A game day is technically not a holiday, but with millions of people in the United States watching the big game, it has become a day dedicated to parties, which of course, involve a lot of food. Therefore, if you are trying to lose weight or maintain your figure, or if your belt is too short, it can be a struggle to not overeat.
Football or basketball games are usually long, making it a long eating occasion as well. Most game day parties start before the coin toss, which means you will have hours of drinking and eating before the game even reached half-time. With this, what do you think can you do to avoid eating too much during the party? If you have the same question in mind, you’re in the right place. Read on as we’re giving you the best tips for not overeating at a game day party.
What To Do Before The Party
Before the game day party starts, here are some of the best tips that you can follow:
Make sure to eat breakfast.
Eating breakfast is one of the best ways that you can do to avoid overeating when the party starts. Try to eat a good breakfast, such as eggs, peanut butter, fruits, whole-grain toast, and anything that is high in protein and full of fiber. Avoid skipping breakfast no matter what diet you are following, as it can only backfire. When you do not eat breakfast, you will just feel hungrier later, making it more challenging to make decisions once you’ve drunk a game-day cocktail.
Stay hydrated.
Another good tip we can give is to keep yourself hydrated, not just during the event but the whole day. In the morning, try to drink around two cups of water with breakfast and add some high water-content foods to your diet. You can also drink coffee and tea if you wish.
Eat pregame snack-combos.
Throughout the day, it is also great to eat meals and snacks consistently as you normally would. You can also consider combinations that will make you feel full, such as nuts and seeds plus a piece of fruit or some whole-grain crackers plus strawberries and tahini. Your goal should be to eat half of what you would eat at a regular-sized meal. This way, you won’t be too full to try foods and drinks at the party, but not feeling very hungry when you walk into a buffet.
What To Do During the Game Day Party
Here are some of the best tips that we can give for you to avoid overeating during the game day party:
Choose to eat more vegetables.
When choosing what foods to eat on the buffet, choose those that are filled with vegetables. These will help you fill up on fiber that is high in water content. These can also help balance out the dehydrating effects of alcoholic drinks and as well as aid in loading up on minerals that will offset the bloating effects of sodium found in processed meats, cheese, and other packaged snacks.
Eat protein-rich foods as your main course.
After eating veggies, you can eat something more indulgent for your main course. You can choose beef, chicken, shrimp, salmon, and the likes, which are often grilled or pan-fried. It is also great to eat an open-faced sandwich that you can fill with veggies.
Avoid drinking your calories.
Alcoholic drinks and tailgating beverages such as soda and beer are full of calories. When you drink a couple of these, they could equal the calorie count of three slices of bread. Therefore, during the party, do not drink too many alcoholic drinks and soda.
Indulge wisely.
During the game day party, you are allowed to enjoy the foods that are served. However, you should only allow yourself to enjoy the foods that you really like. Avoid taking a bit of everything just because they are available. It is better to choose quality over quantity. If the food is already in your kitchen, then try to skip it. Try to pick two of the foods that you love the most or the ones that you would not normally buy for yourself.
Chew the foods slowly.
To eat fewer calories, chew your food well, and do not just swallow it mindlessly. This way, your body, and mind will have time to digest what you are eating. Keep in mind that your appetite is controlled by hormones. Therefore, they need time to send the message to your brain that you are full. This process may take about twenty minutes, so chew the food slowly and eat mindfully.
Have fun.
You should also remember that the game-day party is just one day. It is not actually going to make that much difference, as long as you promise yourself that you will get back on track the following day. Therefore, enjoy the food, the game, the company, and the experience.
These are some of the best tips that we can give for not overeating at a game day party. At the end of the day, gatherings like these are meant to be enjoyed. Therefore, do not beat yourself up if you won’t be able to follow your game plan. We hope these tips will help you not overeat at your next game day party.