Recently my dad wrote a comment on my blog asking if having a hot dog with the bun on Memorial Day weekend would send him soaring into a larger pants size come Tuesday morning. Very amusing. The answer: probably not, but if you're combining that with my mom's potato salad, some coleslaw, and a case of Corona (Dad, does this sound a bit more like what your asking?) you may find yourself in a bit of a pickle.

Coming from a family who spends most warm-weather weekends down at the beach, we tend to BBQ a lot. But the problem for me is many of my favorite summertime foods contain a lot of hidden calories. So I decided to get some insight from one of our experts. Here is Registered Dietitian, Sari Greaves' meal plan to slash the calories at your Memorial Day bash. Check it out ...

My dad's favorite for a BBQ!

Typical Barbecue Meal:

Cheeseburger, 3 oz.: 315 calories, 15 grams of fat
½ cup Potato Salad: 180 calories, 10 grams of fat
½ cup Coleslaw: 120 calories, 12 grams of fat
Potato chips, 16: 150 calories, 10 grams of fat
Hot Dog on a Roll: 310 calories, 28 grams of fat
2 beers, 24 oz.: 300 calories, 0 grams of fat
Apple Pie, 1 slice: 300 calories, 12 grams of fat
TOTAL: 1675 calories, 77 grams of fat

Healthy Memorial Day Meal Makeover:

Fresh vegetable salad, 3 cups: 30 calories, 0 grams of fat
Light dressing, 2 Tbsp: 50 calories, 2 grams of fat
Chicken kebab, 3 oz.: 110 calories, 3 grams of fat
Hummus, 2 Tbsp: 50 calories, 2 grams of fat
Mini whole wheat pita: 65 calories, 0 grams of fat
Lite beer, 12 oz.: 100 calories, 0 grams of fat
Seltzer with lime: 0 calories, 0 grams of fat
Fruit salad, 1 cup: 120 calories, 1 gram of fat
TOTAL:  525 calories, 17 grams of fat

Calories Saved: 1150
Fat grams Saved: 60

Hopefully these tips will help you battle the BBQ bulge! For more of Sari's advice check out The 10 Pound Takedown. And for more great nutrition tips and tricks check out iMag's Food Section. Happy Memorial Day!

Sari Greaves works as a Registered Dietitian at Step Ahead Weight Loss Center in Central New Jersey where she provides nutrition counseling to a wide variety of patients seeking weight loss and healthy lifestyle modification. Prior to working at Step Ahead, Greaves worked at New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell (NYPH-Cornell) in New York City. She is also a national spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Greaves graduated magna cum laude from the University of Delaware and completed her post-graduate dietetic internship program at NYPH-Cornell.

Let's check in with Sharon and see how Week 1 on the 10 Pound Takedown is treating her!

Okay, so I'm only in the first couple of days but I'm still alive!! I cooked (for maybe the first time in my tiny nyc kitchen) and didn't burn the place down, so I'm thinking it was a success.  And it tasted so good. I've started a folder with the recipes from Sari!

I've been a gym member for years but I've never really had much guidance. So even when I had (what I considered to be) good weeks, I probably wasn't doing as much for my body as I thought I was. Following Ken's guidance and the workouts he's planned is perfect. It takes all the thought out of going to the gym and I LOVE that!

I do however have a love/hate relationship with weight/circuit training. The weights are hard. I've definitely never pushed myself like this before but I'm looking forward to seeing the results, umm ... it's just too bad I didn't see them on Day 1 - gotta love instant gratification. I know I'm going to love the results ... but OUCH!! On my way home from the gym I was thinking how it's similar to dating bad boys (or seeing your ex). It's like regardless of how much it hurts, you know you have to do it, because it's good for you. Wait, does that work? Yes...no matter how much fun you're having dating the bad boy (aka not doing weights) you know that you need to end things (aka go to the gym) because you'll be WAY better off in the long run, which = 10 lbs lighter with a new man!!

I haven't made any plans for this week but it'll be interesting to see how well I'm able to stick with it over the weekend...to be continued!

Do you have advice for Sharon? Have you started the plan? Let us know!

The best part about losing weight with our 10 Pound Takedown series is that you still get to eat snacks! (We're big fans of snacks over here at iMag.) But we've decided to ignore the donuts taunting us near our manager's office and try some of Registered Dietician, Sari Greaves' super snacks instead.

Here are a few of our faves, click here for the full list!

• Frozen Fruit Snacks: Freeze sliced bananas, strawberries, berries, or grapes; enjoy 1/2 cup serving for a refreshing snack
• 3 cups fat-free popcorn
• Spread 1 tablespoon part-skim ricotta cheese on 2 whole-grain crackers (35-40 calories each such as Kavli or Wasa crisps), top with 2 fresh figs (quartered) or 2 tablespoons raisins and drizzle with 1 teaspoon honey.
• Any single serving frozen dessert, 150 calories or less such as Skinny Cow or Weight Watchers single-serving frozen treats, Klondike Slim-A-Bear Chocolate Sandwich
• 1 part skim string cheese or any single serving (1-ounce) reduced fat cheese such as Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges or Jarlsberg light slices

Is this your first time on The 10 Pound Takedown blog? Click here to watch the video to get started with our new summer weight loss series!

Print out the Week 1 meal plan

Print out Week 1 workouts

Print out the recipes: Baked Salmon Dijon and Chicken & Spinach with Creamy Dijon Sauce

Stay tuned! On Friday we'll post the grocery list, meal plan and workouts for Week 2! Keep up the good work and let us know how it's going! We'd love to hear from you!

We're glad you're back for day 2 of our new summer weight loss series, The 10 Pound Takedown! If you need some added motivation, tell your friends and co-workers about our challenge and do it together. Here's tomorrow's meal plan, workout, and extra tips!

The Workout: Weight Training Circuit

Created by NYSC Trainer Ken Szekretar

Start this workout with a 10 minute cardio warm-up. Then go through the following circuit three times. Try to use weights that will challenge you to do 20 repetitions of each exercise with good form. Remember to only rest after each full circuit has been performed.

The exercises include:

*Squats with dumbbells or barbell on shoulders

*Dumbbell lateral raise

*Forward lunge

*Dumbbell behind the head tricep

*12 inch box or use a step with 3 risers under each end (do a step up while doing a bicep curl as you are stepping up), do 15/leg, 30 bicep curls total

*Bodyweight push-ups from knees

*Lateral lunges, one arm dumbbell row

The Meal Plan:

Created by Sari Greaves, RD CDN

Breakfast: 6-ounce container of nonfat plain Greek yogurt mixed with ½ cup sliced fruit, ½ cup high fiber cereal, 1 tablespoon chopped nuts or ground flaxseeds. Optional: drizzle with 1 teaspoon honey.

Lunch: Leftover salad or sandwich

Re-heat baked salmon dijon from last night in the microwave and either:

1) Put it over mixed salad greens with chopped vegetables; select a salad dressing option from menu #1; enjoy with 50-60 calories worth of whole grain crackers on the side (2 Wasa or 7 Kashi  TLC crackers).

2) Place leftovers into a "skinny bread" option: Arnold's sandwich thin, 2 thin slices of reduced calorie bread, a whole grain pita or tortilla.

Dinner: Chicken & Spinach in Creamy Dijon sauce

Wondering what to do with leftover sour cream and Dijon mustard? Here's a great way to put leftover ingredients to use. This nutrient-rich recipe reveals the secret to a cream sauce that is rich in taste, but not in calories. Shop at your local farmer's market for seasonal produce, and feel free to swap the spinach for any other dark green vegetable such as asparagus, swiss chard, broccoli or kale.

This recipe makes 4 servings. Prepare the entire recipe and store 2 servings in your refrigerator for immediate use and 2 servings in your freezer for later use.

Serve with a small baked sweet potato (about the size of a computer mouse or ½ large potato). Season the potato with black pepper or cinnamon.

To Microwave-Baked Sweet Potato:

1. Wash sweet potato
2. Puncture a few times with a fork. Place on paper towel on microwave-safe dish. Cook on high for 4-5 minutes. Turn over potato halfway through cooking.
3. If you cook a large potato, store the remaining half in your refrigerator covered for 3-4 days.

Snack Tip: Eating every 3-4 hours can help tame your hunger and prevent overeating later on. Choose 2 snacks daily and on vigorous workout days, enjoy 3 snacks. Vegetables are free and do not count towards your snack allowance unless they are starchy.  If you dunk your vegetables in a dip, follow recommended portions for yogurt dip, hummus, salsa, and dressing.

Print tonight's chicken recipe!

Just starting the plan? Click here to learn about The 10 Pound Takedown and get on board!

**Please note! Sari added some extra goodies to this week's grocery list. Click here for the updated list! New items have been added to the bottom of the list!