Cookout’s, Picnics & Get-Together’s!

Warmer weather is upon us and with that brings lots of cookouts, pool party get-together’s, picnics and other assorted festivities revolving around food.
So you may think, “If I am ‘dieting’, I will be miserable watching everyone else eat!”. It just does not have to be that way! We went to the first cookout of the year a few weeks ago and as you can see, I am anything but deprived!
Here are a few hints:

* If pot-lucking, bring something healthy like fruit, veggies and dip or something like the corn & black bean salsa I love making. You know at least one thing there will be healthy

* Get a little bit of everything you love, just a few spoon fulls, and one of the ‘big things’; hamburger, etc. , This will satisfy your palate but not overwhelm you. Eat as slow as possible and enjoy every taste. Try to lean on the ‘healthier’ things; veggies, fruits, beans, etc., but if you want a ‘guilty pleasure’, get a spoonful or two of that too! DO NOT DEPRIVE!

As you can see, I loaded my plate.  My husband ended up eating about 1/2 of my food. There are 2 approaches, load the plate or literally just get a tiny amount. I knew Paul would take extra’s and I was really hungry (not the time to have a buffet laid out before you!), so it all worked out. You can see, I did not deprive myself! I even had a small piece of cake once it was cut to reveal a pink middle (It’s gonna be a girl!). And guess what? The scale did not go up; I maintained!

Whether you are post RNY or just trying to live a healthy lifestyle, this can work for you!