A couple of my fabulous readers have requested some advice on how to survive Cinco De Mayo… so here goes, from one fellow basic girl to another:)

This is Basic Girl’s Guide to Weight Loss Volume 4: Cinco De Mayo Edition

First, let’s all take a moment to remind ourselves we’re all a little basic when it comes to Cinco De Mayo. You can deny being basic, but if you love an excuse to drink margaritas on a patio somewhere, wearing sunglasses and a perfectly styled messy bun, you may be basic.

Since I believe we can all stick to our basic roots and still be healthy today, let’s touch on a few of the things that will be involved in all basic girl’s Cinco De Mayo celebrations.

First: Margaritas! Yes, this is a Cinco de Mayo tradition but these drinks can be calorie and sugar bombs!

• Skip FROZEN. A frozen margarita can easily be an upwards of  500 calories. But a classic margarita on the rocks—made from only tequila, is closer to 150 calories.
• Try 1/2 & 1/2. Order 1 margarita on the rocks & one frozen margarita. Mix a spoonful of the sweet frozen margarita into the margarita on the rocks. You’ll get the sweetness you crave!

Next: Chips and Salsa! Without fail, every time I sit down at a Mexican restaurant and chips and salsa are placed in front of me, I play hungry hungry hippos with every person at the table. I consume my weight in chips before the meal is even served.

• Change your chips to salsa ratio. Break each chip into 4 and perform 4 separate dips with each chip. Usually we take one chip, one dip, repeat. Now think, 1 chips, 4 dips, repeat.
• Fork the guac. We all love guacamole. And most of us, love it plain. So eat it straight from your fork, instead of letting the chip be the vehicle that scoops the deliciousness into your mouth.

Finally:HOW TO ORDER

• Naked. Order Fajitas or open your burrito and eat the middle only. You’ll be packing in alot of carbs with the chips so skip the tortillas. I promise, you won’t miss it.
• Share. The meals at most Mexican restaurants are huge so share with your BFF.
• Swap. Find one thing on the menu that you know they have and ask for a replacement. For example, Skip the rice and asked for sliced avocado. Skip the fried beans and asked for sliced tomato. You won’t miss it, I promise:)

Remember, just being mindful will minimize the damage. Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Here my FROSE from last night:) I shared 1 large glass with my sister and mom! Success!!