Are you headed to a BBQ this weekend? Going camping? Opening the pool? The answer to "can I stay on plan and still enjoy myself" is a firm yes. Memorial Day is the informal kickoff to summer, which means how you handle this weekend matters more than any single other weekend in the warm months ahead. There are roughly 15 summer weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and most of them will have at least one cookout. Getting this one right sets the tone for all of them.
You are not starting over in September. You are staying the course, one weekend at a time.
Summer Is 15 Weekends, Not One Day
The real stakes of Memorial Day weekend have less to do with the three days in front of you and more to do with the 15 weekends of summer ahead. Behavioral research shows the first event in a series tends to anchor the pattern. Handle this weekend well and the Fourth of July and Labor Day get easier. Slip here and you've told your brain that summer weekends are "off plan," which makes every subsequent one harder.
A few things worth knowing as you head into the season:
- Exposure to sun and heat increases daily fluid needs by 1 to 1.5 liters. Chronic low-grade dehydration reliably shows up as hunger, fatigue, and cravings. Many summer "cravings" are actually thirst.
- Alcohol and heat are a double hit. Each drink increases urine output, compounding dehydration, while disinhibiting food choices. A single cocktail at 4pm reliably predicts overeating at dinner.
- Grilled food is your best friend. If you control what hits the grill, you control the day. Chicken, fish, burgers (without the bun), shrimp kabobs, and grilled vegetables are near-free on plan.
The goal this weekend is not to survive. It's to build the pattern that carries you through August.
Camping and BBQ Strategy
- Plan and prep what you'll bring.
Know which foods are your responsibility and what others are bringing. If the spread won't support your plan, bring extra Shift foods to fill the gap. - Pack water and electrolytes.
Sun exposure, sweating, and alcohol dehydrate fast. A mocktail with a water enhancer and sparkling water keeps you social and hydrated. - Know your trigger foods before you go.
Burger night? Wrap yours in lettuce or make a bun with a ShiftSetGo soup mix. Chips and snacks? Bring Pop Cakes instead. - Bring lots of veggies.
Season and roast them in foil on the fire or grill. Simple, delicious, and an easy way to eat while others are on chips and pretzels. - Enjoy the experience, not just the food.
Being outside, with your people, is the actual point of a long weekend. When attention shifts from the table, the eating quiets down. - Don't trade progress for one weekend.
You've come too far. A lousy weekend is rarely worth what it costs to climb back. - Your friends will want what you're eating.
Grilled vegetables in foil and a veggie platter with Walden Farms ranch disappear faster than you'd expect. Bring extra.
Set Up Your Summer
- Put a cooler in your car now. A Ready To Go drink, a bar, and a bottle of water in your car means impromptu invitations don't catch you empty-handed.
- Make a summer list of the cookouts, trips, and parties you know about. Decide which dish you'll bring to each so you always have an on-plan option.
- Stock up on sparkling water and Walden Farms condiments. Two things that make summer eating easy.
- Order extra Shift foods for camping trips. Nothing pulls you off plan faster than an empty cupboard 4 hours into a camping weekend.
- Buy a cute water bottle and keep it full. Dehydration is the hidden driver of summer snacking.
- Plan your reward for Labor Day. Make it non-food. A pair of sandals, a pedicure, a weekend trip. Give yourself something to walk toward all summer long.
Did you know?
Research consistently shows people who stay on plan through the first holiday weekend of a stretch are more than twice as likely to still be on plan six weeks later. Behavioral scientists call this the "anchor effect," where the first event in a series sets the pattern for the ones that follow. Memorial Day is your anchor for the summer. It's not about one day, it's about what this day signals to your brain about who you are now.