Are you ready for some football?!?!?!
Even though the Kansas City Chiefs lost their championship game, I’m still looking forward to a fun-filled Super Bowl filled with football, family, and food!
I know during the holidays you saw me attend all the parties! I went to 1 Friends-mas party, 1 Holiday party, 1 Engagement party with too much wine, 1 Christmas travel weekend, and 1 New Years party with too much hot strawberry beer! It was a blast and I never felt deprived or bitter, because I was still following my nutrition plan. I was able to make healthy food swaps and prioritize my choices for what I really wanted.
As you well know, parties don’t stop after the New Year. They continue throughout the year for birthdays, weddings, and the Super Bowl! So let me give you a few tips I use to follow my nutrition plan and still enjoy the parties!
1. Eat Breakfast and Lunch First
First, I hope you already know to NEVER skip a meal! That is a cardinal “no-no” when following any healthy eating plan. And it’s a huge lifesaver when you’re planning to attend or host a party! Make sure you eat a well-balanced breakfast and lunch and probably a few snacks, too. Try to go to the party already full, so that it’s WAY easier for you to say “No” to food your body doesn’t need and isn’t going to benefit you.
I typically eat oatmeal with fruit for breakfast. The whole grains and fiber help keep me plenty full. Then a typical lunch looks like a wrap with turkey & cheese, some veggies, and some fruit. Finally, I ALWAYS drink my superfood shake too! All of these options help keep me full and satisfied and on track with my nutrition goals, before I attend the party.
2. Don’t Graze; Prioritize Your Choices
Once you’ve eaten your healthy breakfast, lunch, and snack options, then you’re way more prepared to prioritize your choices at the party. So while you’re in the car or while you’re prepping the appetizers, be honest with yourself about which foods you won’t be able to resist. Will you be snacking until halftime on all the salty chips? Will you be dipping veggies into melted cheese the whole night? Will you be treating yourself to the sweets during the trophy presentation? Will you be drinking a margarita with friends?
Know which foods you cannot avoid and then enjoy them!
I know that might sound backwards, but seriously, ENJOY the freakin’ chips or cheese dip or cupcakes or margaritas! If you’ve been eating healthy all day, then you know you won’t need or want to eat the entire platter in front of you! And all your hard work from the current day, previous week, or previous month will not be ruined from one night of fun!
Let me say it again for those in the back: one Super Bowl party will not ruin all your hard work!
Because on Monday? Monday you will go right back to that healthy breakfast of oatmeal and the colorful, balanced lunch of a wrap, veggies, & fruit, and the superfood snack, and a more balanced dinner than the night before. Because you follow a lifestyle - not a diet.
So enjoy your favorite foods at the party!
3. Make Healthy Food Swaps
Now, my last suggestion is tougher with all the temptations, but it will help you to stay full and not to overindulge on anything. Simply SWAP what you're eating for a better choice every time you visit the buffet, app table, or dessert tray.
For example, you’ve been enjoying those chips you prioritized and you know you’re going to eat more, but first you’re going to swap out one serving for the veggie tray. Or if you’ve been dipping those veggies in melted cheese throughout the first half of the game, now you’re going to make a better choice and start dipping into the yogurt dip. Or maybe you had a cupcake and are eying another because you ate a balanced dinner the entire night, but you choose to snack on some fruit first. Or your friends are all calling you over for another margarita, but you’ll chug some water first to feel more full.
YOU are in control of YOUR choices! While it’s tough to do sometimes, you can make those healthy swaps and those healthy decisions. You’ll feel so much better about enjoying the foods you really love and you’ll feel so proud the next day to know you are in control!
“Treat every small victory like you just won the Super Bowl.” -Lewis Howes
Need some help planning for those last two steps? Sign up for my weekly newsletter below and instantly get my Football Foods Meal Plan! No matter if you're attending a party or hosting one, you’ll be able to make some healthy food choices everyone will love and you won’t feel guilty enjoying the whole night - without swaps! Get the guide now!