Now if you are like me, you are already thinking about all the different kinds of food you are planning on chomping down on at the 4th of July cookout. You are thinking about the barbecue chicken, ribs, steak, hamburgers, hot dogs, seafood etc... Then you have the side items like baked beans, potato salad, macaroni salad, corn on the cob etc... And let's not forget about the desserts; cakes, pies, banana pudding etc... Ummm Ummm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it all! And I guess we will wash it all down with the many drink choices of soda, juices, alcoholic beverages or good old fashion sweet tea. You may even go to more than one cookout the entire Holiday weekend, which starts this Thursday and will end about midnight Sunday.... LOL!
Needless to say, many of us put on a few extra pounds during the Holiday season because temptation is all around us. And no matter what we have done up to that point, by eating healthier and staying on track with our clean eating habits, the Holiday food choices set us back about a month!
However, there is hope!
Sometimes it's not about what you eat, it's about how much of it you do eat! It's OK to satisfy your food temptations once in a while, but it's not alright to glutton yourself with those temptations. Piling your plate up with food as high as a mountain is NOT healthy. Going back up for seconds, thirds and fourths just so you can fit in all the food items offered, when you are already full is NOT healthy either. If you are like me, and you usually like a taste of a little bit of everything, it's easy to get side tracked. However, how big are your portion sizes?
To stay on track with your fitness goals, try to lessen your portion sizes. If you must have a taste of everything just because it's being offered, take small spoon-fulls of each item and limit your meat selections to three or less. Also, think about the choices that are being offered and make the best selections. You can load up on tossed salad instead of three sides. You can drink water instead of the pure sugar items mentioned earlier. If you are able to do smaller portions, then you can fit a variety of selections on your plate, which tricks the mind to believe that you are satisfied because you'll have a taste of everything. Therefore, you won't have to go back up for seconds, thirds or fourths, because you have had everything already.
But if you are unable to control your temptations and you do overindulge in everything, it's OK! Before I even go to a cookout, I have already figured out what workout routine I'm going to do afterwards to burn off all those calories and you should to. And it doesn't have to be a strenuous workout. You can do anything from walking, to swimming, to a cardio workout or even a bike ride. You can pick back up where you left off. Just don't get so off track that you don't get back on the horse at all!
So don't get bogged down with counting calories, or not allowing yourself to eat tempting items. If you don't indulge in foods you enjoy once in a while it will lead to overeating binges, and sometimes a desire not to continue eating healthy at all.
As long as you stay ACTIVE and your main sources of nutrition are HEALTHY choices, you will be OK!
Happy 4th of July!!!!
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