Oh no, here comes another LONG WEEKEND

Well, we all know what this means; food and more food. And I am not talking about health food. Barbeques on top of fair food, you name it. Here is where thinking ahead can really make a big difference. First, take a deep breath and realize you can get through this without to much damage. Here more than ever “progress not perfection” will be your best strategy. You should not be too concerned with being perfect and making the best choices, just focus on making better choices.

If you are going to a bbq, try and search out some healthier options. Fruits and veggies are always good choices. If you can avoid the mayonnaise based foods, such as macaroni and potato salad, do so. Watching out for serving size can be your best friend. Take small servings; eat one hamburger or hotdog instead of two. Eat the garden salad whenever you can. Also, make sure you do not go to the bbq hungry. This will only lead you down a path of overdoing it. Eat a little something at home so you will not get there hungry.

Now, here comes the fair. OMG, this is where you really need to test your willpower. Basically, there are no good choices. The only strategy is to choose the better of the worst choices. So, for instance, if you had your heart set on fried dough, this can be one of the worst things for you, instead have a small crème or a cotton candy. Now, understand this, I am not saying the crème or the cotton candy are good choices but as far as calories are concerned they are a far better choice than the fried dough. Just to remind you, sugar and carbs are 4 calories per gram and fat is 9 calories per gram. The foods such as fried foods will rack up far more calories faster than the sugary ones.

Try to budget your calories. If you know you will be having a “blow out” meal or day cut back some calories the days before or after. This will go a long way to keeping your weekly calorie totals down to a manageable amount.

One final note, if you do have a bad day, this is no excuse to continue the trend for the next day, next week, etc. Each day is a new opportunity, so if Saturday was a high calorie day make Sunday better.

Most import thing is to have fun,

Stuart