Outdoor picnics, barbecues and days at the beach are what the summer season is all about. But with an abundance of food around, they also come with some challenges, too. If you get anxious or worried before such an event, there’s a solution—putting together an action plan ahead of time.
Fun without the fretting
By deciding how you want to approach these events ahead of time, just like you might for a holiday or a night out at your favorite restaurant, you can maximize the fun and minimize your worries about going off track with your weight goals.
As your Weekly suggests, start by visualizing the event in your mind. Consider what you’re looking forward to most, and also what your biggest challenge might be. Then, choose one of the strategies below to help you approach it. Before going to the event, determine what you’ll need to do to use this strategy.
- Eat ZeroPoint™ foods first. When you’re ready to eat at the event, reach for the ZeroPoint foods first so you’re less hungry when it’s time to eat foods with SmartPoints values.
- Bring a low SmartPoints® dish to enjoy. Not only is contributing to the spread a nice gesture, but you’ll be sure to have a dish you can rely on.
- Use your best guesstimates to track the SmartPoints value foods. It may be challenging to know the exact SmartPoints values of all the dishes, but your best guesstimate will help you be aware of what you ate. One helpful trick is to take a picture of your plate(s) so you can track when the event is over.
- Make certain choices ahead of time. Consider what foods or beverages you want to prioritize. For example, do you want a little wine and a little dessert, or would you rather have more of one and less of the other?
- Reach for a small plate. Look for an appetizer or dessert-sized plate. This will help if you tend to fill your whole plate.
- Decide how you will use your Budget. Do you want to stay within your Daily Budget or do you want to use weeklies to provide flexibility?
- Plan around the event.. Consider leaning on ZeroPoint or low SmartPoints foods before and after the event.
- Create a finished eating cue, like putting a napkin on your plate or chewing a piece of gum. This will remind yourself that you wanted to stop eating when you go to reach for what's left.
- Find a new scene. When you’re finished eating or selecting your food from a buffet, move away from the table and find another place to hang out at the event.
By using any one (or a few) of these strategies, you’ll ace that party—without having to compromise on your weight loss journey.