Memorial Day - PLAN & PLAY!
Ah, the dreaded holidays when all our hard work falls to the side as we indulge in the BBQ favorites, alcohol, treats and more! And I tell ya, a little bit of alcohol combined with others eating anything in site is a recipe for disaster! So, how can we still enjoy without ruining all that we have done to achieve our hard earned pound losses? Well, the answer is (for me at least) MAKE A PLAN, PLAN FOR SIDETRACKS OR OBSTACLES, REMEMBER THAT IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD TO ENJOY IN MODERATION THEN JUST GET BACK TO IT RIGHT AWAY AND ........ PLAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!OK. Memorial Day is anywhere from one get together with family & friends to a 3-4 day long weekend to a week long event. SO, I know you don't want to hear this but my suggestion is not to plan to indulge all day long for all those days. One day ain't gonna hurt ya & even two is workable... BUT, once you get into this multiple days of drinking & eating & nothing else, it can turn into a very big weight gain that will take at least a week to turn around. Hey, if you are OK with that then go for it. Me, NOT! Not only do I not want to fall behind like that BUT I don't want to feel the way it makes me feel, stomach wise, which is GROSS!!! My stomach gets so messed up & feeling UGH & bloaty & sluggish if I even go beyond the one day! All that sugar, fat, sodium & the rest of it just does not settle with my poor tummy!
So, what can yo do? Figure out what the days are filled with & plan accordingly. Maybe it will be one full day of fun & back to it. Maybe it will be a treat each of 3 days & eating well the rest of the time. Maybe it will be a good ole steak, potato with the works, a treat & the rest of the day eating well. You need to decide what is best for you, how much you want to indulge or not, how much time you want to invest in working off that food AND how your poor tummy is going to feel!!!!
Some things you can do are:
- Always bring a couple food dishes to whatever event/BBQ/get together you are going to so that you know there is something healthy there for you to eat JUST IN CASE!
- If you are having it at your home, make sure and have options there.
- If you are traveling, plan ahead & carry portable food in the car/plane for yourself.
- Plan for walks or some "move" time wherever you are going.
- Plan for what you will do before & after you get home to help drop any excess "baggage" from the fun.
- IMPORTANT - HAVE FUN NO MATTER WHAT! PLAY IS GOOD SO GET OUT & DO THAT. Just be active & keep moving & that will help with any excess "junk in the trunk" from the food.
- MORE IMPORTANT. If you got "out of hand", DO NOT get down on yourself. Self-defeating talk will only lead to bad stuff so just move on, get back to your program and if it takes a week or so to get it off, so be it. Just DO NOT give up on yourself!!!!
Please reread this post on Diet Destructors . Here is the first point from this post:
Danger Zone 1: parties, special occasions and holiday celebrations
Diet Destructors Not having a plan, feeling deprived, peer pressure, gluttony
You can stick to your diet without being a party pooper. Before heading out the door in those 3-inch slingbacks, decide what your limit will be. Will you have just one piece of pie instead of the usual two, or perhaps skip dessert altogether in favor of a favorite entree? Make those choices before the event. And, just for extra insurance, set a goal for morning-after damage control. For example, you might decide that if you overindulge, you'll eat lighter meals for a few days afterward and increase your cardio workouts. Consider especially the impact of your beverage choices: "Alcohol is frequently served at celebrations, which lowers inhibitions and makes you more likely to make a bad food choice," Washington cautions.
You can also read this one on Special Occasion Diet Help.
Great advice in both of these to help you make some good choices to get through this... BUT no matter what, just have a wonderful holiday weekend and enjoy!
i've always taken food i can eat, because my husband's family (even though some diabetic) have the most awful food choices on these picnics. great post! get out there and have some fun everyone!!
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Long weekend and holidays can cause some dieters anxiety that is for sure! Like you said it's all about planning.
Also, try to focus on the socializing aspect of these get togethers as opposed to the food/beverage.
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So true! Diet disasters stare us in the face during holidays. But you are right, as long as you are prepared for what you are about to endure and have a plan, things will be OK. If you check out my blog, there is a posting similar to yours today on smart ways to cheat during the holiday weekend. Thanks so much for the info Jody, and have a great Memorial Day weekend!!
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Cher, like you, I always bring my own food.. even my "treat" in case there is nothing I want & I have planned for it!
Shauna, great point about the socializing part rather than focusing on food & drink.
Amanda, thx! I loved your post & will be mentioning it in my Saturday post. THX!
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Alcohol always inspires me not only to make bad food choices, but eat too much. My landlord is having a party, so I won't have to go far, and I am bring crudites, so at least there will be some vegetables. I assume I will overeat, but as you said, it's only one day. I can't stuff myself like I used to, and don't care much for sweets (with the exception of chocolate), so the damage won't be too bad. I'll be hiking and kickboxing it off the rest of the weekend.
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Julie, thx for visiting! It sounds like you have a PLAN of attack & that is great! Yup, alcohol & food are not good partners if you want to stay in control! I love that you are keeping active too! Keep up the good work!
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