How to Survive a Summer Party

We were at recent July 4th beach party that included fantastic food, friends and some fun on the beach. I mention the food because our friends included a husband and wife team who have a reputation of putting out a great spread. He just happens to be a fantastic chef and his wife is a teacher who is also known for making wonderful desserts. With all that great food is it possible to come away from this type of day/evening event without adding anything to the waistline? For me, it can be difficult. I have a saying "I exercise, so I can eat/drink what I want." The key this time (and anytime) was activity spread throughout the day. A walk on the beach with my daughter, some beach activities (horse shoes, paddle ball etc), no alcohol and multiple walks to and from their beach house to the beach did the trick. My new bathroom scale (that also computes %body fat) was actually down in both categories the next morning, and I even had dessert!