Slimming Down Your Super Bowl Party

The Super Bowl is kind of like three television events rolled into one.  You’ve got football for sports enthusiasts, the best commercials all year, and the half-time show with the greatest entertainers singing their hits.  You also have an all day long junk food fest that accompanies the big game.  Beer, nachos, chip ‘n’ dip, pizza, hoagies and, you know, more beer, can really pack on a lot of extra calories.

If you’ve been diligent about your New Year’s resolution of weight loss, you might be feeling good, 5-10 lbs. lighter, and think, “Hey, why not binge eat at my Super Bowl party?  I deserve a cheat meal, right?”

Speaking as a personal trainer and as a person who has fallen off the clean eating bandwagon more than once in her life, I’d like to encourage you to not go nuts this Super Bowl.  You’ll feel bloated, possibly hung-over, and might feel pangs of regret for overeating.  Also, trust me, it’s easy for that “one” cheat meal to turn into a few cheat days, and then a week, and then it’s time for Valentine’s Day chocolate.  So let’s nip this in the bud.  Here are…

3 Ways to Slim Down Your Super Bowl Party

1. Chip and Dip.  I’m a potato chip and dip gal personally because like crunchy salty snack foods.  For a healthier alternative try baby carrots and garlic hummus or celery sticks with almond butter.  The veggies provide the crunch and the healthy fats will keep you full longer.

   

2. Drinking Games.  From a diet standpoint the best alcohol to drink is no alcohol at all because your metabolism has to shift gears to get all the toxins out of your body and so has no time to focus on getting rid of your extra fat.  Also, cocktails can really add on the calories if they are salted or sugar-rimmed or mixed with soda at 140 calories per serving.  Clear alcohol, like vodka, has fewer calories than something like an ale, which is why I recommend it to my clients who like doing shots.   For those of you who feel like football is just not the same without beer, here’s a game for you to play.  Take one beer and pretend to drink it throughout the night and see if anyone even notices.  The perks to this game are that no one will pressure you by saying, “Hey, why aren’t you drinking?” allowing you to feel social without causing damage to your waistline, and you can totally feel confident being the designated driver.
3. Wings, Pizza and Chili.  When wings, pizza and chili are ordered from a local restaurant, you really have no control over how much sugar, salt and fat they cook it with.  If you’re coming to the party, why not cook your own dish and bring it?  Chili can be made healthier if you ditch the beef for ground turkey or skip the meat altogether and make it vegetarian.  For wings use a hot wings buffalo sauce that’s sugar free. It will probably be higher in sodium, but has zero carbs or calories.  The main thing here is portion control with your chicken.  If you typically eat a 3 or 4 ounce serving, stick to that serving and don’t eat double that just because it’s in front of you.  There are lots of healthier pizza recipes online, but if you’re going to have a slice of pizza from the pizzeria, make it plain.  All those toppings of extra cheese, sausage, and whatever else you can think of can double the calorie count.

BONUS!  Here’s a fun Super Bowl workout:

Your team scores a touchdown	Victory dance of your choice for 30 seconds
Your opponent’s team scores a touchdown	5 push ups
Penalty flag (either team)	10 burpees
Field kicker makes the goal	High knee runs for 20 seconds
Field kicker misses the goal	Butt kick runs for 20 seconds
Half-time show	Dance your heart out
An insurance commercial comes on	Squat until the commercial is over

Having fun doesn’t have to be a high calorie endeavor.  Score a touchdown with these few simple switches and you can avoid sacking your clean eating efforts.

Lisa 🙂

Local to Austin/Round Rock/Pflugerville?  Email me – sheslosingit.net@gmail.com.  I offer personal training sessions at a private gym:  $70 session.  That includes a customized suggested meal plan.  Spaces limited!

If you are interested in signing up for my online personal training programs, click here to order now: SLI Method.  Monthly online training is $199/mo. and includes a customized suggested meal plan plus weekly workouts to do on your own based on the equipment available to you.

Lisa Traugott is a personal trainer, Mom’s Choice Award writer, original cast member of FOX/John Cena’s “American Grit” and has a monthly fitness column on Bowflex.com.  She won Ms. Costa Rica Sports Model 2017 and her transformation story was featured in Muscle & Fitness Hers, Good Day Austin, Great Day Houston and Austin Woman Magazine.  She blogs at ShesLosingIt.com and is passionate about her clients.

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