We hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! Many of you are requesting some tips to stay on track through the weekend. You can enjoy yourselves while you socialize with family, friends and loved ones, AND stay on track with your nutrition goals at the same time. It just involves a little game planning, and picking and choosing your spots. Of course, always reach out to us or your nutritionist for advice! We are here to help you be most successful on your health journey .
Tip 1: Offer to bring your own healthy meal, snack food, or veggie platter to share! Veggies are great for mindless social munching. But watch out for that dip! Find a good recipe and make your own. I enjoy plain non fat Greek yogurt with hidden valley dry seasoning mix. You can also mix Greek yogurt with French Onion or Vegetable Mix. Shrimp Cocktail is also a great source of protein to munch on and will fill you up .
Tip 2: Don't starve yourself prior to the party. Eat a balanced and portioned breakfast, lunch and dinner as usual to keep you from starving and ravenously eating at the party. If the BBQ is at lunch time, get right back on track for dinner and so on.
Tip 3: Drink water to help keep you full and hydrated.
Tip 4: Rest beforehand. When you are tired, your body is going to crave more food in order to find energy and stay awake. You may crave sweet foods for the sugar rush.
Tip 5: Stick to your workout regimen. Extra physical activity that day will make it less likely to over indulge in food. Healthy habits follow healthy habits.
Tip 6: Stay away from the high processed food. Chips, crackers, fries and bread are low-nutrient fillers that can throw your energy levels and cravings all over the place! They also don't do a great job at making you feel full. Instead, you will find yourself unable to stop inhaling the salty flavors.
Tip 7: Don't feel as though you have to finish EVERYTHING on your plate! Eat to satisfy hunger. Drink water as you eat to feel full.
Tip 8: In many cases, alcohol consumption leads to constant eating and picking at snack foods, or in many cases, eating additional entire meals! Be mindful of this and watch out that any binge eating doesn't creep up on you. If you are going to drink, stick to light alcoholic beverages, or hard alcohol. Avoid sugary high calorie mixers.
Tip 9: Reaching, and most likely over consuming your fat and carbohydrate goals for the day won't be a problem. Just don't forget to eat good sources of protein to help keep you full! 93%- 98% lean beef burgers are great! Lean turkey breast burgers or lean chicken breast burgers, grilled flank steak, London broil, grilled chicken breast or turkey breast are all other great ideas! Dark meats will bring your fats up higher.
Tip 10: Try to avoid fried foods, or anything heavily doused in oils, mayos, and sugary marinades. We suggest spices, rubs, sugar free sauces/marinades, mustards, hot sauces, and salsas!
Tip 11: All the fun without the bun! Try your burgers and hot dogs over greens or in lettuce wraps. Or just simply add your toppings and eat them on their own! We aren't saying "don't eat bread". If it's worth it to you, go ahead and eat it! It's all about picking and choosing your spots. What's worth it, and what's not? There is no wrong answer here :)
Tip 12: Plan ahead! If you have a particular BBQ that you are attending, make it your 'relaxed' MEAL (not an entire day) to take some stress off and enjoy yourself. There is no need to track your macronutrient intake at THAT meal. Have fun and don't think about it! However, try and stay on track during the remainder of the weekend so you don't stunt your progress.
Tip 13: Stay active! Hang in the pool, go for a walk, ride bikes, play games like volleyball or corn hole. Play and have fun!
A Few Tips for Healthy Food Swaps:
- Buffalo wings grilled and hot sauced rather than fried.
- Make a healthy layer dip with homemade guacamole, beans, salsa, reduced fat sour cream or plain nonfat Greek yogurt and top with fresh seasonings.
- Use plain nonfat Greek yogurt to substitute sour cream and mayo. Much lower in fat and packed with protein!
- Serve veggies to dip into your layer dips instead of chips. If you are craving salty, crunch chips, we recommend using Quest Chips, available here at the Revolutionize storefront!
- Use healthy alternatives for dessert: ex: Greek yogurt and fresh berry parfait, frozen bananas and strawberries lightly dipped in dark chocolate, homemade chocolate protein dips or PB2 etc.
- Cut your wine with some seltzer water to make a spritzer and cut the calories from alcohol in half.
- Use fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice and flavored seltzer waters or non calorie sodas to mix with your alcohol and reduce sugar and calorie consumption.
Flexible dieting allows you to indulge in treats without feeling like you "ruined your diet" or "fell off the wagon". Remember, flexible dieting allows you to enjoy ALL foods! No food is "OFF LIMITS". Get away from the "good food" vs "bad food" way of thinking, and consider making appropriate food choices to fit your macronutrient total goals by the end of the day!
Sure, you want to stick to "healthy/clean" foods, however, having some cake for dessert isn't going to RUIN you!!! Make it fit and have fun!
Wishing you all a heathy Memorial Day.
Please take a moment to remember and honor our nation's heroes.
Much love,
Michele & The Revolutionize Team