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Summer is a favorite time of year, filled with get-togethers, celebrations and vacations. It’s also a time when many of us indulge. All those barbecues, pool parties and ice cream shop visits can lead to excess food splurges, which may eventually lead to your favorite pair of shorts feeling a little snug. What can you do to avoid packing on extra pounds while still having fun and enjoying the season?
Luckily, with a little help from these smart strategies, you
can maintain a healthy weight this summer (and beyond!). Here are some of my most highly recommended tips.
Tips for Preventing Summer Weight Gain
Be mindful of food choices
Mindful eating is an effective strategy for maintaining a healthy weight. It involves shifting your mindset to be
present in the moment during meals and snack times.
How many times have you cruised along a buffet table and finished with overflowing plate? To shift your mindset, remind yourself to slow down. Take care in considering your choices to include healthful options and portion sizes.
Remember to make protein the focus of your meal. At a summer barbecue, that might include hamburger patties, grilled chicken breast, ribs, steak, pulled pork – or a vegetarian/vegan burger. Next, choose some vegetables, such as a leafy green salad, non-mayo-based coleslaw or raw veggies from a crudite plate. (Note: Creamy potato salad and buttered corn on the cob don’t count!)
Mindful eating also involves savoring the food you’re enjoying. Rather than standing at the appetizer table grazing on chips and dip as you chat with friends (which often leads to overeating!), take a small plate and enjoy snacks slowly while sitting down. And avoid going back for seconds!
Do your best while on vacation
When you’re
on vacation, you may not have as much control over your food choices. Your trip might require all meals to be eaten at restaurants or at someone else’s home. The best thing you can do is to make the healthiest choices that you can, as often as you can.
At a hotel breakfast buffet, for example, you might choose a bowl of slow-cooked oatmeal sprinkled with nuts and berries rather than donuts, pastries or a croissant. If you’re going to a restaurant for lunch, order a salad with protein like grilled chicken breast or tofu – and go light on the dressing. Dinner should include a protein with veggies. It’s always a good approach to stick with protein and vegetables as the main components of your meals.
If you’re able, pack some
healthy snacks for your trip. That way, when you’re hungry between meals, you can munch on a tasty
protein bar or
whole-grain crackers and
nut butter rather than ordering fries or nachos while lounging at the pool.
Take it easy with sweets
Ice cream, ice pops, potluck peach pies and whipped cream-topped cakes – there’s no shortage of sweets during summer, and they can be hard to resist. The good news is, you don’t have to!
Dessert – in moderation – is one of the joys of the season.
One strategy to keep in mind is to keep portion sizes small. Instead of a huge chunk of cookies-and-cream icebox cake, enjoy a small slice – and throw in a little fresh fruit for a nutrient boost. You can also opt for watermelon, cherries, strawberries or blueberries instead of a big brownie square or a double-dipped ice cream cone. Summer fruit is as much of a sweet treat on a hot day – and you’ll feel good about your choices.
I also recommend mindful eating with summer desserts. Try to indulge only if it’s something that’s really ‘worth it’ to you. For example, maybe a slice of grandma’s famous homemade pie cannot be skipped, but an ordinary supermarket sheet cake isn’t that special.
Be careful with beverages
Beverages can add a lot of extra calories to your diet. Our bodies don’t process liquid calories the same way as solid food calories, so it can be easy to overdo it. Avoid sipping all day on sweet drinks like lemonade, sweet tea or punch. And if you drink iced coffee, go easy on add-ins like cream, sugar and flavorings.
If you drink alcohol, it can be particularly difficult to turn down a happy hour cocktail with friends or a beer after mowing the lawn. Depending on how a mixed drink is made, it may contain excess sugar. One solution is to request half the amount of simple syrup in a cocktail, or stick with simple drinks like tequila with lime juice instead of a margarita. Seltzers and wine also have fewer calories and sugar than mixed drinks. If you’re a beer drinker, go for a light beer.
The bottom line is that alcohol introduces extra calories. General recommendations include one drink a day for women and two for men. Be sure to drink a glass of water between drinks to avoid dehydration.
Prioritize hydration
One of the best things you can do in the summer (or all year round, really) is to drink a lot of water. Research shows that
drinking water may help with weight loss. Consider swapping in water instead of juice, soda and other beverages to reduce your overall calorie and sugar intake.
If you’re exercising, spending time outdoors or sweating a lot in the heat, you might also consider adding an
electrolyte mix to your water. Electrolytes are important minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium, that help with hydration, nerve and muscle function and blood pressure regulation. Excess sweating causes loss of electrolytes and can lead to cramping, fatigue and other discomforts.
For healthy weight maintenance, you can also try drinking
water before meals to reduce your food intake. At outdoor summer gatherings, this will not only help keep you hydrated but may keep you from overindulging in party food.
Find time to exercise
Busy summer schedules – not to mention blazing hot weather – can make it hard to exercise in the summer. However, to maintain a healthy weight and to stay in general good health, it’s important to find the time to stay active.
One strategy for prioritizing exercise is to schedule your workouts. Just like other important appointments, exercise can be added to your calendar. With official times designated for workouts, you may be more likely to stick with them.
Another strategy is to be flexible. If your after-work run isn’t possible because the temperatures are too high, go in the morning or late-evening instead. If you normally go to the gym three times a week but a conflict keeps you from going on one of the days, make an effort to go another day to make up the missed time.
If you’re on vacation, aim to take walks when you can, whether it’s around the resort grounds, through the city you’re visiting or on the hotel treadmill. You might also look into nearby hiking trails if you’re in an area with parks.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Featured Products" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="168183" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1691106400788{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/rsvp-skinnies-0-sugar-cocktail-mixers-variety-pack"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="168182" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1691106421131{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/simple-truth-no-stir-almond-butter-packs-smooth"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="168181" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1691106441291{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/nutribiotic-essential-electrolytes-100-vegan-capsules"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
