Two Tips to Keep You Losing Fat When Eating at BBQs

Summer is upon us!

I am sure that if you are reading this, you will be just like myself, very excited to get the BBQ out and enjoy the sunny weather which is coming our way, with your family and friends.

If you are trying to lose fat and are going to be eating at a BBQ in the not too distant future, here are 3 tips for eating for fat loss at a BBQ.

First of all, try to avoid eating refined carbs whenever possible. These types of carbs will have a negative impact on your blood sugar levels, causing a rise in the level of sugar in your bloodstream. When this happens, insulin is released and causes your body to start storing fat. 

Having a burger without the bun or a hot dog without the roll would be a great choice to help for your fat loss goals. Try having any of your favourite meats with plenty of green vegetables or a side salad. 

Some natural fats on the side will also be very beneficial. Avocado, olives or a handful of nuts are great choices.

If you absolutely must have a bun with your burger, try to eat some meat and natural fats before the carbs. Eating protein and fat before you eat carbs will help your body to blunt the blood sugar spike which comes after eating carbs.

If you are going to consume some alcohol with your meal, the best choice would be red wine.

Red wine contains plenty of antioxidants and has a lower amount of fructose than white wine. Fructose is a natural sugar that is found in fruit; however, it makes your blood sugar levels rise very quickly.

If you want to drink a spirit and mixer, avoid dark spirits and favour vodka and gin as they have a much lower amount of added sugar. For the mixer, completely avoid soft drinks such as coca-cola and lemonade, these contain huge amounts of sugar. Having a vodka, soda water and freshly sliced lime is a much better choice for fat loss when compared with vodka and coca-cola.

When you consume alcohol, your body will not metabolise anything else until it has processed the alcohol. This is because alcohol cannot be stored by the body so it is forced to metabolise it straight away. This means that any sugars and fats consumed with alcohol will not be metabolised efficiently, and if you drink heavily it can slow your metabolism considerably.

If you are going to be drinking a lot of alcohol, try to have regular glasses of water in between alcoholic drinks. When your body is hydrated it is more likely to use fat as energy rather than sugar. Drinking more water whilst drinking alcohol will also help to reduce the effects of having a drink too many the night before.