I had hoped to lose at least a little weight yesterday. Although it was a non-fasting day, I should have been able to do that, but I managed to put on a fraction of a pound. My primary meal was a taco salad, and it should have been the only thing I ate all day, but it wasn’t. However, unlike last weekend, I skipped the refried beans and the tortilla chips to cut down on the carbohydrates. Still, like last weekend, the result was a pretty heavy salad, so I‘ve got a lot of water and fiber still in me this morning.

I did make a mistake when shopping for the salad ingredients: I picked up some almonds. Although these weren’t the chocolate-covered almonds I’ve binged on in the past, they were still something I should have avoided simply because nuts—although very nutritious—are rather high in calories. And having them led to snacking on them later in the day, and snacking should be avoided. They were intended for the vegetarian salads I make during the week, but I ate a lot of them yesterday and will likely finish them up today.

I had an apple yesterday, too, but I don’t feel bad about that. One can never get enough fiber. While I thought the taco salad, the almonds, and the apple would be the only food consumed for the day, I found myself craving pizza. Pizza got in my head because I was indulging in the time suck that is Tik Tok, and videos of Dave Portnoy reviewing pizzas kept coming up. I had planned to visit a friend, but that friend (who is notorious for being flaky) wasn’t responding to texts, and I was on the verge of ordering a pizza when she finally called and said to come over. Disaster averted.

I didn’t expect to eat anything at my friend’s place, but she made a charcuterie plate, and then she offered some beef stew. When friends offer things to eat, I not only feel obligated to accept, but my self-discipline wilts in the face of good food. So I added some unnecessary late-night calories to my daily total, and that was an unwise choice.

Probably the biggest challenge over the weekends is one I’ve mentioned before: I don’t stay busy enough. When Saturday arrives, I’m tired and pretty much “fried” from another frustrating and miserable week at work, so my motivation is pretty shot. I need to figure out how to fix that, not only in order to avoid unnecessary eating, but to actually get things done (especially basic tasks like cleaning my house or working on the back yard). I need to spend my time more constructively in general (no more Tik Tok, for example), and maybe if I can start doing that, I can stop gaining weight on the weekends.