Weight Loss – Weight Independence

Summer barbecue season can be taxing on weight management. Many start grilling around Memorial Day; others tend to grill year-round. Regardless of when you start, has the smell of roasting pork five miles away driven you crazy, or has your uncle’s famous Clam Bake made you feel like a beached whale? Whether you experience barbecues like these or not, picnics can present a challenge for your weight maintenance. So today claim your independence and start acting, choosing and thinking the way you want to become.

Traditionally, barbecues consist of hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, ribs, chicken, etc. However, claim your weight of independence and no longer accept these higher fat foods. You can substantially reduce your calories by using lean hot dogs, fish, leaner cuts of meat or removing the skin from chicken before eating and using marinades, wet rubs and sprays will add flavor and prevent leaner cuts from drying out during grilling. . I would caution against grilled soy dogs though. I tried this when I was losing my sixty pounds and those dogs melted faster than butter on a cob of corn, not pretty.

Just about anything can be grilled and there are many different ways to do it. Instead of throwing chicken pieces on the grill and lathering them up with high fructose corn syrup, try the “beer can” method. This is where you open a beer can, remove one half and with some gentle coaxing you insert the can into the cavity so the bird sits upright. Some people close the top with an onion. Steven Raichlen wrote an entire book about it: “Beer Can Chicken: And 74 Other Offbeat Grill Recipes.” Grills, skewers, and smokers are other methods to try.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are great for grilling and also for weight control. The zucchini, summer squash, Italian eggplant, red onions and roasted garlic are amazing on the grill and the portobello mushrooms make great burgers. Try grilling potatoes, and to save time, microwave them for a few minutes before grilling. Corn on the cob cooked in the husk is great grilled and soaking it in a combination of water and milk will add sweetness and prevent the corn from catching fire. Grilled fruits like pineapple, peaches, bananas, plums or pears are quite tasty and can be a nice addition to the dish or an out-of-this-world dessert. My favorite is to peel and core an apple, cut into wedges, place in foil and add a little cinnamon and sugar, seal and place on the low grill while you enjoy dinner. After dinner, unmold and serve with half a cup of light ice cream; awesome.

Reggie Leach was quoted as saying, “Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion; you have to catch yourself on fire first.” However, he doesn’t catch fire by leaning on the grill, he sets the fire by leaning in the direction of his goal and continues to fill the coals with his burning desire to achieve it.

Have a great and successful week,

-Steve