Summer Fun!

Just came home from Albertsons and read the coupon they gave me when I checked out. "Stock up on Summer Fun! Get $4 off when you spend $12 on ice cream." (Dreyers, Nestles, Haagen-Dazs, even Skinny Cow!) Hmm. Summer Fun = Ice cream. Well, that may be true for kiddies but not for us folks who need to lose or maintain our weight.
     Summer Fun is fitting into smaller sizes, being comfortable removing our coats (you know what I mean here) and feeling good about ourselves when we wake up each day. Summer Fun is taking a walk in the sunshine, barbecuing Power Foods, Shakespeare in the Park and enjoying the Blue Angels.
     Summer Fun should not =  food unless that Summer Fun Food is cherries, peaches, fresh corn on the cob, and asparagus! This is another mindset adjustment that can make for long term weight maintenance success.
     We had this meeting topic in July: Fun without Food. I was happy to share this meeting topic because we all think about getting together with others by going to lunch, or meeting at a restaurant.
     When my husband was in the corporate world, he often turned a lunch invitation into a walking date instead. Business lunches can be devastating to the waist line. Walking dates are one of the best ways to socialize without food. 
     We should strive to be creative and move the focus OFF of food and ON to alternative fun activities such as bowling, a zoo trip, or exploring a new museum.  Shift your priorities off your stomach and let your body do some moving.  Start thinking creatively about all the ways you can socialize without food being the main focus.  CAN you do it?  WILL you do it?  What have you got to lose?