Hey everyone! This is Missy from Missy Maintains. I am very excited to do a guest post on Melissa’s blog today! I love Melissa since she is so honest about everything she says and tells it like it is. We came up with a nice topic for my post today; balance.
A lot of people ask me how I manage to go out a lot and have fun but still live a healthy lifestyle and maintain my weight. It seems that people believe that having some drinks at dinner and enjoying dessert will make them automatically gain weight. I want to talk about some of my strategies to prevent this from happening. It is all about balance.
- Exercise! This is the most obvious and probably most important strategy for me. I really like to eat so when I do stop going to the gym for a week or two, I tend to gain a few pounds. Lately I’ve been going to the gym 5 or 6 days a week for at least an hour. I burn off the equivalent of 2 to 4 drinks (depending on what the drink is). Exercise also gives me the energy I need, makes me feel good, and speeds up my metabolism. Core Fusion class builds muscle which helps me burn calories all day long.
- Balance out your meals. If I am planning on going out to dinner and drinks, I try to eat a little less throughout the day. If I happen to indulge at dinner, I try to eat lighter meals the next day.
- Order low calorie cocktails! I try to stick to vodka sodas with a splash of cranberry, light beer, or a glass of wine. If I do order margaritas or a drink that may have more sugar or calories, I try to balance it out by eating a smaller meal. The other night I ordered 2 Lychee Martinis which are probably very high in sugar. I balanced it out by ordering a healthy Ahi Tuna Salad for dinner.
- Order a healthy dinner! This is obvious but some people think that going out to eat is an excuse to “cheat.” Yes, I do like to order things I would not normally eat at home. That is why going out to eat is so much fun in the first place. Most of the things I order still tend to be healthy. This may be a little easier for us New Yorkers since we have the calorie counts right in front of us. It also helps to check out the menu beforehand so that you can plan a healthy dinner before arriving.
- Be wise when the drunken munchies occur! Yes, pizza at 4:00 in the morning always sounds wonderful after a few drinks. Sometimes I do allow myself this pizza but just make sure to eat better and exercise the next day. I try not to have it too often because I know it will make me feel gross afterwards. Instead, I like to order an egg white omelet from the diner. I also tend to go home and have a bag of popchips or a slice of toast. These are nice light options and do the trick!
- Do not deprive yourself! Yes, I pretty much eat dessert almost every night after dinner. I have a sweet tooth and do not feel satisfied without some fruit or chocolate. I’ve gotten negative comments about eating dessert so much. Most of my desserts are healthy substitutions to high calorie desserts I used to eat in the past. I used to have a 600 calorie Cookies N Cream Blizzard from Dairy Queen every night when I was overweight. Now I eat 100 calorie soft serve from The Lite Choice. I also love Greek yogurt with grapes and some chocolate chips. Last night I made baked pears with cinnamon and whipped cream. These are all pretty low calorie choices and satisfy my sweet tooth. When I do have a full fat brownie or piece of cake, I try to just have a few bites.
As you can see, it really is possible to enjoy drinks and desserts without gaining weight. Maybe I could easily lose 5 pounds if I cut out alcohol and desserts but life is too short to restrict myself from the things I love.
What are your strategies for staying healthy while going out and having fun?
If you have any questions or want to read more about maintaining a healthy lifestyle, check out http://www.missymaintains.com.
13 comments:
Great tips! I can't believe Missy gets criticized on her desserts, they are always such healthy treats!
Love these suggestions!! I drank a lot in college and it really made me pack on the pounds so now I've cut out alcohol almost completely and drink maybe once every two months. When there's a party coming up or some kind of event where I know I'll be drinking I stress out about it like crazy! So thanks so much for the tips!
Thanks for posting this Melissa! I was at my thinnest in college..probably when I drank the most! That proved to me that it was fine to drink if I balanced everything else out.
I definitely don't go and party like I used to, the freshman 15 is almost unavoidable being a wild party girl... Exercising when you're hungover is the worst too- but well worth it to keep the pounds off.
My uncle used to say "You do something bad for your body, you have to do something good for your body" and force my cousin out the door for hour long runs.. good idea, brutal lesson!
Great tips! The drunken munchies are always my biggest problem :-)
Great tips, thanks for the guest post. Have a good week.
this is a great post with tips we can all use. Ilove that Missy eats dessert most nights!
Fantastic tips! Speaking of late night drunken munchies, I definitely had them on Friday. Yikes. I don't do it often, but like you said, moderation and balance is the key!
Unfortunately for me I'm all about the beer. And I don't like light beer, no, I like it heavy and hearty! Therefore I usually forgo dessert and count my beer as a dessert AND a drink. I also actually eat MORE during the day when I know I will be eating out. For me, if I eat less, then I gorge at dinner, and feel like crap. But that's just me, some people are different.
I had a WILD night last night. Partied like I never did when I was in college. I'm not worried about my waistline just yet. Too busy trying to fend off the hangover. :)
Thanks for your tips Missy!! They are great...especially since I had a crazy night out last night!
Great post chickie! my number one tip is to not deprive yourself.
Absolutely great advice, it is all about balance. My best tip is to stay motivated by partnering up with a friend or two.
awesome post.
I am new to "behaving" but your advice was inspirational.
thanks!
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