The summer holidays are here. A time for picnics and barbecues with friends and family all summer long, but when trying to lose weight these outings can wreak havoc on our efforts to make good food choices. Worse, sometimes we use social gatherings as justification to eat foods that we wouldn’t normally prepare at home; foods that we know are not aligned with our healthy living goals.

Before your next summer soiree give some thought to how you’re going to handle the inevitable temptations on the picnic table.

• Eat a healthy snack before you go: Avoid going to an event hungry. Managing hunger is a big part of successful weight loss since we all make better food choices when we feel in control.
• Substitute and scale down: No reason you can’t have a burger, but make it turkey or a lean bison burger, if that’s an option. One better, skip the bun and wrap your burger in a lettuce leaf.
• Offer to bring something healthy: A fresh green salad is always welcome at any function, and bringing something that you know is part of your eating plan means it will be easier to pass on the potato salad, macaroni salad and cole slaw that will also be on the menu.
• Be honest with yourself: The only one who loses when you “cheat” on your healthy eating goals is you. Don’t tell yourself “well, it’s a special occasion so I’ll eat what I want today and just eat celery and carrots sticks for the rest of the week.” Chances are you won’t. Instead, choose one or two small “treats,” but make the rest of your choices sensible ones. If you anticipate Aunt Daisy is going to bring her world-famous lemonade cake and you know you’ll want some, skip the chips and dip before the meal.

Summer treats are among our favorites, but just as it is during the holidays, it’s easy to get side-tracked from healthy eating, justifying the indulgence with the old “it’s a special occasion” excuse.

Permanent weight loss happens when we find ways to make healthy eating a part of every day, even holidays and special occasions!

Credit: Marilyn McKenna