What to do about family outings and get togethers??

The hardest thing for me, and the biggest problem to throw my efforts off track is the little treats like ice cream at kaliedascoops and eating out with the family and stuff. Can we do it and still lose weight?

Of course. One of the biggest things I have learned with weight watchers is, you can eat the things you like, just in moderation.

Never deprive yourself of the goodies you enjoy! The more you tell yourself no, the more you are going to want it, until you get to the point where you can't stand it any longer and no only do you give in but you gorge and later feel guilty.

I don't do that. I count everything I eat, whether it be with points or calories, and when I know I have something coming up, like tonight, I am having dinner at La Fiesta with my family, I just bank a few calories/points for the week and I make good choices.

Today, I took the kids for ice cream. Instead of getting a giant banana split, I shared a kids scoop of ice cream with my baby Neena. It was enough to satisfy my sweet tooth and I only had half of the calories since she ate the other other half. I had a treat and it was good, but I didn't over do it.

Tonight, I will try the mexican salad my mom raves about. It's made with grilled chicken and has all the lettuce , tomatos, avacados and goodies, but I will not eat the fried tortilla shell it comes in. Salsa is a free condiment, so I will enjoy that with it. Maybe 1 enchillada on the side. I had 1 egg and 1 bacon this morning for breakfast because I wasnt as hungry, and that gives me a few calories that I can put towards dinner as well. We are eating at five pm, so that meets my dinner deadline.

Since our metabolisms naturally slow down at night as we sleep, I don't recommend eating large meals late at night. I like to give myself a window for dinner between 4:30 pm and 6 pm. That way I eat, feel satisfied and give my tummy time to settle in time for my evening work out sessions.

See, the way I am doing it, is I am breaking my work out up over three times a day. Walk in the morning after breakfast, scult and strength train in the afternoons after lunch and areobic ( turbo jam) after dinner around 8 pm. I don't do it all at once, it gives my metabolism a little boost to keep going through the day, and I don't over do it and feel so tired I can't do my daily tasks. :) You get the same effects working out in segments as you do all at once. The object is to get moving, right? ;)

So, I am actually looking forward to dinner. The idea is to enjoy a meal with the family, chose wisely and don't over do it, but eat where I will feel satisfied and not tempted to rade the fridge later. ;)