Going to Masters Week in Augusta is a goal for many, and clubs there have created full-service hospitality packages that make your time at the Masters secure and abundant. From full catering to provided transportation, the goal of these packages is to make you feel as welcome as possible and not have to worry about day-to-day issues, like finding food for meals. However, that also means that you're faced with some sumptuous spreads. Even if the food itself is relatively healthy, the buffet-style service found in many of these packages makes it easy to overindulge. If you want to eat healthy that week, though, you can. It just takes some thought and some planning.
Remember the Feeling
Chances are you've had times where you gave into a food craving or ate a lot only to regret it later. If you think back, you can usually recall the feeling you had. Sometimes it's a physical feeling of being bloated or sluggish; other times it's an emotional what-have-I-done feeling that makes you feel a bit exasperated with yourself. Before you go, spend some time recalling this feeling. Get to the point where you can call it up relatively quickly. If you're at a buffet and want to eat more, see if you can recall the feeling first. You may find your craving to grab more food calms down a bit, or you may find that your craving changes to wanting something lighter or in smaller amounts.
Plan for Treats
Unless you've got a pressing medical reason for not indulging at all, you should allow yourself some treats -- those can dampen out-of-control cravings if you know you can have some good food. But plan your indulgences. Talk to the coordinator of the hospitality package or a concierge at the hotel at which you're staying about getting menus in advance. At the very least, you should be able to get a rundown of the types of food you'll see, such as an omelet station, cold cuts, fruit platters, and sweet rolls. Find what you'd most like to eat and plan to have some of it (e.g., a slice of cheese pizza at lunch on Tuesday; a sundae with dinner on Thursday). Also identify the healthier foods you want to have as well, such as a side salad with that pizza, plus plain oatmeal for breakfast that day. This works similar to how a shopping list does, where sticking to the list lets you avoid a lot of temptation.
Stock up on Water
Ensure you have plenty of bottled water in your room and in your bag when you're on the go, and make a beeline for the water, tea, and plain coffee stations at the buffet. Many times thirst disguises itself as hunger, and if you can stay hydrated, you may be able to avoid a lot of overeating. Drink some water or tea every time you feel hungry, and then wait a bit; if you still feel hungry, go get some food.
The people who put together hospitality packages for Masters Week want you to enjoy yourself and will help you plan your days. Let them know when you sign up that you'd like to find out about bottled water availability and seeing menus or similar descriptors for meals because you want to watch what you eat -- you'll find the staff helping you as much as they can.
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