Week of January 30, 2012
The Super Bowl of Caring for You!
Did you know that the Super Bowl is the second largest food consumption day behind Thanksgiving, according to the USDA? The average American consumes about 2,000 calories per day, but during the Super Bowl, many Americans eat this many calories within three hours! This “holiday” can be a little scary for a weight loss surgery patient. Below are a few tips to truly have a SUPER Super Bowl Sunday!
Consider Hosting. Don’t start the game by a false start – consider hosting the big game at your place instead to get you started on the right track. By hosting the super bowl party in your home, you have better control over what foods are served and available. Include healthy snacks and foods that you enjoy. If you are not able to host, consider eating a healthy meal before you go to someone else’s Super Bowl party so you aren’t as tempted by those unhealthy snacks. A few snacks to consider:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Greek yogurt dips (instead of the traditional dips).
- Hummus with carrot and celery sticks.
- Low-fat bean dips.
- Unsalted nuts.
- Low-fat, low-salt popcorn.
- Consider substituting proteins chips for regular chips.
- Low-calorie beverages – water with lemon slices, or frozen blueberries and/or raspberries in ice cubes promoting the two teams.
Automatic Penalty: Limit Alcohol Intake. We all know that alcohol is not safe for weight loss surgery patients (increased risk of ulcers, decreased ability to “handle” alcohol, etc.), but it is also empty calories. Personally, with my limited amount of calories, I would rather spend them on food, rather than beverages. Drinking alcohol can also cause you to not make the normal/healthy food choices that you would make if you weren’t drinking. For many Americans, a majority of the calories that are consumed on Super Bowl Sunday come from alcohol. By cutting this out, you will save yourself a ton of calories and that is a TOUCHDOWN!
Consider Physical Activity. Even though the players are competing, it doesn’t mean that you can’t get in a little extra activity. Consider stretching during timeouts or doing 10 jumping jacks. Make it a competition at your Super Bowl Party. Whoever can do the most jumping jacks (or whatever you deem appropriate, steps as measured by a pedometer, etc.) by the end of each quarter gets a prize! That prize can be something nominal – a new water bottle, a pedometer, etc. Including physical activity during the big game will help you score by burning calories as you watch your team score! Have a dance off during the half-time show. Toss the football around during half time. Lift hand weights, stretch, or use a stationary bike/treadmill while watching the big game.
Don’t Skip Meals. Some people think, well I won’t eat lunch or breakfast the day of the big game, to save calories for later. This approach is really detrimental to your success. Skipping meals, not only slows your metabolism (lowers the number of calories your body burns), but also may cause you to be more ravenous later in the day and actually consume more food than you would have normally.
The best game plan is a good defense. Defend your health and pre-plan for how you are going to be successful and CELEBRATE the big game!
