Offer to bring a dish to functions, such as a "heathier" dessert with reduced carbohydrate  fat content.  The internet and many celebrity chefs have a plethora of ideas, recipes and tips for making or reducing the fat content in our favourite desserts and meals.  If all else fails, visit your local grocer for premade options in the fresh food section or call ahead to see if they can lighten your task.

BYOB – that is bring your own sugar-free beverage.  Many beverages are now available in reduced sizes and sugar content to accommodate just about every need in a food plan.  Give yourself enough time to review these options by planning ahead.  Take a food library trip on your next grocery store visit and read the labels according to the brands you are interested in.  This way, you won’t find yourself at the gas station picking up the first 2 litre you see!

Everyone loves the smell of fresh baked bread and if you are like me, options with a variety of grains, nuts, dates or raisins are even more tantalizing.  However, keeping in mind the sugar content and other not so good ingredients can pose a problem for many of us.  Choose whole grain options and reduce your portions, especially for starchy or carbohydrate containing foods such as cereals, bread, rice, pasta, noodles, potatoes, etc. 

Our mothers always told us to eat our vegetables and they were right.  Had we listened more, many of us would have a more balanced diet and energy to compete with a 4 year old.  Eating  more vegetables to fill yourself up and selecting dishes which contain less fat such as grilled, barbecued, roasted or boiled meats will lighten our scales without compromising our pallets.

Get moving and continue to move!  Increase your physical activity to compensate for the increase in food and beverages that you are taking in for the event to come.  This can include something as small as parking further away from an entrance, taking the stairs rather than the elevator or walking a little faster on the treadmill or outside.