Don’t fumble your diet! Here’s how to cancel out calories from your fave Super Bowl foods
Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest eating day of the year, right behind Thanksgiving, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. From chicken wings to pizza to potato skins, it sounds like the popular football fare will be trying to run interference on our healthy New Year’s eating resolutions.
But what if you could have it both ways: Indulge in your fave football snacks, and not see any gains the next time you step on the scale? You can do so by adding some extra activity to your day (call it a pre-game warm-up or a post-game cool down).
Here’s how you can pig out while the pigskin gets tossed around on Feb. 1 when the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX—without completely fumbling your diet. (Calories burned based on a body weight of 150 pounds.)
Provided by Kohl’s
The football food: 6 chicken wings
Calories: 552
Calorie-burning exercise: Round up your party for a flag football match prior to the big game. An hour of flag or touch football will completely negate the half-dozen chicken wings you consume. Find a set that comes with flags, high-visibility marker discs and a bright orange bean bag field marker. For a little friendly competition, divide teams by who they’re rooting for in the Super Bowl. Franklin 10-player flag football set, $29.99, Kohl’s
Healthy-eating tip: Pile carrots and celery on your plate and drizzle with wing sauce, rather than adding calories with blue cheese or ranch.
Provided by Skinnytaste.com
The football food: 1 loaded potato skin
Calories: 220
Calorie-burning exercise: Go bowling! By hitting the bowling lanes for some fun with your family before the game, you can actually burn just over 200 calories every hour that you knock down pins.
Healthy-eating tip: Love potato skins and buffalo wings? Check out this skinny-fied potato skin recipe that’s made with shredded buffalo chicken breasts, blue cheese dressing, carrots and celery. The best part? Each potato skin is only 82 calories—far less than your typical loaded potato skin.
Provided by Foot Locker
The football food: 1 slice pepperoni pizza
Calories: 181
Calorie-burning exercise: Go for a 15-minute run at a pace of 10 minutes per mile and it’s like that piece of pizza never happened. Before you lace up, find the best new running shoes. Or invest in a colorful new pair. Nike Zoom Structure, $89.99, footlocker.com
Healthy-eating tip: Up the nutritional value of your pizza by adding veggies and eat with a large salad with light dressing.
Provided by Cost Plus World Market
The football food: 1-ounce tortilla chips (about 10 to 15 chips)
Calories: 138
Calorie-burning exercise: Take a 30-minute walk at a moderate pace and you’ve earned those chips.
Healthy-eating tip: Avoid the extra calories and fat in creamy dips, and opt for salsa, which is naturally low in calories. Mrs. Renfro Ghost Pepper salsa, $3.49, worldmarket.com
Provided by Sports Authority
The football food: Regular, 12-ounce beer
Calories: 153
Calorie-burning exercise: Head to a nearby park (no under-inflating!) and toss a football around with your buddies for an hour while you’re discussing the game, which burns 170 calories—so you’ve more than earned that beer! Wilson Official NFL Game Day football, $99.99, Sports Authority
Healthy-drinking tip: Save about 50 calories per 12-ounce beer by grabbing a light beer, instead.
