How To Stay On Track At Summer BBQ’s 🍗

It’s BBQ season! With lots of summer parties and BBQ’s it can be hard to stay on track with your goals. Here are some tips to help!

Eat before you go

If it’s more of a drinks and nibbles type event then eat before you go so you’re not starving and likely to stuff down whatever nibbles come your way. Equally if it’s a late afternoon BBQ don’t let yourself get too hungry before you go – have an early lunch or brunch so you are satiated and less likely to overeat later.

One piece of meat

There is no other meal really where you’d load up on chicken, burger, a sausage… maybe a lamb kebab … so why do we do it at BBQ’s? Treat it as a normal meal – one , maybe two pieces of meat max!

Watch the salads

Salads are great but if they’re loaded with dressing, sauces, avocado, potatoes, cheese etc then they’re also quite high calorie. That’s not a prob – but don’t kid yourself that they’re low cal!

Stay hydrated

Drinking water in between each alcoholic beverage can help keep you hydrated and save you some booze calories. Not getting too drunk will also help you make more sensible food choices too.

Don’t stand by the food table.

You are more likely to over eat if you’re hanging around the food table. Take your conversation and move it away so you’re not tempted to mindlessly snack.

Bank calories

As with any social event you can save some calories ahead of time. Don’t go too low in the preceding days but saving 100-200 cals for a few days will give you more to spend at the party.

Shift the focus

Instead of focusing on the food and drink focus on the company instead. You’ll remember the fun times with friends more than the burger you eat…

Have fun and don’t stress

If you do wake up the next day and you’re a little heavier don’t stress yourself out over it. Get right back on track. It’s most likely just water and a lot of glycogen. Stressing about it it’s just going to make things worse. Enjoy yourself.

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I’ve blown my diet.… 🫣

When you’re trying to lose weight we often conflate ‘healthy’ foods and automatically helpful for weight loss. With the weather warmer at the moment you may be craving an ice lolly or two. You may even have two or three and then find yourself feeling guilty for having succumbed to the craving and berate yourself for being really ‘bad’ and blowing your diet. Or you may think you’re being very virtuous and avoid the ice cream and have what is perceived to be a ‘healthy’ snack of organic cacao bites.

In reality in terms of calories they are almost the same. In fact the ‘unhealthy’ ice creams actually less fat and have slightly more protein (which can help you feel fuller for longer). The cacao bites do have less sugar and more micronutrients but that doesn’t mean the ice cream lollies are a bad option. Of course the ice cream lollies are high in sugar but sugar isn’t inherently bad either! In reality you’re unlikely to eat 3 ice lollies in one go anyway so you’d in fact be consuming even fewer calories!

Overall calories are what count if you’re trying to lose weight. You need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight so in that scenario the ice lollies are the better option. Especially if you’re eating a balanced diet and getting protein and the other nutrients in your other meals.

Emotional well being is also important and depriving yourself of foods you enjoy and instead choosing the cacao bites under the misguided impression that it’s a healthier option or because it’s marketed as ‘a healthy snack’ isn’t good for long term sustainability or a healthy approach to food.

Personally I’d choose both on different days – and I’d include them in my calories. The cacao bites are a great snack option (as long as you’re aware of the calories) but on days like we’ve had lately an ice cream lolly or two is definitely required! 🍦 🤗

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Being mindful… 🍕

When you’re attempting to lose weight /eat healthily it’s important to be mindful of what you’re consuming for obvious reasons. This means being aware of what you’re doing, thinking, feeling and experiencing. It doesn’t mean judging yourself for it. It also doesn’t mean being perfect all the time.

We all have reasons behind our actions- being mindful is about knowing why you’re choosing to do something and making the deliberate decision to do so.

One day you may decide to home cook a salmon and couscous dinner because you have the time to do so. On another day you may be tired, back late from work, or may just fancy a prepared pizza to throw in the oven. That pizza isn’t ‘bad’ nor is the choice a bad one when made mindfully.

If you choose to eat certain foods on purpose (not just because it’s there), with joy and contentment, or a valid reason in mind (rather than guilt), in an amount that aligns with your overall health goals then that’s absolutely ok! You’ve weighed up and accepted the tradeoffs (the pizza is marginally more calorific and lower in micronutrients) and made a conscious decision. The time you’ve saved by having the pizza will be more beneficial sometimes than the marginal calorie cost.

So remember – losing weight and eating healthily doesn’t need to mean perfect home cooked meals and every morsel being perfectly nutritionally balanced. It’s about making conscious decisions about what you’re consuming and being aware of why you’re choosing things. Having this approach fosters a much healthier relationship with food.

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