Think of the week and the weekend has two different games.
Game #1 - Monday Lunch -> Friday Lunch
- A total of 9 meals excluding breakfast
Game #2 - Friday Dinner -> Sunday Dinner
- A total of 5 meals excluding breakfast
*I exclude breakfast because in my experience, more often than not, breakfast isn’t the thing that holds people back the most. It’s lunch and dinner. But if breakfast is holding you back, then add that into the mix as well.*
What happens is a lot of people create a game plan for Game #1. They know when they’re going to the grocery store; they know what they’re going to cook and have for meals; and they have a predictable schedule.
When Game #2 rolls around, it’s a different story. They have very little food left in their house; they’re flying by the seat of their pants; and their schedule is less structured.
A lot of people have a plan for Monday - Friday but not for Friday - Sunday.
But creating a game plan for Game #2 is critical.
The first part of your game plan should be a second grocery trip.
In my experience, I’ve found that a second grocery trip during the week is massively important.
Oftentimes, the grocery trip at the beginning of the week goes well but by the time Thursday rolls around you don’t have much left.
Plan a grocery trip for Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday so you have healthy food for the weekend. Or plan to do a second mobile order of groceries on one of those days.
The second part of your game plan should be to get a grip on your calendar for your 5 weekend meals.
Meaning, I recommend that you have a rough idea of when you’re eating out vs. when you’re eating in.
If there are 5 meals:
1. Friday Dinner
2. Saturday Lunch
3. Saturday Dinner
4. Sunday Lunch
5. Sunday Dinner
Which of those meals will be at home? Which of those will be at a restaurant or at a friend’s house or at a party?
Once you have a pulse on that, decide how healthy you’re intending to be that weekend.
Give yourself a realistic goal that is challenging but doable.
How many of these 5 meals are going to be healthy?
2 out of 5?
3 out of 5?
4 out of 5?
You decide, but be intentional.
Think about it through the lens of what’s going on that weekend. Are you traveling? Are there any events you’re going to? Are there any games that your kids have?
For example, if you’re going to a Friendsgiving on a Saturday night, then you might plan your Saturday dinner to be unhealthy. And that’s fine; determine what other meals will be healthy so you can stay on track with your goals.