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Five tips to help avoid weight gain this summer
1. Make lighter sides. Pasta salad goes great with burgers and dogs, but one cup of pasta salad can equal more than 500 calories. To save calories, use whole-wheat pasta and light vinaigrette or low-calorie Italian dressing. When you make coleslaw or potato salad, use light or non-fat mayonnaise.
2. Watch what you drink. It's nice to have a refreshing, cold drink when it's hot out, but high-calorie beverages like regular soda, juices, alcohol, and sweetened iced tea add empty calories and won't fill you up. Instead, drink water with lemon or lime, or try seltzer or unsweetened iced tea.
3. Be active on vacation. Summer is a great time for beach vacations, but try not to spend all your days relaxing in the sand. Go for a swim, try kayaking, or take a hike -- anything that will get you burning calories.
4. Eat fresh fruit for dessert. Instead of high-calorie, high-fat desserts, enjoy seasonal, fresh fruits. Watermelon is a great choice because it's low in calories (only 46 calories per cup), and it fills you up because it's 92 percent water.
5. Avoid binging at summer parties. Many summer activities, like picnics and barbecues, revolve around an unlimited spread of food. Be smart when you're at these types of events. Don't overload your plate and try to avoid going back for seconds. Make spending time with family and friends your focus, not the food.
2. Watch what you drink. It's nice to have a refreshing, cold drink when it's hot out, but high-calorie beverages like regular soda, juices, alcohol, and sweetened iced tea add empty calories and won't fill you up. Instead, drink water with lemon or lime, or try seltzer or unsweetened iced tea.
3. Be active on vacation. Summer is a great time for beach vacations, but try not to spend all your days relaxing in the sand. Go for a swim, try kayaking, or take a hike -- anything that will get you burning calories.
4. Eat fresh fruit for dessert. Instead of high-calorie, high-fat desserts, enjoy seasonal, fresh fruits. Watermelon is a great choice because it's low in calories (only 46 calories per cup), and it fills you up because it's 92 percent water.
5. Avoid binging at summer parties. Many summer activities, like picnics and barbecues, revolve around an unlimited spread of food. Be smart when you're at these types of events. Don't overload your plate and try to avoid going back for seconds. Make spending time with family and friends your focus, not the food.
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