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Listen, holidays suck when you are trying to lose weight. The 4th of July may not be the one that immediately comes to mind the way that Christmas and Thanksgiving probably do, but still: no one wants to be the asshole that sitting there eating a green salad and drinking a big bottle of water while those naturally skinny jerks you call friends shove cheeseburgers and frozen margaritas in their faces.
So I have a philosophy when it comes to holidays such as these: as long as I don’t gain any weight – meaning I eat somewhat close to my metrics for the day – I’m not going to worry about it. I’d rather have a decent time and not be pissed about having to eat rabbit food then stress out about the scale going down this week. That being said, I obviously can’t stuff my face full of chips and dip if I want a neutral scale result, which means I still have to make some smart choices when it comes to what I eat at the 4th of July festivities. So in the interest of knowledge, here are the ball-park metrics for some of the standard BBQ fare:
First up, the big offenders. Sure, have a hot dog if you want it, but realize that’s going to have to take the place of a light beer or three.
One plain cheeseburger with bun: 400 calories, 16 grams fat, 24 grams carbs, 30 grams protein
One plain hot dog with bun: 290 calories, 17 grams fat, 23 grams carbs, 10 grams protein
1 cup potato salad: 360 calories, 20 grams fat, 28 grams carbs, 7 grams protein
1 cup baked mac and cheese: 360 calories, 9 grams fat, 44 grams carbs, 13 grams protein
½ cup baked beans: 340 calories, 1 gram fat, 58 grams carbs, 4 grams protein
1 slice apple pie: 250 calories, 10 grams fat, 43 grams carbs, 2 grams protein
12 oz. frozen margarita: 300 calories, 1 gram fat, 15 grams carbs, 0 grams protein
Then we have the replacements: the things that aren’t as-bad-but-still-not-great for you, but also won’t cause you to be all depressed as eating yet another salad with grilled chicken on it will:
1 small grilled steak: 165 calories, 10 grams fat, 0 grams carbs, 18 grams protein
1 BBQ chicken breast: 110 calories, 4 grams fat, 8 grams carbs, 18 grams protein
1 BBQ rib: 135 calories, 9 grams fat, 1 gram carbs, 12 grams protein
1 cup pasta salad: 200 calories, 9 grams fat, 29 grams carbs, 6 grams protein
½ cup coleslaw: 120 calories, 9 grams fat, 10 grams carbs, 1 gram protein
1 ear corn on the cob: 80 calories, .5 grams fat, 20 grams carbs, 3 grams protein
1 piece angel food flag cake: 160 calories, 6 grams fat, 25 grams carbs, 2 grams protein
12 oz. Shandy: 120 calories, 0 grams fat, 6 grams carbs, 0 grams protein
And finally, the guilt-free options. I don’t think you’ll have much of an enjoyable 4th if you stick strictly to items on this list, but America is about the freedom to make your own choices, so to each his own:
1 cup grilled veggies: 70 calories, 3 grams fat, 6 grams carbs, 6 grams protein
Veggies and ¼ cup fat free ranch dressing: 60 calories, 1 gram fat, 10 grams carbs, 1 gram protein
1 cup watermelon balls: 50 calories, 0 grams fat, 11 grams carbs, 1 gram protein
1 plate garden salad: 50 calories, 0 grams fat, 11 grams carbs, 2 grams protein
Happy 4th of July, my friends! .
Starting weight to Lose: 30 pounds
Week 1 Results: – 1.1 pounds
Week 2 Results: – 2.1 pounds
Week 3 Results: +0.4 pounds
Week 4 Results: – 0.2 pounds
Week 5 Results: – 0.2 pounds
Week 6 Results: – 0.1 pounds
Week 7 Results: -0.9 pounds
Week 8 Results: 0.0 pounds
Week 9 Results: -0.5 pounds
Week 10 Results: -0.6 pounds
Week 11 Results: 0.0 pounds
Week 12 Results: – 0.2 pounds
Week 13 Results: -0.1 pounds
Week 14 Results: No weigh in
Week 15 Results: – 2.3 pounds
Week 16 Results: +0.6 pounds
Week 17 Results: – 0.2 pounds
Remaining weight to lose: 22.5 pounds
If you want to follow along with me, friend me on MyFitnessPal or FitBit!
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Jenna Crowley
Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, documenting her love of all things cheese related, and hosting the new PGP podcast Don't Take It From Us. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.
@JennaLCrowley
@donttakeitfromus
It drives me crazy when my heavier friends say I’m “naturally skinny”. Nope, I just got my ass up that morning and went for an run before consuming an extra 800 calories in beer that day. I also watch my macros every day, so I can enjoy a holiday without worrying. Everyone’s trying to watch their weight. Don’t assume when you see your skinnier friend eat three cheeseburgers on the 4th that they just have good genetics and they’re not busting their ass to keep the pounds off too.
Just start calling them fat instead of heavy.
Uh Don’t assume your “heavier” friends aren’t busting their ass too, if not more. I burn 700-800 calories a day and count macros but weigh a solid 40lbs more than my tiny friends that workout 3 times a week and eat what they want. Everyone is different.
Then you’re doing something wrong and not being honest with yourself. Stop making excuses. If you’re creating a caloric deficit then you WILL lose weight. Start with your diet, that will make more of an impact than working out 3x per day.
Or I’m doing everything right and can’t change genetics/medical issues/thyroid issues. Go fuck yourself, you know absolutely nothing if you’re saying that is an absolute. I’ve been eating clean for a year dipshit.
This is one of the hardest times of year, aside from Thanksgiving or Christmas when it comes to staying in shape or losing weight for that matter. If you don’t mind me chiming in, we just do veggie burgers (Amy’s and Morning Star do a good job) now… It’s something that my significant other pushed on me, once you pile on the avocado, onions, pickles, tomatoes, etc. you really cant tell that much of a difference (Ok maybe a little..) and it saves you like 325 Calories and instead of fries, we go to Trader Joe’s and they have Julienne Root Veggies that get the job done. Couple that with some cold watermelon slices and a 6 pack of light beer….you can actually make out like a bandit while still somewhat indulging.
Same with turkey burgers, or chicken burgers. Once all the toppings go on, there still pretty good. In my opinion.
Here goes for turkey burgers:
Combine ground turkey with finely diced green onion, bell peppers, and feta cheese. Sprinkle outside with salt and pepper. Grill burgers, add more feta on top after flipping them over, serve on whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and top with tzatziki sauce instead of mayo / mustard / ketchup. They’re delicious, can also substitute ground lamb for a much bolder taste if that’s your thing.
Dude your life sounds miserable
I don’t know why but I kind of respect you throwing out a random comment once every couple of months after all the hate you used to get.
Thank you, I’m glad someone appreciates my input instead of acting like I killed their firstborn and burned their village because of some colorful comments I made awhile ago. You’re alright Triple R
Agreed
God I love you Jenna (Especially after my bumble review). My trick: get everyone hammered so they cant see straight much less see whats on your plate or in your cup. Macro meal: lettuce with cut up hamburger as the protein and all the veggies you can scour (hopefully avo). I like topping it with salsa but you could do LF ranch too. Then just tequila and pure lime juice w/ no sugar added. I havent put that in MyFitnessPal but my guess is 600 cals max
You should throw in the sugar and sodium metrics as well. Those are the things that’ll really get ya.
Duly noted for next time.