It’s Memorial Day weekend, which means picnics and barbeques and parties, oh my. It can be very difficult to stay on track over a holiday weekend, but with a little effort, it can be done – while still enjoying the festivities.

Here’s how I decide what to eat when I’m at a party or special event – or even on vacation: If not eating something is going to make me feel like I really missed out, I’ll eat it (in moderation, of course). For example, if someone made homemade burgers at a picnic that everyone is raving about, I would feel like I missed out by passing it up, so I’d eat it. But, if it’s a run-of-the-mill frozen burger, I’d know I’m not missing anything and would choose another option. It all goes back to balance, which I talked about earlier. I’m not going to let eating healthy get in the way of life, because eating healthy is a way of life.

Let’s say you’re going to a picnic. You know there’s going to be typical picnic food – probably burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, etc. I suggest bringing a dish that you know won’t spoil your diet, like fruit salad, sugar-free jello or veggies with a low-calorie dip. This way, you know there’s at least one thing you can feel good about eating. Load up on your healthy option (and any others that might be available) and then a small sampling of only your favorites of the other dishes.

A great trick is to use a dessert plate rather than a large plate. This forces you into moderate portion sizes – just avoid going back for seconds and thirds!

Before heading out for the festivities, I always try to get in an extra long workout. This way I know that I burned a good number of calories and won’t feel as guilty about indulging a little more than usual. Just remember that working out is not an excuse to binge on potato salad and pie. (mmm…pie…)

In addition to your morning workout, picnics are great for disguising exercise as fun. Bring a frisbee to your Memorial Day party and throw that around for a while with the other partygoers. You’ll burn approximately 100 calories in 30 minutes without even knowing it!

Above all, enjoy yourself. If you fall off the wagon completely, just dust yourself off and get back on! Eating well is a lifestyle, and it takes a while for it to become natural. Eventually, though, the fruit salad and veggie tray will become far more appealing than the brownies and fried chicken.

Trust me!

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 at 7:16 pm and is filed under Diet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.