Holiday Madness

Hey there everyone!

How are things going?  I am working hard on getting into the summer swing of things.  Last week, I said I was going to blog everyday....well.....I haven't quite gotten there yet!  I will work on that as a goal, but right now, there are some stressful situations coming up.

First situation.....4th of July.  Picnics. cook-outs, BBQs, camp fires, friends, you name it....and all of them involve food.  Carb loaded salads, hamburgers and hot dogs with soft buns, chips, munchies, drinks....the list goes on and on.  I know that I really need to be focused to stay on plan.  In the past, I would be really good for a few hours, then I fall apart.  This year, I am not going to fall apart.  I am going to have fun and stay on plan!

But, how do you do that?  How do you go to all of the parties and be faced with all the ice cream, munchies and bread, and stay on plan?

1.  Remember why you are doing this, and how much you are worth it.  I am doing this plan in order to learn how to eat healthy, lose weight, and gain optimal health.  Do you want those things more than the hot dog....chips....beer?

2.  Plan in order to be successful.  First, make sure you have plenty of MF meals ready.  I like to make sure I have the ones that I can just grab and go.  Bars, pretzels, cereal.....things that I don't have to prepare in order to eat it.  Just be careful with the bars....they can get really mushy and melt in warm temps!  Second, assume your hosts will not have any food that you can eat on plan.  Since they won't have something, you need to bring it!  A veggie tray or deviled eggs are things that are on plan and picnic friendly.  You can even make some diet root beet pulled pork.  You can find the recipe for it here.  I plan on making that tomorrow!!  I will use the lettuce as a wrap, my husband and the kids can have buns!  I have also made this cauliflower "potato" salad in the past.  Believe it or not, it is actually delicious!!  So be sure to bring things that you can eat that are on plan.  This is a great time to try something different, so do it!  Then bring it an let other people try it too!

3.  Drink lots of water.  I like to pick out some flavored sparkling water (a few big bottles of it!), and sip on that throughout the day.  Make it fancy and add a slice of lemon, lime, or something to make it seem as if you are really having something special!

4.  Go back and reread #1.  It's important!  Keep reminding yourself of your goals throughout the day....or when you are tempted to drink a beer, or have a big slice of cake, or whatever.

What are your plans for the 4th?  We will be starting early, doing some picnics on Friday and Saturday.  Saturday night, we are going with a bunch of friends to a baseball game at our local stadium.  I can't really bring my own food there, but I plan on eating some of my MF meals there since we will already have had dinner!

So, one day at a time.  One moment at a time.  We can do this!  We can enjoy ourselves and stick to our goals.  At the beginning of this post, I mentioned a couple of stressful situations.  Next week I have a major stressful situation coming up that will make the 4th of July look like a walk in the park!  We are leaving Thursday morning for vacation in Florida for a week and a few days.  I am stressed about it, but for now, I am going to focus on getting through this weekend, then I will focus on vacation plans!  I know that sticking to my plans will only help me feel stronger when I am on vacation next week.

What are some things you are doing in order to stay on your plan for the 4th? 




***Are you interested in reaching Optimal Health?  I am a free Health Coach and can help you reach your goals!  Email me at evamburns@aol.com if you are interested in learning more!  You can also visit healthcoacheva.tsfl.com.