Cookouts And Trying To Lose Weight - A Dilemma?

Hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, beer, chips, loud music, loud kids, ahhh...the summer time fun at a family cookout! However, if you are trying to lose weight, cookouts are one of those things that will make you wished you never started dieting!

What are you to do? Do you just bring some wimpy salad you made at home, sit sadly in a corner, and eat your wimpy salad while everyone else is smacking down on some homemade ribs and juicy burgers? Excuse my language, but.....HELL NO!

Listen, living a healthier lifestyle is not torture. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a little "bad food"....ONCE IN AWHILE! However, you still need to watch WHAT you eat and HOW MUCH you eat. One freaking burger is not going to make you fat! BUT, if you are scarfing down, one burger, one hot dog, a rack of ribs, a wallop of potato salad, some chips, and 5 cans of soda.....now you got yourself some problems!

Be smart and responsible with your weight loss efforts when you have, or go to, any type of function, cookout, or even a restaurant. There's no sense in busting your a** trying to lose weight, get in better shape, and then go nuts eating unhealthy foods at some event. Then you'll only end up feeling what? Depressed, bloated, guilty, possible heartburn or diarrhea, and on and on!

I myself had this problem when I first started on my health and weight loss journey. What I used to say is, "Oh this is just one day, splurging for just today can't hurt me." Then I ended up eating WAY more than what I should have. There were times I ended up going past my daily calorie intake on just the food I had at a cookout.....although it was extremely hard not to, since my mother can make some fried chicken that can make Angels sing!

Again, go ahead and enjoy some cookout food, just be smart about what you eat and how much you eat. Depriving yourself will get you nowhere fast. That is one of the biggest mistakes folks make when starting a healthy lifestyle and trying to lose weight. It all comes down to making smart choices, not over doing it, and understanding that you are living healthier now and these types of foods are foods that you should not be eating, but having a little of it ONCE IN AWHILE is not going to hurt you.

Have fun at your cookout!

Oh yeah, one more thing, watch the beer and soda consumption! They both have empty calories (no nutritional value) and carbs galore! It's real easy to guzzle down a few ice cold beers or sodas without thought. Take it easy.