Enjoy a guilt-free 4th of July weekend with these healthy-eating tips
Holiday weekends are such a special treat! I love the extra time I get to spend with my family. We usually get together with friends and have a ton of fun. The only hard thing is that long holiday weekends can put a strain on my healthy eating.
After six years of macro tracking, I’ve found a few key strategies that take the stress of eating healthy off of my holidays! Today, I want to share them with you so that you can enjoy the Fourth of July weekend without guilt and stress!
Make a meal plan and stick to it
The first part of any healthy-eating endeavor is to create a plan. A plan will help you make choices that align with your goals, especially when it’s going to be difficult like around a holiday!
The best way to make sure you make healthy choices is to make them ahead of time! Write down all the foods you want to eat during the holiday weekend and then promise yourself that you won’t eat anything that isn’t a part of your meal plan.
Make sure that you include fun foods in your plan! If you know you’re going to be surrounded by chips, drinks, desserts, and more at your 4th of July BBQ, then plan to enjoy some of it! If you want to have a slice of apple pie, add it to your meal plan! But when you’re dishing up don’t add ice cream if it’s not on your meal plan.
Healthy eating doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy food. If you deny yourself you’ll be more likely to give in and overindulge. Knowing you can enjoy that piece of pie without guilt will keep you from the negative food cycle you’re used to.
Prepare fun, healthy dishes
I always tell my clients that when they go to a BBQ or event to bring a dish that they can eat guilt-free. That way they don’t get frustrated that there’s nothing for them to eat.
However, we all know that holidays bring out some of the yummiest foods. If you bring a plate of veggies to a party and then are so tempted by the holiday foods that you don’t touch your veggies, it’s useless!
Make sure the dish you bring to a party makes you excited! You want it to be the focus of your plate with all the other goodies as small sides.
Think about alcohol consumption
A lot of people believe that they have to completely give up drinking in order to live a healthy life, the truth is that you can enjoy a drink every once in a while and still lose weight.
We all know that alcohol is processed in the liver. What you might not know is that fat is also metabolized in the liver. Our bodies react to alcohol as a toxin, which is why you get intoxicated when you drink.
Because of this, the body will prioritize flushing out that toxin over any other function. In order to process out the alcohol, the liver will stop metabolizing fat and instead metabolize the alcohol.
A few drinks on the 4th of July aren’t going to seriously mess up your weight loss, it’s when you’re indulging frequently that it causes so much weight gain.
That being said, you can drink smart so that you don’t undo all your hard work in a single weekend. There are lots of low-calorie beers and wines on the market. You can also create some fun cocktails using zero-calorie mixers!
Another great options is alcohol-free beers, wines and spirits. Back in May, I talked with Stephanie Mallory, a macro tracker who has been in the alcohol business for 13 years, and she shared some great low-calorie and nonalcoholic drinks. The alcohol industry has really opened up and is giving people who want to live healthier lifestyles a lot of great options!
It’s OK to enjoy your holiday, food and all.
For far too long, we’ve been told that if we eat one off-meal, or indulge in dessert, we’ve completely ruined all of our weight loss and healthy living progress. This simply isn’t true!!
It’s OK to enjoy a special occasion and eat food that makes you happy. Often times, we put the pressure on ourselves and choose to feel guilty about enjoying food but the truth is we don’t need to feel guilty! Food is fun! We can enjoy food and not let it rule our lives!
If you do go a little overboard this Fourth of July weekend, the best thing you can do is to get back on track as soon as possible. I call this my “Never Two Rule.” This rule says that I won’t have back-to-back meals or days of bad eating.
If I indulge at a 4th of July BBQ dinner, then I make sure my breakfast is on point the next day. I don’t sit around beating myself up for “messing up” the night before. I move forward and get right back on track.
If you indulge for the whole weekend, don’t beat yourself up! Monday morning you get right back on track (or sooner, if you realize it!) The never two rule helps you change your mindset from, “I did something bad” to “I can make good choices starting now.”
You’re allowed to enjoy this holiday weekend. Soak up every ounce of it! Just don’t make holiday eating a part of your normal life!
If you need help navigating your own nutrition, then let’s chat! I can coach you through holiday eating and your day-to-day eating so that you reach your goals and enjoy your life!
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