From: Eat without Guilt
It’s summertime and the season for firing up the grill for BBQ’s. But if you’re trying to watch your weight, the big spread of food can bring about stress and it’s easy to overeat or feel stuffed. With all of the chips, hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, and mayo-laden potato salad around it’s no wonder.
Fortunately, I have some easy tips to help you stay on track, while keeping it healthy, enjoyable, and tasty:
1) Make or bring a healthy appetizer. Though we all enjoy chips, dips and nachos, personally I’ve found once I dig in to them (especially when I’m really hungry) it can be hard to stop. So instead I make it a habit to bring a healthy appetizer like veggies and hummus.
Good and easy choices are cut up (or baby) carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and bell pepper strips. This way there’s at least one healthy snack to munch on while the grill is firing up.
2) Fill your plate with the healthy items first. Instead of sitting down to a plate of high calorie ribs as your first course, load up on salad and veggies before you hit the grilled meats. If I’m hosting the BBQ, I always prepare an easy healthy side-dish, like tomatoes & feta, or a black bean salad. You’ll not only get a healthy, low-calorie dose of antioxidants, you’ll be less likely to overeat the higher calorie foods.
3) Be mindful and eat slowly. It’s easy to get caught up in the energy (with the noise, music, and kids running around) but remember, the BBQ is a time to relax. So sit down (no standing!) and take the time to enjoy the food. Don’t just eat away mindlessly as that’s one of the easiest ways to overeat.
4) Don’t deny yourself. If you’re dying for a hamburger, go ahead and have one. And if you really want that potato salad (though it’s not the healthiest choice) be sure to take a small portion (see number 6 below). If you deny yourself you’ll just end up overeating as you won’t be satisfied.
5) Get rid of the “scarcity” mentality. It’s not like you can never have the foods again. Years ago, I would stuff myself at a Fourth of July BBQ thinking that if I didn’t eat it now, I’d never see it again. Then I started to realize that it was foolish. It’s not like I won’t ever see a burger on the grill again!
6) Watch portion size. Here are 3 easy points of reference:
• A tennis ball (or use your clenched fist as a rough estimate) = about one cup. This measure is useful for sides (like potato salad, pasta salad, or cole slaw). Best to aim for 1 cup total of these starchy (and often calorie-laden) side dishes.
• A deck of cards or your cell phone (provided you’ve upgraded in the last 10 years!) = about 3 ounces of meat. Yup, that’s one serving. This measure is useful for things like steak.
• Your thumb = about 1 tablespoon. This is handy when you’re trying to estimate salad dressing or a spread. Remember, oftentimes salad dressings can have 50-100 calories per tablespoon, and mayo is about 100 calories per tablespoon. So be wary of how much your using.
7) Watch those liquid & alcohol calories. Sweet and sugary drinks (think: margaritas and frozen daiquiris) can have a few hundred calories. Not to mention after downing a few, you’re likely to lose a bit of self-control around the food (and we’ve all been there!) I really enjoy a good beer or glass of wine, but I’m sure to not overdo it.
8) Don’t forget to hydrate (with WATER, that is). Especially if you do have a drink or two of alcohol, switch it up with water. I often find with clients that they forget to drink water when at a celebration, like a BBQ. And try to skip the soda too. Just go for nature’s best pick — water.
9) Go easy on dessert. Sure, you can have dessert, but have a plan of attack. I often wait a while after eating before digging into dessert to give my body a chance to digest and feel full. I also scan the dessert table and do one of two things:
• choose one that I really fancy OR
• choose two and take a small piece of each
Also, if there’s something healthy like fresh fruit being served, I take that first — but I do leave room for something a bit “guilty” — it is a celebration after all!
So go ahead and enjoy the food, just be smart about what you eat and how much. Depriving yourself will get you nowhere fast, and one of the biggest mistakes people make when starting a healthy lifestyle.
It all comes down to making smart choices, not overdoing it, and taking the time to truly enjoy the food and the company of others. Just come prepared, and you won’t have to stress over blowing your healthy lifestyle.
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