Sunday, September 16, 2012

7 healthy weight loss tips for tailgating football parties


NFL and college football season is finally here! Don’t let the  games put a halt to summer weight loss and fitness goals. There are many ways to still have fun tailgating while also being being healthy.  Check out these seven  tailgating tips for those watching their weight.

1. Bring your own food. The more prepared you are for the tailgating , the better. Tailgating typically includes  high calorie food such as cheeseburgers on the grill, sausages, nachos, cookies and other snacks. Bring flavorful yet easy-to-pack options like fruit salad, baked chips with light dip, marinated chicken,  turkey sausage or turkey burgers or veggie burgers  to throw on the grill and light side dishes like cucumber salad instead of heavy mayo potato salad.   If you are low carbing,  skip the roll and place it in a lettuce leaf or just have a naked burger. 



2. Eat the right stuff: Fill up on protein, veggies and fruit instead of eating the empty, calorie-laden snacks that are out on the table.


3. Bring your own drinks :  By bringing your own alcohol, you can save tons of calories. Skip pre-made pitchers of sangria and margaritas or full-calorie beers by having options of your own. If you have ice and plenty of Coors Light, Bud Lights  and pitchers of wine spritzers or whatever your go-to drink is, you won’t be missing out on any of the fun. 

4. Go light on the drinks: There will be plenty of time during the game for watching Tom Brady or Peyton Manning  strut his stuff while sipping a beer.  Alternate water with alcoholic drinks and you can save a few hundred calories.  Also if watch what I am drinking I am better about what goes into my mouth!


5. Move around  Many NFL stadiums  are packed with things to do and places to shop before or after the game. Burn off some of the football food and drinks with at least a half hour to an hour of walking around. You could even do a loop during halftime at the game to see all aspects of the stadium. Besides walking, why not bring a football to toss, a frisbee to throw and burn even more calories while hanging out pre and post game? Playing games and sports will keep you occupied from consuming too much food and drinks before the game even starts and will kill time when traffic is crazy getting out of the parking lots after the  game.

6. Save calories and plan ahead . Try to go light on the eating and drinking for the week. Weight Watchers, for instance, gives members a weekly allowance of additional points to play around with for special events like football games. This is the perfect time to use some of those bonus points to enjoy great food during the football season. Don't go out on Saturday night and have a big meal.  

7. Breakfast and the morning  matters : You may go nuts over-thinking how to burn calories and prevent yourself from taking in too much food and drinks while tailgating. The solution to this headache is to wake up early, have a healthy breakfast  and get a workout in before tailgating even begins. 

1 comment:

Barb @ A Life in Balance said...

These tips are great for football parties, too! How often do we see nachos and chips, and lots of heavy foods at those parties.

Thanks for sharing at Motivation Monday!