From:http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6500/diet_wedding_survival_how_to_stay_on.html?cat=51Tips for Celebrating without Overindulging. If you're on a diet, wedding bells can sound more like a death toll for your weight loss program. Between the food, the cake, the alcohol, and the climate of overindulgence, weddings are a recipe for breaking the healthy habits that will take you to your weight loss goals. If you're on a diet, wedding parties can be less than carefree. Luckily, these diet wedding tips are here to help you have a great time without feeling guilty. Sidestep the alcohol pitfall with a two step plan that will let you have your festive champagne without overindulging. Maintain diet accountability without drawing attention by discreetly keeping track of what you eat. Finally, take your mind off the food by hitting the dance floor, and enjoy the bonus of burning lots of calories. Put these three techniques together, and you've got a full diet wedding survival plan. When you know how to stay on your diet, wedding party can mean "fun evening" instead of "diet disaster!"
Sidestepping The Alcohol PitfallOne of the reasons why, for someone on a diet, wedding receptions often spell disaster is the ready supply of alcohol. Drinking lowers inhibitions and makes it more difficult to make smart choices, which means a few glasses of champagne can be trouble for anyone trying to watch their waistline. After a couple of drinks, it suddenly won't seem like such a bad idea to have just a few more hors d'oeuvres, or another slice of cake, and before you know it you've stumbled far beyond the boundaries of your daily caloric allowance. If you want to stick to your diet, wedding drinks can be as much of an enemy as wedding food. However, having a glass to sip from while you make conversation with friends is a part of the wedding atmosphere. To avoid the pitfall of overindulging, and to avoid feeling awkward without a glass, try this two step diet wedding survival tip: have two alcoholic drinks, and drink as much water as you want in between. Start the reception with a glass of champagne so that you can feel festive, but switch to sipping water for the duration of the fete. That way you'll always have something to sip, but you'll be sober for dinner, which means there's no alcohol-related risk of losing control of your diet wedding survival plan. Towards the end of the party, have another glass of champagne. By that time most of the food will have been put away, so you'll be able to relax and relish your reward for staying on your diet, wedding reception temptations be darned!
Keeping Track DiscreetlyIf you're on a diet, wedding receptions are the last place that you want to end up talking or thinking about your weight loss plan. Because there are so many more important things to think about, talk about, and do, it's easy to lose track of how much you're allowed to eat, and how much you've already eaten. If you're snacking on hors d'oeuvres, you won't want to be calculating whether they're part of your daily carbohydrate allowance, or telling the world that you're watching your weight by pulling out a calorie chart! This diet wedding survival technique will help you keep track of what you're eating discreetly. Plan how many calories you're allowed to eat at the wedding to stay within the bounds of your diet. Now, put a penny in your leftt pocket for every hundred calories you're allowed to have. When you grab a bit of something to eat at the wedding, pause for a brief second to estimate how many calories it contains, then move the pennies that represent its "value" to your right pocket. As the night wears on, you'll be able to tell how much you've had, and how much more you can have to eat without breaking your diet, just by discreetly slipping a hand into your pocket. This is a lot easier, and more comfortable, than juggling a calorie chart, and it will help you stay on track. Although it's only a rough guide and not a minutely accurate system, it is a lot better than throwing caution to the wind, and is a powerful weapon for diet wedding survival!
Hit The Dance Floor!If you're on a diet, wedding parties can actually be a blessing in disguise. All you need to do to make a wedding reception into a weight loss party is to get out on the dance floor. When you're trying to stick to a diet, wedding food is such a huge temptation in part because you're likely to find yourself standing around the buffet tables all evening, which makes it all too easy to head back for "just one more" helping. Dancing is a great way to stick to your diet, wedding buffet or not, because it takes your attention off the food and onto the music. Plus, dancing at a disco-style level of exertion can burn up to six calories per minute! That makes a couple of spins around the dance floor is just as good as hitting the gym, and a lot more fun. Getting some exercise during the course of the party means that you can feel great at the end of the night knowing that even if you overindulged a little, you've already started to burn through those calories. Plus, logging some dance time will boost your metabolism for several hours after you shake your groove thang, which means you'll be more energetic and lively for the whole party!
From: http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=59521&sc=3010Cocktail HourWhen it comes to the cocktail hour, Weight Watchers member Lauri Carbone, North Wales, PA, has it down to a science. She should know — as a wedding photographer, she is surrounded by reception food temptations every weekend. "I always keep a healthy snack in my camera bag like carrots so I can munch during down time and try to fill up as much as possible before the crab cakes and mashed potatoes come out," she says. "I also try to keep my hands busy with my camera around the food, so instead of grabbing for some cheese, I take a photo of it. And then I look at it later, longingly, but proud that I didn't succumb to the deliciousness that is cheese." Another strategy, according to Weight Watchers member Janice Litvin of Walnut Creek, CA, is not so much what she does at the wedding, but rather what she does beforehand. "I don't go to an event hungry," she says. "I always eat a snack like a big piece of fruit before I go and make sure to save PointsPlus values from that day by eating a lighter lunch so I can consume extra PointsPlus values at the wedding."
Size up the skewersFor Lifetime Member Ellen Pulda from Needham, MA, her survival toolkit is all about scoping out the situation. "Don't go for the first stuffed mushroom you see," she advises. "Watch the hors d'ouevres parade pass by, then make your decision. Stick to the sushi, skewered chicken and avoid the wrapped (i.e., egg rolls, pigs in a blanket) items." When it's time for the sit-down meal, Pulda relies on her husband to help her through the meal. She suggests, "Sit next to a dinner companion who's happy to take half your meal. My husband typically gets my starches and half my entrée. Pass up the bread basket. At functions — unless it's a fancy French restaurant — it's usually not worth it."
Dinner, drinks and dancing, oh my!"Seltzer is your friend," says Rita Smircich (Westport, CT), Lifetime Member, wedding planner, and author of To Do Before "I Do" (Lulu, 2007). "Although this might sound drab, it's amazing what you can do with seltzer! Even if a bit of liquor was added, it won't make for many calories. A variety of juices, such as cranberry or pineapple, can be added for a refreshing drink." Judith Lederman from Scarsdale, NY, editor of Westchester Weddings Magazine and author of Joining the Thin Club: Tips for Toning Your Mind AFTER You've Trimmed Your Body (Three Rivers Press, 2007), reminds us that weddings are not about the food. "Remember, you can get food anywhere, anytime, but the opportunity to mix and mingle and see people you haven't seen in ages — that only comes about on rare occasions!" She adds, "Dancing burns calories — stay on the dance floor and get aerobic. I danced at my son's wedding last night and didn't even stop to eat the wedding food. I had a protein shake tucked away in the bridal room and drank it between dances."
DIY dessertsSome guests prefer the do-it-yourself treat. Ranae Whitmore lost weight over the past two years by making healthy food choices, implementing moderate exercise and changing her thought processes. The Des Moines, IA native explains, "Rather than being tempted by the lovely wedding cake, I bring my own 100-calorie pack of Hostess cupcakes or a frozen Weight Watchers dessert and ask the servers if they will kindly plate it for me on the same fancy plates the wedding cake is being served on. It makes me feel special to be 'good to me' and at the same time feel like everyone else being served on fine china!" Linda Lockett Brown, RD, from Orange Park, FL, says it's important to be kind to yourself if you indulge. "Don't become riddled with guilt because you chose to eat a piece of cake," she says.
Treat yourself wellAs you're enjoying the celebration, it's important to remember it's just one night, one meal and one piece of rich cake. Author Smircich adds, "When people are going to a wedding, they know that there is going to be good food and plenty of it. If they want to eat buttercream wedding cake, then they may need to save their PointsPlus values during the week. [Then] at the wedding, eat the salad without dressing, avoid the heavy cream sauce, [don't] eat the bread on the table and [don't] ask for a second piece of cake." Above all, Litvin notes, "If you want to eat something, eat it. If you say no to yourself for too long, you are more likely to [break down]. So try that piece of cake or piece of candy — just remember to write it down. As my Leader always says, 'Just get right up the next morning, wipe off the crumbs, and begin your day anew.'"
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