5 Tricks to Stay Slim at Your Summer BBQs

Weekend fun with no regrets.

It’s time to fire up the grill, fill up the ice chest, and kick back around the pool. Everyone loves a great BBQ, but can you indulge without ruining your diet? Dr. Martica Heaner, exercise physiologist and nutritionist, says “Friday through Sunday is when most people consume more calories per day that typically come from high-fat foods and alcohol.” Yet, with a few tricks, you can eat, drink, and dance the weekend away with no regrets!

1. Strategize your day.
   It’s all tempting—the sour cream potato chips, creamy onion dip, cold soda, hickory-cheese-bacon burgers, potato salad, and your aunt’s pink fluff dessert. The night before the BBQ (and before you’re tempted to pile your plate sky-high), plan what you’ll eat and what you won’t. Do a quick check online to find calorie counts for foods like baked beans, potato salad, and pork ribs. What you find will help you determine where you’re willing to indulge.
    
2. Sip wisely. 
   A few too many sodas, beers, or margaritas will float your diet right down the river. Consider the calories packed in drinks like cosmos or fruity concoctions; instead opt for light beer, and wines over spirits. To keep hydrated on a hot day, bring your own bottled water or no-cal or low-cal flavored water. Miley Cyrus tells Us that she skips soda in favor of Hint Water’s no-calorie, sugar-free water flavors like honeydew-hibiscus and pomegranate-tangerine.
    
3. Play hard.
   As much as the BBQ is about food, make sure you push away from the table and get active. Recruit friends and family into a game of horseshoes, softball, or volleyball. Dr. Heaner suggests finding activities that don’t ‘feel’ like a workout. Bring some tunes for your own Dancing With the Stars dance-off.  Get the kids out for a high-energy game of tag or hide-and-seek.
    
4. De-carb your plate.
   If burgers and hot dogs are on the menu, try to de-carb your plate by ditching the bun. Keep an eye on the sauces as well. Many BBQ sauces, dips, and condiments are full of simple sugars that’ll head right to your hips.

5. Snack smart.  
   Allow yourself to graze from the offerings, but choose wisely. Munch on fresh grapes, berries, melon, and load up on the green salad. If you fill up on healthy foods, you’re less likely to indulge in high-fat bombs.

See our Summer Grilling Recipes:

• Entree: Summer Salmon Skewers with Lemon-Parsley Pesto
• Side Dish: Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad
• Dessert: Grill-Baked Apple Crisp
• Beverage: Watermelon and Cucumber Tonic

Article Source: health.msn.com. Original Title is "5 Tricks to Stay Slim at Your Memorial Day BBQ"

Recipe Source: myrecipes.com