Summertime parties, picnics, and cookouts present challenging situations to those trying to eat right. Don’t despair! Try these 12 tips to successfully stay slim throughout the summer season.

1.  Make the menu. When you’re hosting an event, YOU have the advantage! Make/ask your guests to bring food selections that you’re willing to eat. If you don’t need it, your guests don’t either!

2.  Don’t go hungry. You are more apt to overeat or make unhealthy choices when you are famished and are faced by many non-healthy options.

3.  Strive for balance & a variety of food groups on your serving table and plate. Serve a variety of grains, fruits, vegetables, and proteins.

4.  Take small amounts of food. Use what you’ve learned about portion sizes at home, and apply that to the foods you put on your plate.

5.  Eat fruit as a dessert.

6.  Don’t hang out by the food and beverages.

7.  Plan lower calorie meals leading up to the event, to leave yourself caloric “leeway”.

8.  Decide BEFORE you go out how many alcoholic beverages you’ll allow yourself.

9.  Don’t let what others do at the event affect your decisions. Stay committed to your plan and gain pride in yourself and your ability to maintain self-control.

10.  Attempt to stick to a meal and snack schedule to keep your blood sugar, energy and moods stable.

11.  If you are traveling, pack a cooler for a better selection of foods instead of being limited to the choices at convenience stores and roadside restaurants.

12.  Stay hydrated! Drink lots of water, and add a slice of fruit for flavor if you’d like.

Kara Paris, Personal Trainer

Snacks are a problem for many people trying to lose weight. Are they a dieter’s enemy? They don’t have to be.

Problems with snacks come from failing to pick, plan, and prepare for success. In our Slim Down weight loss class we address this important issue.

PICK THE RIGHT SNACKS

Picking the right kind of snack will have a major impact on your fat loss efforts. An article at www.womensabworkout.com lists 4 healthy snack options: yogurt, peanut butter (natural), almonds, and blueberries. These are great snacks and all on the list of healthy snack options our Slim Down class participants get.

A few comments on a couple of these foods.

Be careful when selecting yogurt. Look at the fat content and whether or not there are added sugars.  Some yogurt brands have added fiber, which adds to the total calories, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Read the ingredient list on the peanut butter jar as well. Ideally, there will be two ingredients: peanuts and salt. Not really any need for more than that.

A few more simple, healthy snack options:

• Walnuts

Loaded with healthy fats. Try a handful with an apple.

• Hard-boiled Egg

Limit yourself to a couple of these a week or remove the yolk.

• String Cheese (low fat)

Another great protein source.

• Dry Cereal (whole grain)

Good substitute for chips and adds fiber.

You’ve picked well. Now it’s time to plan.

PLAN TO SNACK

We’ve all heard it over and over, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” This holds true with diet and fitness as much as anything. Picking the right kinds of snacks is a big part of the planning process. Another aspect of planning is working out your snack schedule.

Eating numerous smaller meals (5-6) throughout the day is a better idea than 2 or 3 big meals. Your snacks are part of this daily plan. The goal is not to let yourself get too hungry. For most people this means eating something every 4 hours or so. That means you should plan for a mid-morning snack, one mid-afternoon, and another at night. (The nighttime snack need might vary depending on your dinner time.)

You have your snack plan, now it’s important to prepare. A great plan will still fail without adequate preparation.

PREPARE TO SNACK

First part of preparing is somewhat obvious – go shopping! Stock your shelves with the right kinds of snacks (throw away the junk if it’s still in your pantry).

One of the things to stock up on is small bags or containers. Healthy snacks can still sabotage your efforts if the portions are too big. Take the time to weigh and count. Consider using some time over the weekend to get the next week’s snacks ready. The extra work will pay off all week long.

One more ‘P’ – PLANT. Stash a few emergency “baggies” at the office or in the car. These can bail you out when you’re feeling a little hungry or when the office donuts are getting passed around.

Snacks are the downfall of many dieters but they can be the key to weight loss success. Just pick,  plan, and prepare.