein breakfast that has 40 grams of protein and 375 calories:

• Coffee or tea with 1 scoop Collagen
• 1 cup Low-Fat Greek Yogurt
• 1 cup berries
• ⅓ cup Hemp Yeah! Granola

Lunch: Between 12pm and 2pm

With a solid breakfast under your belt, your energy and mood carry you all the way to lunch. It’s time to fuel up with satiating food that’ll carry you to dinner.

The only problem? You don’t know where you’ll be mid-day on Saturday. You and the family didn’t come up with a plan. That means you could be home, running errands, or at the playground.

An on-the-go lunch is what you need. So, before you head out the door, you grab this lunch that has 46 grams protein and 685 calories:

• 3 servings (the whole bag) bagged salad
• 1 cup chopped rotisserie chicken

Dinner: Between 6pm and 8pm

You’ve noticed a pattern on the weekends: for dinner, you’re either eating out, ordering in, or baking up a frozen pizza. It’s the time of the week you’re least likely to be found hunched over the stove.

That means your weekly meal plan needs to include a little-to-no-cook dinner that fits your macro and calorie goals. Crock Pot and Insta Pot recipes, tray bakes, pre-cooked meals, or one pot soups are excellent options on the weekend.

You plan ahead, and pick a no-cook dinner that’ll give you 40 grams protein, 580 calories:

• 1 cup snow peas
• 4.4 oz steamed white rice
• 1 serving Thai-Style Chicken

Try creating weekend structure this month. Set up a schedule, stick to it the best you can, reduce snacking and meal skipping. I promise, your overall consistency will be so much better.

2. Pick Your Order on Friday

Weekends are a special time to kick back with friends and family, but that doesn’t mean your health goals have to take a backseat. Knowing where you’re going to eat and planning your choices in advance can make all the difference.

Eating out is inevitable for many of us, especially when you have kids with picky appetites. But when you anticipate those meals, you can make smarter decisions that align with your goals.

Start by making a list of your top five go-to restaurants. Most establishments provide nutritional information on their websites, so take a few moments to research their menus. Identify meals that are around 500-600 calories and pack at least 30 grams of protein. This preparation will empower you to make informed choices when the moment arrives.

I love sharing my go-to orders at popular restaurants. They’ve made it easy and stress-free to navigate menus with confidence and enjoy eating out with friends and family.

Watch these quick videos to find:

• Macro-Friendly Meals from Panera
• My Go-To Order from Chipotle
• Amazing Options from Firehouse Subs
• My Top Picks at Chick-Fil-A
• The Macro-Friendly Bowl from Moe’s

With these go-to options in mind, you can grab a meal on the go without tossing your weight loss goals to the curb. If you make plans to meet up at the local burger joint with friends Saturday night, check out the menu on Friday. Look for their nutrition information, and plan what you’ll order ahead of time.

If you do find yourself at a restaurant without prior planning, don’t hesitate to ask for modifications. Most places are happy to accommodate requests for healthier swaps, like substituting fries for a side salad or asking for sauces on the side.

Walk Into the Weekend With Confidence

Take all the concerns and worry out of eating out and staying on track. With practice, you can walk into any weekend and know you can reach your nutrition goals. It all comes down to a schedule and a little planning.