Summer Cookout Survival Guide

It seems like summer should be the easiest time to lose weight.  There are plenty of opportunities for fun outdoor activities that work up a sweat and burn calories, plus those diet friendly fruits and vegetables are abundant, fresh and at their peak flavor.

So why do so many people complain that it’s hardest for them to stick to a diet and lose weight in the summer?

Two words: summer parties.

Summer is prime time for parties, get-togethers, festivals, fairs and church picnics that all offer a vast array of tempting foods.  Whose mouth doesn’t water when they smell food being cooked outdoors on a grill?  And it’s not like most of us only have one or two parties and cookouts to attend during the summer.  For many of us there’s a couple every week.  Case in point: over the Independence Day weekend here in the United States I’ll be attending 4 separate cookouts/barbeques; plus I’ll be spending some time at the local July 4^th Firemen’s picnic and every event is going to have lots of food available.  All that food at parties and get-togethers gets us out of our normal healthy eating routines because a lot of that summer food is far from low calorie unless the only things we’re heaping on our plates are fresh fruit and raw veggies and are sticking to water to quench our thirst.  Plus we’re usually talking up a storm with other people while we’re eating so we’re not aware of exactly how much food we’re shoving into our mouths.

Does that mean we have to turn down every party, cookout and barbecue invitation and instead stay at home, become a recluse with 26 cats for company and a closet shoved full of unopened boxes from the shopping network?  I sure that doesn’t happen.  Life is about living and having fun so let’s talk about how to navigate the minefield of summer cookout food so that we don’t inadvertently eat two days worth of calories during one single meal at a cookout/barbeque.

Obviously it’s much easier to keep calories under control if it’s your party.  So this guide isn’t going to focus on swaps and changes to make when you’re cooking.  It’s going to tackle the minefield of someone else’s party where there may or may not be a lot of healthy choices and where some of the seemingly healthy choices could be diet minefields.  Although if you can, offer to bring food to the cookout, and don’t cop out by stopping at the store to grab a cake.  Take the opportunity to contribute something healthy.  If you do only have time to make a quick stop at the store stop at the deli for a fruit tray or veggie tray with hummus or guacamole for dipping.

But now picture this.  You find yourself at a summer cookout due to a last minute invitation.  You haven’t brought any of the food so you have to use your own “skills of deduction” to create a plate of food for yourself that doesn’t contain several thousand calories while still calming the “growly monster” in your stomach that is angrily clamoring for some food.

Below are 17 typical summer cookout foods and beverages, the typical calories in each one, and tips to cut out some of the calories without ending up with a plate that only has 4 bites of food on it because that would just be mean and cruel!

Burger – a 4 ounce burger with bun is around 350 calories.  That’s based on 80% lean beef which is the most common for burgers.  A slice of American cheese adds another 50-70 calories.  Add a smear of mayo at 100 calories per tablespoon and that 4 ounce burger (it’s not a very big burger) is in the 500 calorie range.  To keep the calories closer to 400 and to add some bulk to fill you up without adding many calories, skip the cheese and mayo. Instead reach for ketchup (15 calories per tablespoon) and mustard (9 calories per tablespoon); and pile on raw onion, lettuce and tomato.

Hot Dog – A regular Oscar Mayer hot dog contains 130 calories; add a bun for a total of about 250 calories.  I won’t get into the mustard or ketchup debate.  Compared to the average burger a hot dog nets a 150-200 calorie savings.

Brat or Sausage – a Johnsonville brat (the essential summer barbeque food in my neck of the woods) contains 270 calories and a bunch of fat.  A brat bun adds approximately another 150 calories for a total of 420 calories.  A chicken sausage which is about half the calories of a pork sausage is a great calorie saver if they’re an option.  If not, I cut the calories of a brat in half by slicing a brat in half lengthwise; discarding the 2^nd half and enjoying the half brat with bun for less than 300 calories.

Kabobs – they can be a low calorie dream.  Load up on the grilled veggies and choose the leanest cuts of meat available.  If there’s shrimp grab as many as you can without being considered a “shrimp hog.”  Shrimp are a low calorie dream.  Five medium ones are only about 55 calories and veggies are low in calories.  They’re delicious, low in calories and fat, and a good source of filling protein.  Just avoid drenching them in butter.

Barbecued Ribs – the yummy fatty goodness of barbecued ribs comes with a hefty calorie count.  A half rack of baby backs pushes the 800 calorie range and has over 40 grams of fat. Granted a half rack looks impressively big on a plate but there are a lot of bones in there and not so much “rib sticking meat (yeah it’s a lame joke).  On the plus side, they take a long time to eat. Limit yourself to 1 or 2 ribs of the rack – about a quarter of the half rack for a more reasonable 200 calorie count.

Potato Salad – a half cup of mayo based American style potato salad can contain almost 300 calories and most people put way more than a half cup on their plate.  One large spoonful can contain 1 whole cup.  Instead channel your inner “German” and opt for the German potato salad. Even though it has bacon in it, the vinegar based dressing cuts the calories to less than half of it’s American style counterpart, coming in at about 120 calories for a half cup.

Baked Beans – A half-cup of baked beans has about 120 calories and a bunch of fiber which help fill you up.  The downside is all that fiber can cause the “toots.”

Pasta Salad – Like American potato salad, pasta salad tends to be loaded with high calorie mayo so it’s best to pass on it or to take a small 1-2 bite portion because a “normal size portion” that most people load on their plate likely contains several hundred calories although calorie counts vary wildly depending on heavy on veggies it is, whether there are chunks of cheese in it and the ingredients in the dressing.  Don’t be afraid to casually ask what’s in it.  If the person who made it is like me and uses Miracle Whip light (25 calories per tablespoon versus 100 per tablespoon  in mayo) instead of mayo in pasta salads, a spoonful isn’t such a bad choice.

Potato Chips – most cookouts have so many other choices – ones that aren’t readily available at almost any time of the day or night.  My advice is to skip the 150 calories for about a handful of chips.

Fruit Salad – cut up fresh fruit averages about 50 calories per cup and is a super healthy choice at a cookout.  Take a big huge spoonful and don’t feel guilty for taking seconds!

Deviled Eggs – so yummy and not that high in calories. The average deviled egg contains 64 calories so unless you’re eating a half dozen at a time, relax and enjoy every bite.

Crudity Tray – a.k.a. the raw veggie tray that tends to be ignored unless you have my nieces and nephews over because they are raw veggie fiends and will happily arm wrestle you for the last baby carrot.  Raw veggies are tasty and healthy and I have never heard of them making anyone fat.  They’re a great choice for your plate of picnic food.  The dip on the other hand is not so great.  While calorie counts vary widely depending on ingredients the most common sour cream/mayo based dip is about 75 calories a tablespoon and how hard is it to eat a tablespoon?  My husband, who believes raw celery has one purpose – as a means to transfer copious amounts of dip from the bowl to his mouth, can get nearly an entire tablespoon full on his one small stick of celery.  To stay on track with your diet, go heavy on the veggies and light on the dip.  Or skip the “veggie dip” entirely and use some healthier and fiber filled hummus, a little guacamole or some salsa.

Corn on the Cob – Some people like to “hate” on corn on the cob but I don’t know why.  What’s wrong with corn? An ear of corn is about 100 calories and is lots of fun to eat.  Just go easy on the butter.  For a big flavor punch to help you not miss the loads of butter, use about a teaspoon of butter, then raid the bar area for a wedge of lime to squeeze over it and see if you can score a sprinkle of chili powder.

Chocolate Cake – the average piece of chocolate cake with frosting is 350 calories.  You obviously get to decide if it’s worth the calories.  I say it’s only worth the calories if it’s really really good cake.  If not, stop after a bite or two.  Why waste calories on dessert that doesn’t taste fantastic.  Rice Krispy Squares (120 calories, a Nestle Toll house chocolate chip cookie (a little over 100 calories) or angel food cake (140 calories) are all much lower in calories if they’re an option for you.  Better yet, if the cookout includes roasted marshmallows at the end, join in a roast a few for yourself.  A large marshmallow only has 25 calories and what tastes better than a “toasty on the outside and gooey warm on the inside” toasted marshmallow.

Frosted Brownies – they’re dense chocolate goodness and can pack a wallop of 400 calories in one brownie (appropriate that pudgy rhymes with fudgy, right?).

Lemonade – does any beverage say “summer” better than lemonade?  An 8 ounce glass is about 130 calories. Most glasses at a picnic are closer to 16 ounces which means a person can easily drink a glass of lemonade with the equivalent calories of a hot dog with bun.  Try a lemonade spritzer with half lemonade and half seltzer.

Beer – go for the light beer.  MGD 64 tastes okay, if a little watery, and as the name implies it only contains 64 calories. Bud Light Lime has a crisp summery taste with 116 calories.  If “heavy” (regular) is the only kind available, stick to 1 because at about 140 calories each it’s easy to guzzle down a whole bunch of calories worth on a hot summer day (big bellies on guys aren’t called “beer guts” for nothing).  Enjoy your beer after you eat because the alcohol can lower your resistance and cause you to eat more.

One more last tip: after you’re done eating toss your plate and enjoy some yard games and conversation with picnic mates.  Do your chatting as far away from the tables of food as possible so you’re not mindlessly shoving extra food in your mouth that you’re not hungry for and end up cursing at the dryer for shrinking your jeans once again!

Don't Let Summer Cookouts Ruin Your Diet - It's Easy To Stay On Track