Summer Structure – Something Out Of Nothing!

Jul 16, 2015

As much as my clients look forward to summer for the anticipated relief from the grinding routine of getting their kids everywhere they need to be (illusion though this often turns out to be!), this very lack of structure poses its own challenges.  In all my years of working with fellow weight challenged individuals, I have not met a single soul who can successfully fly by the seat of their pants where food is concerned – at least not in this culture – whether that structure is as tight as pre-made meals (made by them or purchased that way), or as loose as option 1, 2 or 3.  A simple template like:  “keep the focus on protein, produce and healthy fats, and start the day with any kind of movement” can whittle down the complexity of most any circumstance.

This individually tailored template will create what the school system, your kid’s schedules, your job, or diet programs for that matter typically created for you.  Lack of ambivalence is key and creating a negotiation-free environment critical. As always, any solution you take it upon yourself to find adds to your sense of self-empowerment.

More than ever in the lazy, hazy days of summer, how you start the day (to whom you hand the reigns) influences every choice thereafter.  Every new healthy habit added to your to your repertoire generates momentum, and motivation maintained is evidence that critical mass has been achieved!

Here are some traditions created by resourceful clients to add structure to their summer fun:

Randi wanted to stick with her healthy summer meal template but didn’t want to give up her traditional lobster roll in Ogunquit so she ordered it minus the roll and accompanying potato chips, and popped it into a salad.  Her sense of self mastery was worth the loss of the roll, and she created a filling vacation treat she could enjoy and be proud of too.  Since this was usually a lunch time occurrence, she was relieved of the obsessive cravings and belly bloat that her original choice had usually engendered.  Now she had a clean slate (emotionally and biochemically) for dinner.

William likes to take time in the summer for a before dinner drink and snack with his wife and new baby at a pier side bar in NYC. His 115 lb. wife who can’t afford two dinners worth of calories has found that chicken satay skewers or shrimp cocktail can give her a tasty pre-dinner snack that can actually help decrease her appetite for the real dinner to follow.

Mary Ellen doesn’t take any money to the swim club, but does take a cooler of foods that she prefers her kids to have, while Frank stops at the deli on the way each time and picks up lunch for he and the kids, also avoiding relentless negotiation at the pool.

Melinda has saved herself gallons of ice cream eaten directly from the tub by creating a Summer Ice Cream Friday tradition with her kids.  They make an event of taking a ride to a local creamery and savoring the treat, and she doesn’t need to find creative ways to hide five different flavors from herself at home.

Judy and her husband have a vacation tradition of beginning the day by walking the three mile circumference of the island they visit each year.

Samantha deliberately puts in lots of extra exercise walking her son’s dog and gardening in anticipation of a couple of traditionally challenging BBQ’s.  This way she can bank ahead and enjoy the hotdogs and hamburgers she typically doesn’t grill at home anymore.  She brings her infamous Key Lime pie she is now smart enough not to make in her own house, thoroughly enjoys a piece…and leaves the rest there!

Eric swapped making a bakery run with early morning yoga on the beach when he visits his in-laws in San Diego.  His ability to relax on the beach is a genuine spiritual mellowness rather than a multiple donut induced sugar coma.

Paulette is known for hosting the best “upscale” BBQs because she traditionally grills salmon and steak, veggies and corn and creates interesting fruits and salads (that I always steal the recipes for) like watermelon/basil/feta skewers or grilled fruits with balsamic reduction.  Not that everyone doesn’t love the traditional burgers and hotdogs, but going to Annette’s is always a special treat.  It doesn’t require a week of skinny days to afford from a calorie perspective, and since it is more or less “paleo-ish”, your body handles those calories so much more efficiently that you don’t need to be banking for it at all.

My sister and brother-in -law grow amazing vegetables at the community garden in Madison, CT (one of my favorite places on earth alongside the the Celery Farm).  It is an old farm complete with a lily pond, a covered bridge and sunflowers everywhere called “volunteers” since they grow wild.  It is a summer ritual to plan our meals around the daily harvest of fresh beets, peppers, tomatoes, lettuces, etc.

Phil finds himself all kinds of inspired when he hits the Ridgewood farmers market and buys so much produce that he eats veggies all week even when he doesn’t want them, just because they are there!

This is the same kind of pressure that the BJ’s snack aisle creates…but in a good way!

Bob is an athlete and has his kids for the weekends.  They hit the road running in the mornings bonding over summer smoothies that include frozen organic berries that he buys cost effectively in bulk from Costco, protein powder, coconut oil and something green that is completely masked by the blue color from the blueberries.  I don’t know if the kids realize that they are getting the same kale that they didn’t want for dinner last night!  Blue phytochemicals do all kinds of good things for our brain cells and they are the color we get the least in our diets, so this is a great way for them to multitask.

Audrey manages her summer night time treat cravings with a yogurt parfait made with full fat Greek yogurt (sweetened with a tad of xylitol), fresh, seasonal, organic berries from Door to Door Organics and chopped walnuts.  So close to ice cream with none of the guilt.

I have a Starbucks ice half-caf coffee as an afternoon snack in the summer.  The Organic Valley grassfed half and half I can pick up at any Shoprite and xylitol make it close enough to coffee ice cream to work for me.  And any day is a good day when it starts with beating the mosquitos to the Celery Farm at dawn!

What healthy summer traditions can you create?