Nutritionists share top tips for getting back on track after barbecue weekends



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You came, you saw, you made coleslaw, and you ate a hot dog and too many desserts.

Eating healthy on summer vacation weekends and backyard gatherings is no easy task, and as dietitian Katie Dodd points out, many people are “social eaters.”

“We eat to celebrate holidays, events and get-togethers with friends and family. It’s easy to overeat when socializing because you might not be paying attention to your hunger cues,” says the dietitian. Katie Dodd, owner of The Geriatric Dietitian. “You can also eat fun and delicious foods (and maybe even desserts) that you don’t usually eat. It’s easy to eat dessert even when you’re full, just to enjoy the flavor and celebrate the holidays. “

Write down what you eat, drink plenty of water, and other tips to get you back on track after enjoying a summer vacation barbecue.  (iStock).

Write down what you eat, drink plenty of water, and other tips to get you back on track after enjoying a summer vacation barbecue. (iStock).

Dodd says it’s important to see the big picture. “A day or a weekend of overeating probably won’t have negative effects on our health. It is more important to focus on the healthy habits we have before and after the holiday season,” he said. she declared. “Get back to healthy eating and get your body moving. Don’t punish yourself for enjoying certain extra foods, as this can create an unhealthy relationship with food and can cause you to binge or overeat those foods.”

Here are easy expert tips for getting back on track after a weekend of indulgence.

1. Don’t delay getting back on the healthy lifestyles.

It’s easy to make the excuse that you’ve already “messed up” with a long weekend of eating and drinking. Rather than procrastinating your return to healthy living, commit to starting now.

“After the holidays, it is often difficult to get back on your feet when it comes to diet and exercise. We have a hard time motivating ourselves and we often feel shit, which makes it difficult to get back on track,” explains Kristin Gillespie, RD and consultant for exercisewithstyle.com. “It’s important to resume healthy eating habits and exercise as soon as possible after the holidays to help you lose that holiday weight and feel better overall.”

2. Record what you eat.

Whether it’s a good old-fashioned food journal where you chronicle everything you eat or an app like MyFitnessPal, now is the time to get used to it. “If you need help losing weight, self-monitor diet and physical activity (that is, tracking what you eat and how much exercise you can be beneficial in resuming healthy eating habits, ”says Dodd, citing this research.

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3. Seek help from a nutritionist.

Dodd says it can be helpful to work with a registered dietitian to learn how to improve your relationship with food.

“It can help your eating habits during the holidays and prevent the weight cycle that often occurs with the holiday seasons. [like] gain and then lose weight over and over again, ”said Dodd, adding that many nutritionists offer virtual consultations which can be convenient and affordable.

4. Drink lots of water.

“During holiday weekends, we tend to consume large amounts of salt, which leads to water retention and bloating,” says Gillespie. “Increasing your water intake after your vacation can help remove that extra salt from your body and normalize your body water homeostasis.”

If you find regular old H2O boring, try infusing it with herbs like mint or basil and fruits and vegetables like cucumbers, watermelon, and strawberries.

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Amy Gorin, herbal dietician and owner of Plant-Based Eats in Stamford, Connecticut, echoes Gillespie’s sentiment – stressing that it’s important to drink water before and during your meals. “In a study on obesity, obese adults who drank about two cups of water before eating each of their daily meals lost over 9 pounds in about three months. Drink your water the way you like it best – in a cup, bottle or straw, ”she comments.

5. Snack on fruits and vegetables galore.

After a week of consuming packaged snacks, reset yourself to fresh produce, Gorin says.

“They can be much more nutritious choices to grab, compared to snacks like chips and cookies. I recommend keeping a stash of fruit on the counter – right now in my fruit basket you will find fresh cherries, tangerines and bananas – as well as chopping fruit and veg in the fridge, ”says Gorin. “Pair [fruits and vegetables] with a few tablespoons of walnuts or a string of cheese for a snack that will keep you fuller for longer. “

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