Life Transformations Lee’s Summit Personal Trainer, John Harris, shares tips on Surviving a BBQ
The weather is hot and the drinks are cold! With summertime roaring in like a lion, it’s certainly the time to get family and friends together, fire up the grill, and maybe throw back a few adult beverages! While you still want (and certainly need) to enjoy yourself this summer, you can’t let it off-track your hard earned progress in the gym! With that being forefront in your mind – let me offer a couple insightful, and easy to follow, tips to staying on track through BBQ season!
First and foremost, contribute a healthy dish to the summer potluck! Bring something that is still
a staple in traditional summertime foods, but be more aware of the ingredients you’re using. This way you can control the variable of you getting in something both enjoyable and nutritious. This will be a great way to feel good about your choice (which is the first step in staying on track) regardless of other available options!
Next, a very helpful tip is to certainly start off with an appetizer! Again keeping it nutrient dense and have lots of vegetables! Have a salad with low fat dressing and pile on the broccoli, peppers, spinach, and other great salad additives! Not only with this help with hydration as you’re out in the warm weather, but it will also provide nutrient dense food with fiber and iron to help not over indulge once you get to the main course!
Lastly, I think the most important tip would easily be portion control! Try and have about 40% of your plate as your protein source and the other 60% evenly filled with lower fat sides and some extra vegetables. This will ensure that you can enjoy the foods that you love but your total daily calories will still be in the range that keeps you where you need to be! With this being said it’s a great way to gauge your everyday eats as well!
- clenched fist = about 1 cup. This measure is useful for scoopable sides (think: potato, pasta and bean salads). When you’re trying to keep calories in check, aim for 1 cup total of these starchy side dishes.
- Your cell phone = about 3oz meat. This measure comes is useful for steak, chicken, and fish.
- Your thumb = about 1 tbsp. This measure comes in handy when you’re trying to estimate condiments. On average, full-fat salad dressings have about 75 calories per tbsp; mayo (at 100 calories per tablespoon) is another one to look out for. Choose reduced-fat options, which usually have half the calories or less, whenever the opportunity is presented.