Strong. Lean. Fit.

4th of July weekend is upon us. Gatherings of friends and family will enjoy the holiday across the country. Burgers and booze dominate the menu. Tomorrow should be a great day, but it has the recipe for diet disaster. Binge eating and drinking, coupled with an exotic array of deserts will ruin your beach body quicker than you can say “America”. Fortunately, there are ways you can enjoy yourself and still look and feel good.

Eat unlimited vegetables

Go right for the salads and pickles. Eat as much as you can and you will be a lot less likely to overeat on other foods.

Eat Some Protein

You still have to get your protein, but you can be a little less stringent as to the source of it. Chicken, steak and even a hot dog will do. However, there’s still no reason to eat the bun. It doesn’t taste that good. At the very least, rip half a bun and use it to hold the burger, minimizing the damage.

Stick to Light Beer/Avoid Sugary Mixed Drinks

Most BBQ’s have a ton of different drinking options. Some choices are a lot smarter than others. Having a regular beer won’t kill you, but limit them in quantity. Switch to the much lower calorie/lower carb choices after you have a regular beer. Don’t drink sugary mixers, and if you really want to drink hard alcohol, make sure you mix it with diet drinks that contain few calories.

Go Swim!

Be active and you don’t have to worry as much about your caloric intake. It’s going to be a scorcher, so exercise tomorrow can be both refreshing and allow you to eat more.

Stick to Fruits for Dessert

The great thing about BBQs is that you are almost certainly going to see some great looking fruit. Watermelon, pineapple, mixed berries are the usual summer staples. All are great tasting, and much healthier for you than cookies and cake. The fruits will also help you eat less thanks to the high amounts of fiber and water.

Be Willing To Say No

You do not have an obligation to try every food your family and friends made. They will not cry if you don’t wat their cheesecake. You will be offered to eat a lot of food, and it’s up to you to limit yourself. Holidays are times you can get looser with your diet, but not loose. There are too many holidays and special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) to go completely off your diet every time. That type of behavior soon becomes a habit, which means you will soon be eating crap every few weeks, then every weekend, etc. Know your limits, and do not go past them. Enjoy the day, but eat and drink in moderation.