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I love summer barbecues but I fear it will hinder my weight loss do you have any suggestions to stay on track?

The Summertime pastime of outdoor cookouts is a great time to spend with family and friends but you are right to be worried; did you know that an average barbecue meal can easily exceed 1500 calories?  That is almost an entire days worth of calories all in one meal.

That is the bad news but the good news is you can do some easy changes and survive the barbecue season while making summertime the perfect opportunity for weight loss.  Here are a few tips to keep your weight loss on track.

1. Choose the right meat:  Grilling can actually be a very healthy way to cook meat.  Just make sure to choose lean cuts of meat and ditch the traditional highly fatty barbecued meats, burgers and hotdogs.

• Choose chicken, lean cuts of beef or pork
• Use a low fat dressing for a marinade
• Want a hamburger?  no problem use extra-lean ground beef or lean ground turkey.
• Make a dry rub and top with a fruit salsa
• Grill up some of your favorite fish

2. Don’t let side dishes sabotage your efforts: Most people run into trouble with the sides.  Who can blame them at most barbecues all the dishes are loaded with carbs and fat.

Try this instead:

• Make veggie kabobs and grill them
• Grill bok choy or romaine
• Replace mayo in your salads with low fat mayo or olive oil
• Serve a mixed salad with a light vinaigrette
• Grill your favorite veggies – squash and asparagus are great on the grill
• Put out a veggie tray with a low fat dip

3. Easy on the drinks:  It is so easy to grab a margarita but it can quickly turn into 3 or 4.  Remember that beverages can play a major role in your weight gain.  Drink plenty of water Stick with light beer If you must have a soda stick with diet Unsweetened ice tea Flavored water – fill a pitcher with water and add some lemon, orange, lime and some mint leaves let set for a few hours and serve.

4. Say yes to dessert:  I bet I surprised you with this one.  You can still enjoy a sweet treat while losing weight just think creatively and watch your portions. Grill your favorite fruits on a kabob (i.e.: mango, banana and pineapple) Choose sorbet over ice-cream Grilled peach halves Choose light ice-cream over regular

Take my grilling suggestions grab your family and friends, fire up the grill and make some great summer memories.

I am trying to lose weight.  Do I have to stop drinking alcohol?

If there is a topic that will just NOT stop coming up when I talk to my clients, it is ALCOHOL.  “Can I still drink?  How much is ok?  Do I really have to stop drinking?” I have always answered these questions exactly the same.  How fast do you want to see results?  The truth is no matter how much you like alcohol it will NEVER help you reach your  goals.

Lets first take a look at why alcohol is so detrimental to weight loss?  The first thing we have to consider is the calories in alcohol.  There are 7 calories per gram of alcohol.  Just one glass of white wine or an ounce of hard liquor provides about 90 calories; a regular beer 150, martini 210 and a strawberry daiquiri 300.  If you add mixers the calories can double.  The calories that alcohol provides are “empty” this means they provide no beneficial nutrients.  Not only are you adding additional calories to your body but the metabolism process in our bodies slows.  Alcohol can’t be stored in our bodies so it must be metabolized right away. This stops or slows all other metabolic functions causing your body to burn the alcohol before the fat you are trying to lose.

I know what you are thinking “what if I just have 2 drinks and that’s it?”  We both know that no matter what your intentions are, you will end up having more than 2 drinks.  This is because it is actually harder to stop drinking that to not start at all.  It’s called social drinking for a reason.

Let’s see if this sounds familiar.  You have a night planned out with your friends.  Before you leave you decide “I’m only going to have 2 drinks tonight, I can do it, I have WILL POWER!”  You get to the bar order your first 2 drinks and realize that you did not pace yourself you have only been there for 30 minutes.   Everyone else around you is still ordering drinks and you already had 2.  Your friends start to harass you for not drinking and you decide well just tonight I will have 3.  You cave and end up having 3 more and end up at the McDonalds drive thru at 2 am in the morning.  Am I close?

You had the best of intentions, and yet ended up not only drinking more than  you planned, but eating some of the WORST fast food in the world.

Here is the best advice I can give you.  Order your first drink mixed with something 0 calorie.  In between ordering your first and second drink pull the waiter/waitress aside and tell them that for the rest of the night you don’t want any alcohol in your drinks.   Tell them no matter what anyone says about buying you a drink, or when you order “another one” you only want the 0 calorie mixer.  Give this a try the next time you go out.  I’ll bet you will still have just as much fun you won’t wake up hung-over and your fitness goals will still be on track.