The Weekend Didn’t Ruin Your Progress, But Quitting Will


Jul 8, 2025

 by Abby McCoid
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Getting off track won't derail you... but quitting will. 

Ever feel like one weekend totally derails your progress?
You ate and drank things you "shouldn’t have," missed a workout (or three), and now it’s all ruined... so you might as well throw in the towel.

I’ve been there too.
But let me tell you something that’s changed everything for me—and for a lot of people I coach:

An off track day or weekend or week won't ruin you. Quitting will.

Success in fitness, nutrition, and honestly anything worth having isn’t about being perfect. It’s about what you do most of the time. And it’s about how fast you get back to your habits when life throws you off.

Example: Me, This Past Weekend

Fourth of July, Saturday, Sunday... I took the whole weekend off.
I didn’t get a single workout in. I drank more than I usually do. I ate dessert. I definitely didn’t hit my protein goals.

But since I’m still a person who takes care of herself, even on a break:

  • I got in a ton of steps on Saturday.
  • I made dang sure I got a workout in on Thursday because I knew the weekend was coming.
  • I stayed pretty hydrated.
  • I ate some protein—because that’s just what I do now.

And guess what? It was fine.

I didn’t undo months of hard work or have to “start over.”

Monday, I was back to my usual. I got a good night’s sleep. I ate my usual mostly whole foods—lean meats, fruits, veggies. And I got my workout in.

This Is Where People Can Go Wrong, especially early in a fitness/health journey:

It’s not the off track day, weekend or week that messes you up. It’s the spiral after.

The “I already blew it, might as well keep going” mindset.
The guilt.
The quitting.

You don’t need a detox or punishment workouts.

You need to go back to acting like the person you already ARE most of the time.

  •  The person who eats mostly whole foods.
  • The person who works out.
  • The person who doesn’t eat like an a$$hole most of the time.

Just go back to being them. And if it's early and you don't quite feel like that person yet? Act like them. Take on that identity.

And here’s the cool thing:
When you practice those habits most of the time, they become your normal. Your default.

So when you fall off for a day or two, it’s easier to get back to it. It’s not a big dramatic comeback, it’s just a return to who you already are.

 

The People Who Succeed at This Aren’t Perfect

They miss workouts. They have off weekends. They eat the dang cake.

And then they show back up the next day, like it’s no big deal.

Because it’s not.

 

So if you had a weekend like mine—or maybe a whole week—ask yourself:

What’s the next right thing I can do?

  • Hit your protein today.
  • Drink your water.
  • Go for a walk.
  • Make one better meal than yesterday.

You don’t need to be perfect, you need to be consistent most of the time.

And if you need help being the person who keeps going—even when life happens? That’s exactly what we coach at Beo.

If you're not here yet, book a chat with us and we’ll build you a plan that fits your life. You're one right decision away from getting back to where you want to be.