Enjoy your Q and maintain your Bikini Bod

~With smart choices, you can have your burger and your beach body too...We know who we are.
By Joy Bauer
TODAYShow.com contributor
May. 26, 2008
Load your plate with the typical high fat BBQ fare — cheeseburger, one beef/pork sausage, large scoop macaroni salad, handful of chips, 16oz glass of lemonade and apple pie a la mode — and your body gets hit with 2,260 calories, 126 grams of fat, 48 grams sat fat, and more than 100 grams sugar. YIKES!

And here’s a depressing thought, in order to burn these calories off, you’ll have to do one of the following activities:

Walk on a treadmill at 3.5 mph for 6.3 hrs
Stay on the elliptical machine for 4.7 hrs
Hit the pool and swim the breast stroke for 4.7 hrs
Grab your gloves and garden for 6.3 straight hours
Spend 9 straight hours scrubbing and straightening your home
But there’s good news; thanks to deliciously healthy, lower-cal alternatives, you can still enjoy a BBQ fiesta without calorie overload. Here’s my four-step rundown:

Step One: Swap high-fat burgers for lean turkey, bison and veggie burgers
Typical hamburgers are made from high-fat, marbled ground beef. Not only are they high in calories, but they’re also loaded with artery-clogging saturated fat.

Instead, choose bison burgers, turkey burgers and veggie burgers.

Step Two: Swap hot dogs and beef/pork sausages for poultry sausages
Hot dogs and beef/pork sausages are typically 70 percent fat, with a fair amount coming from the saturated type. Instead, choose lean poultry sausages. Grocery stores carry a variety of brands which grill up just as juicy and delicious as the full fat beef versions. Best part, the math is completely reversed: these low-fat sausages provide up to 70 percent high-quality protein and less than 30 percent fat.

Step Three: Swap fatty steaks, ribs, and chicken wings for skinless poultry, fish and seafood
It’s obvious we run into the same high-fat problem with marbled beef, but some people don’t realize that chicken wings are almost ALL fat. Save yourself excessive calories and fat by switching to skinless chicken breasts and fish.

Step Four: Swap calorie-laden side dishes (think macaroni and potato salad) for grilled vegetables
There is nothing more delicious than grilled vegetables. They’re low-calorie and loaded with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber. Easiest prep: lightly coat vegetables with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt or salt substitute and preferred seasonings (ground black pepper, garlic, Cajun powder, etc.). Toss on the grill and you’re set. Some favorites include eggplant, peppers, portabella mushrooms, onions and zucchini. Also, grill corn on the cob, white and sweet potatoes (a bit higher in calories, but well worth the nutrition return).

Bigger swimsuits would seem a more sensible solution.

How to Cook with Tofu

The sugar in barbeque sauce is really what makes this method (its so easy its hardly a recipe!) work so well, but other marinades and sauces will work, so have fun experimenting with different flavors! I like to use a good quality Texas style barbeque sauce and serve on sourdough. This is also a great recipe if you need to feed a crowd, since its so easy, and, depending on the size of your oven, you can prepare a huge batch fairly quickly.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hours,
Ingredients:
firm or extra firm tofu, well drained
barbeque sauce, about 1 cup
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Line a cooking sheet with aluminum foil. This will help make cleaning up easier. Spoon a thin layer of barbeque sauce across the lined pan.

Slice pressed tofu into 1/2 inch thick cutlets and place in pan. Spoon a layer of sauce across the top of the tofu and bake for approximately one hour, checking occasionally so as not to overcook.

Tofu is done cooking when sauce has baked in and tofu is moist, but not saucy. Serve in a sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, relish and extra barbeque sauce. Yum!

AND as an added bonus you will avoid smelling like flesh.

What in the hell is wrong with you?

I'll tell you what is wrong with Chili cat she was on the elliptical machine for 4.7 hrs after bbqing for 12 hours on the hottest day ever and eating a rib and a piece of pie. You have no idea how hard it is to keep our girlish figures...

If she's eating tofu and using American Gothic 2005 as her avatar I think someone needs to go check on her.

Someone should at least pour a couple gatorades down her neck.

yes yes the ol geo. foreman did get a work out on sat

so are you saying you didnt like the tofu ribs?

I am perfecting a 5 lb stuffed tofu meatloaf for next w/e

also want to break out the TVP (texturized veg. protein) , it works well in chili too. better than even beans do.

Oh now thats just going too far.

I'm emailing this forums operators and lodging a complaint.

MM MMM MMMM BEANS and CHILI nothin better, I'll say. Throw in a few Frito's, YUM to the O!!

the chili looks fine, but the cat for the avatar has to go.

What do you think is in the Chili?