Sticking the Summer Diet

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

10 Jun 2006 10:30 AM

When it comes to sticking your diet, how do you manage it when summertime promotes barbecues, heavy sauces, fried foods and more? Sunday picnics with breaded and fried chicken? Heavy potato salads? Glazed vegetables? How do you keep eating the right foods and making the right choices?

It's important to recognize that while summertime brings about the these large gatherings and the opportunity to consume large quantities of fried foods - you are not likely to be doing this every single night. Most of us are likely to be going to these kinds of occasions only once or twice a month - but let's say you have an opportunity every weekend - a splurge once a week is not going to dramatically hurt your diet so much unless you are on a deprivation diet.

Bring Your Own Food

If you are concerned or simply aren't interested in barbecue spare ribs or fried chicken - you can bring your own dish. In fact, it's a great idea most of the time to bring something along to the party to help add to it. At some parties we've been to - we've taken large vegetable or fruit platters. We've taken mixed platters as well. Instead of coke or alcohol, we've brought a case of water before.

The case of water can be a huge hit because you put it in the freezer or a cooler. Ice cold water is very refreshing on a hot or humid or hot and humid day. Depending on the type of cookout it is - an after Church lunch on the lawn for example - you can prepare baked chicken with steamed vegetables and that is a meal that is good cold or hot - it's also chock full of nutrition and should match most dietary requirements.

The Urge to Splurge

If you don't have the time to fix your own food or no inclination, don't feel guilty about eating at a barbecue or cookout whether the food matches your diet's restrictions. The trick here is that you don't have to overeat, but once piece of barbecued chicken or fried chicken or roasted corn on the cob is not going to hurt your diet. It's the same reasoning that says one glass of alcohol will not severely arrest your diet.

What measures do you use to help manage your diet when you get invited out to summer time fun cookouts or more?

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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