Labor Day Dilemma
kayjosh2422
Posts: 864 Member
With Labor Day weekend coming up, some might be nervous about wrecking our progress. Don't be, you can have a wonderful holiday weekend and still stay on track with some of these tips I'm sharing from Hungry Girl.
1. Drink water. I know -- It's too easy to mistake thirst for hunger, and when you're dehydrated, you're more likely to make not-so-smart food decisions. Speaking of questionable choices, be thoughtful about how much alcohol you consume. If you're of the legal age and plan on drinking, stick with light beer (around 100 calories for a 12-oz. bottle) or wine (around 120 calories per 5-oz. glass) and be sure to drink a lot of water between each alcoholic drink.
2. Contribute to the food table. This way you can ensure that there's an item or two you can eat without guilt or worry. Of course, this doesn't work if you bring full-fat brownies, so snag a slimmed-down brownie recipe here! http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/show/2431-low-calorie-walnut-fudge-brownies-recipe
3. Hit the grill. Grilling makes practically everything taste great, and it keeps added fat to a minimum. As long as the food isn't drowned in oil beforehand, you're pretty much good to go. My top picks? Skinless chicken breast, lean turkey burgers, and veggie skewers!
4. Cool off with smart frozen treats. Stick to fruit pops and fruit bars (I love the Outshine Fruit Bars from Dreyer's/Edy's!) instead of standard ice cream sandwiches. You get the cool refreshment without the extra fat. Who doesn't love that?
5. Stay away from mayo-laden side dishes. Even a seemingly reasonable 2/3-cup serving of potato salad has an average of 300 calories and nearly 20g fat. Not worth it! So stay away
6. Let's get physical... Is there a volleyball game going on? Frisbee? A really competitive game of tag? Get in on it! You'll have fun and burn off some extra calories. Just make sure you hydrate...
7. Enjoy. That's the point, after all! The more time you spend having fun with family and friends (and not standing directly in front of the food spread!), the less time you'll spend thinking about the food. Oh, and one more thing...
8. Wear sunscreen. Yeah, it's got nothing to do with calories, but it's really important if you're spending time outside. Plus, if you end up sunburned, you might be tempted to drown your sorrows in a gallon of ice cream.
Happy (almost) Labor Day!
1. Drink water. I know -- It's too easy to mistake thirst for hunger, and when you're dehydrated, you're more likely to make not-so-smart food decisions. Speaking of questionable choices, be thoughtful about how much alcohol you consume. If you're of the legal age and plan on drinking, stick with light beer (around 100 calories for a 12-oz. bottle) or wine (around 120 calories per 5-oz. glass) and be sure to drink a lot of water between each alcoholic drink.
2. Contribute to the food table. This way you can ensure that there's an item or two you can eat without guilt or worry. Of course, this doesn't work if you bring full-fat brownies, so snag a slimmed-down brownie recipe here! http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/show/2431-low-calorie-walnut-fudge-brownies-recipe
3. Hit the grill. Grilling makes practically everything taste great, and it keeps added fat to a minimum. As long as the food isn't drowned in oil beforehand, you're pretty much good to go. My top picks? Skinless chicken breast, lean turkey burgers, and veggie skewers!
4. Cool off with smart frozen treats. Stick to fruit pops and fruit bars (I love the Outshine Fruit Bars from Dreyer's/Edy's!) instead of standard ice cream sandwiches. You get the cool refreshment without the extra fat. Who doesn't love that?
5. Stay away from mayo-laden side dishes. Even a seemingly reasonable 2/3-cup serving of potato salad has an average of 300 calories and nearly 20g fat. Not worth it! So stay away
6. Let's get physical... Is there a volleyball game going on? Frisbee? A really competitive game of tag? Get in on it! You'll have fun and burn off some extra calories. Just make sure you hydrate...
7. Enjoy. That's the point, after all! The more time you spend having fun with family and friends (and not standing directly in front of the food spread!), the less time you'll spend thinking about the food. Oh, and one more thing...
8. Wear sunscreen. Yeah, it's got nothing to do with calories, but it's really important if you're spending time outside. Plus, if you end up sunburned, you might be tempted to drown your sorrows in a gallon of ice cream.
Happy (almost) Labor Day!
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Replies
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The only thing I would add is this: since I have a long weekend, and won't be on as tight a schedule or routine as usual, I'm going to plan my workouts so that I don't fall into the trap of vacation mode and no workouts. I will keep a routine about my workouts so that I have some sort of routine, even on the 3-day weekend.0
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If you are going to a family gathering or other event with food. Bringing something "healthy" is a good idea. But looking at all that great food and depriving yourself just makes you miserable.
Get in a morning workout so you're ahead of the game. If you have a pretty good idea what kind of food will be there, reserve some calories for a decent size serving of your favorite. (NO not a whole pie, but if you're like me, a sliver isn't going to cut it.) So if you are on a 1500 calorie diet, save 500 and make the remaining 1000 count in healthy choices. It's a holiday, have some fun.
If you can fit it in you can have it.0 -
We have a huge family reunion for labor day (well actually we do it Sunday). Everyone brings a dish. My hubby thinks I'm crazy but I'm bringing 3. a dip and veggies/ baked chips so that I have a snack food, a salad and a desert. That way I know of have plenty of food I can choose and limit my temptations. Plus we grill so I if I eat that I wont have much room to eat the other tempting things. Well at least I should be able to limit it.
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I live in the country so this labor day weekend we are going to the city and taking my almost 2 year old to the zoo! Being away from home just means we have to try harder to find healthier eating options and I made sure that the hotel we are staying at has a gym with a treadmill and some dumbbells. It is my first real test since I have gone on my super healthy kick. I'll let you guys know how it goes!0
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I'm going rafting and climbing over labor day so as long as I can resist the beer I think I might be safe! Good luck to everyone!0
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Well I may have it a little easier then some of you this weekend, since my husband I don't live in Canada at the moment. We are posted to Venezuela and they do not celebrate Labour Day, but as Canadians my husband will have that day off work and we may take in a hike. We live near a lovely mountain that supposes to have some great hiking trails. We still do not have out belongings yet and within our shipments were my sneakers, so I couldn't wait any longer I ordered some online and they just arrived the other day guess that means I don't have any excuse not to go for long walks now.
I hope everyone has a great holiday.0 -
I think I'm going to talk my wife into going shopping in the Design District in Savannah on Monday. This usually involves a lot of walking, so should be helpful to my exercise total.0
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I plan on golfing sometime during the weekend and usually walk the course while pulling my clubs on a hand cart instead of riding, But even riding in a cart I get WELL over my daily goal of 10,000 steps and usually burn at least 400 calories over the course of 18 holes.
I will also do most of my own cooking so I can control my caloric intake. I have found healthy alternatives for almost everything at a cookout... Hotdogs? Skip the Nathans and have a BallPark 100% Angus Beef hotdog at only 70 calories (YES a 70 calorie hotdog that tastes GOOD!), Hamburger? I make 3 oz Venison burgers that are low in fat and high in taste. Want Cheese on that burger? Skip the sliced Cheddar that can run over 100 calories per 1 oz serving and opt for a Velveeta Queso Blanco slice at only 40 calories! And my favorite... Swap out the mayo (or even just 1/2 the mayo) in salads for nonfat yogurt. You'll save a ton of calories and still have big flavor.
I also try to take just a single bite of the decadant foods and I try to take a sample of just the really flavorful ones.... Then I savor every last morsel to it's fullest. It lets me enjoy a tiny bit of the food I shouldn't eat alot of. I just have to be careful not to take bites of 17 different yummy foods, just maybe 1 or 2!0
