Patriotism and Overeating

Overeating is as American as apple pie, especially on holidays. I don't know what it is about our culture, but every time I go to someone's home for a picnic, not only are people shoveling huge portions into their snouts, but there's more food left over than was consumed. There must be some kind of cultural imperative where if you run out of food, or if someone leaves a party hungry, you'll be shunned from the community. It's crazy! What is it with our obsession with food? Are we scared that we might run out? The way we're "consuming", we might!

Just because there is copious amounts of food being served doesn't mean you have to pull out all of the stops and eat everything in sight. I have a system that I use on holidays and I want to share it with you so that when Father's Day and the 4th of July roll in, you can empower yourself to enjoy the day and not over indulge. Hell, nothing is worse than the feeling of having a volleyball stuffed into your gut from eating too much food.

Isagenix to the Rescue

Here's what I do. I went to a barbecue on Sunday. I knew I was going and I had an Isagenix IsaLean shake for breakfast, several snacks of apples and almonds, couple of bottle of water in between. Isagenix Isalean shakes are not only healthy beyond description, but they are very satisfying so that you can easily go for hours without being hungry. I find them to not only be a staple in my diet so that I never miss a meal, but they are the perfect pre-party food.

The party was called for 5pm, so I had a second IsaLean shake at 4pm so I would not be hungry when I arrived. This way I could sample a few appetizers and not feel like I had to park myself next to the chips and dip like a pit bull.

The appetizers were in a word...appetizing! I had three little pieces of focaccia bread with a tomato-herb spread on it. Then I had three tortilla "scooper chips" filled with 6-layer dip. Meanwhile, I'm drinking water like a thirsty camel. The cooked food was grilled burgers, chicken, and hot dogs. So far so good. Now I have also skipped on the alcohol, but that's easy for me as I don't drink anyway. But if you want to make a dynamic impact on your health, I recommend you skip the alcohol due to the extra calories associated with it.

I started with a hamburger that my son decided he didn't like. I got it with a few bites missing so it was actually 2/3 of a burger (4-5oz). I took it out of the bun and ate it like it just came off the grill. Then I had a piece of grilled chicken (about 3oz) and 3/4 cup of what my wife calls "NJ garbage salad". The salad has bow tie pasta, lettuce, tomatoes, a balsamic dressing and crispy chinese noodles sprinkled on top. About a half hour later I had a grilled hot dog with mustard on a hot dog bun. For dessert I had a slice of watermelon and a 'sliver' of chocolate peanut butter pie.

I was not hungry, and truthfully, I did not over eat. In actuality this meal was the perfect opportunity to let my body know that the food gates were not closed and that there is no need to slow down metabolism.

The food choices I made may not have ben the healthiest selections, but that's okay too. Every now and then your body can handle a few extra calories and foods that are not exactly "health food". And that's the message I want you to understand. If you pay attention to what you are eating 90% of the time, you can splurge 10% of the time. So please don't beat yourself up if you "over ate" a little on Memorial Day.

But now that the holiday and the weekend is over, get back to your routine and stay the course. If you continue to cheat on Tuesday you'll soon regret it as you begin to watch the bathroom scale numbers go up.

I'd like to get some feed back from you! So please make the time to "dish" and share your story about how and what you ate this weekend. Also, please let me know how you felt too! Come on, don't be shy, add a comment below.