Super Bowl Party ... help me avoid going bananas!

kimny72 wrote: »

I try to eyeball "1 serving" "1/2 serving" as best I can, and when I check my phone for texts next time sneak onto MFP and log as best I can. Or I just make a brain teaser out of it and try to remember when I get home

As long as it's something that doesn't happen too frequently, it's fine. Just do your best to make smart choices and check in to see how you feel before taking another handful of something out of the bowl.

For me, monitoring alcohol intake and trying to take one of everything rather than going to town on the first plate out of the kitchen is key.

Last year on of the folks brought veggie Indian food.

I had a tough time moderating that. It was really good.

As much as possible, I try to guess in advance what's likely to be there and log what I mean to have. I'm not into sports, so Superbowl parties aren't my thing. (My synagogue is hosting one and hubby's going.) But, for example, when my nephews have birthdays, I know my sister is going to have a cake, likely from a bakery, and it will be cut into 2" squares. There will be fruit, veg and dip, and some snack food (usually, jellybeans, veggie straws, jujubes and/or popcorn). So I might log one piece of cake in advance and count on 20 jellybeans and 30 veggie straws. Probably set me back about 450 calories. I decide to see how to make it fit.

Sometimes the party venue is a good long walk away. So, 90 minutes there, 90 minutes back... that's over 600 calories right there. Maybe I decide to have a vegetable omelet for lunch and skip the oven fries I'd normally make to accompany it. Whatever. It fits.

Now. I get to the party and discover that, instead of serving jellybeans, my sister opted for red Twizzlers. Okay. So I'll have 2 Twizzlers and adjust my diary when I get home; it's in the right ballpark. She's also got Baskin Robbins Gold Medal Ribbon—one of my all-time favorite flavors. I don't know the calories offhand, but I do know that most of their premium flavors are 250-300 calories to the 4oz scoop. And I'd budgeted 330 for the cake. So, if I pass up the cake and have the ice cream, again, same ballpark.

Basically, I come to a social event with a certain number of calories to spend. If, when I get there, my planned purchase is either unavailable or less appealing than something else, I try to be aware enough of the price to know that I've got the 'funds' available when it's time to cash out.

(And yeah, there are times when it can be, "I have no clue what this is worth, but 300 calories ought to cover it," only to discover it was more like 700. If so, I guess I become a healthy weight one day later. It's not like I eat this way all the time.)

Most potato-style chips are 6-7 to a serving. I’ll put X servings in a cup (or on a playe) if possible, then multiply servings per cup by number of cups. I’m pretty good at eyeballing a tablespoon of condiment / dip, so I estimate those. Pizza “party slices” are usually 1/2 of a standard slice. As for the rest, I find the best entries I can and drink lots of water to offset the massive amount of salt that’s likely involved. It won’t be perfect, but it’s better than not logging at all.

Fortunately this year I have zero interest in this game so it won't be an issue. That said the best thing I was able to do in the past is to fill up on healthy foods before I headed out to watch it. If i was full then I wouldn't be as tempted to graze on snacks or drink as much beer.

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I generally try to fill up on something low-calorie prior to an event, and then eat what I want at the event. I usually go over anyway, but it greatly helps with my portions sizes so I don't go crazy over. I'm not super social so this is a lot easier for me than others who socialize with food more!

This has been difficult for me as our house is always very well stocked for the Super Bowl. This year? Not too interested in the game but everyone is coming over so I have to do something for a spread. Stromboli perhaps with low cal turkey & chicken within a lower cal/carb homemade dough is what I'm thinking. I've made these for years, for the Super Bowl but cannot even fathom the amount of calories I had stuffed in each one. Perhaps popcorn in lieu of chips. I'm really struggling with this one. I'm not a huge fan of cheat days so I'll follow this post close.

My strategy for social gatherings of any kind where I'm not confident in the food choices available is as follows:

- Exercise earlier that day, often for more than my usual workout. This usually works really well for holidays when I have free time that day and can plan my workout/rest days for the week to hit it hard on that given day. Thanksgiving week, for instance, I take Wednesday as a rest day and do both Wednesday and Thursday workouts on Thursday, maybe find a 5/10k to run in the morning. That really seems to mitigate any potential damage done at dinner. For Super Bowl Sunday (were I attending a gathering, which I'm not, I hate most other people but I digress) I would make sure to take it easy Saturday and start my workout week early on Sunday afternoon, probably early afternoon.

- Eat light for the rest of the day and prioritize protein. I usually find party spreads bereft of protein-rich options so I'll make sure I'm already close to my daily target before I leave the house. I wouldn't shy away from a very light breakfast (or skipping out entirely depending on tolerance for that sort of thing) and plan to eat close to the start of the gathering to ensure I'm not too hungry, making it easier to control oneself around junk foods, desserts, and/or other culinary vices.

Other hot tips:
- It's a single meal, or day at most. Don't let any excursions carry over into the next day or week. Back to regularly scheduled programming right away.
- Make a plate rather than just loitering by the snacks or wherever the food is
- try to log the best you can as you go to try and keep an eye on your limits or take pictures of you plate to log after the fact
- Give yourself some leeway, especially if your deficit has been large. It's easier to moderate with more calories, if the occasion is something that's important to you and you want to indulge a little, set a goal to eat to a smaller deficit or at maintenance instead of trying to stick to a large deficit. One day isn't going to kill all your progress, though manage expectations if you weigh yourself the next day, especially if you've been keto or low-carb. Excess carbs and sodium will spike the scale and dissipate over the following few days.

Yeah I’m having party, not gonna be good. All I can do is not totally blow it out of the water either. I feel your pain.

All you Rams fans are going to be comfort eating Monday as well

Pizza, Wings, And Nachos, Oh My! The Science of Super Bowl Eating

...“Special occasions are when people feel like they can give themselves license to ill,” according to Herz. “There’s kind of an acknowledged, ‘We’re gonna be bad today, and that’s okay.’”

For fans of the winning team, that may be true. Those people are more likely to make up for their sins by eating extra healthfully the day after the game. But not those mourning a Super Bowl loss.

“On Monday, if by rare, possible chance the Patriots lose, it’s more likely that people will binge on high-fat foods,” Herz said. “People feeling that loss of their home team are going to be eating more pizza, eating more nachos, drowning their sorrows in comfort foods.”

Read more: https://www.wgbh.org/news/science-and-technology/2019/02/01/pizza-wings-and-nachos-oh-my-the-science-of-super-bowl-eating