Vacations, 4th of July cookouts, family reunions, picnics, pool-side snacking . . .

There are a surprising number of opportunities this time of year to come face-to-face with temptation.

Are you prepared?

Many women feel that creating a plan for how they are going to respond to these food challenges is the equivalent of packing a condom for a date.

It implies premeditation that you are planning to do something “naughty.”

Instead, you seek to be spontaneous. You let things take their course. You get caught up in the good time.

And the next thing you know, you’re doing something you will regret in the morning.

Just own up to the fun you want to have, ladies!

Believe it or not, you can stay true to your long-term goal to release weight AND have fun.

But you have to plan for it.

Decide ahead of time if it’s going to be a little fun or a lot—and then stick to that plan.

What we are going for is to eat healthy most of the time.

So this means that if you know you have a holiday cookout where you want to indulge, you’ll want to eat squeaky clean the rest of the week.

What do you need to do to ensure you are able to do that?

• Perhaps create a menu and grocery list for the week?
• Make sure you already have the food in the house so it’s easy to follow through on your healthy meal plan?
• Remind yourself of the treats you are going to have on Thursday when you remember the ice cream in the freezer?

Then be discerning at the cookout.

All food is not created equal. If you know you LOVE potato salad, but the green bean casserole doesn’t curl your toes, then skip the wasted calories of the green bean salad.

Pick the 1 or 2 things that you have been dreaming of all week—and leave the rest of those lesser calories off your plate.

You don’t need to take a little of everything to “be polite.”

And if Aunt Maude does say something about you’re not eating her casserole that she made just for you, pack some up to eat (OR NOT!) later.

This is YOUR body. From this moment forward you are granted the power to determine what is best for you to eat—or not.

This means putting your long-term weight and wellness goals above anything else. Including Aunt Maude’s feelings.

Because Aunt Maude wont’ be disappointed for long, but you may carry the extra weight around with you for a very long time. And it is impacting your joy and your health every single day.

• YOU are worth taking care of.
• YOUR needs are your priority.
• It is your RESPONSIBILITY to take care of you.

It is time to reclaim your power over your body.

Decide right now how “naughty” you want to be and then plan for how to make that happen AND still reach your weight-loss goals.

And then bask in how good it feels to follow your plan. THAT feels way better than eating that green-bean casserole.

Together we can do it!

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