Ladies and gentlemen, football season is back! If there is one thing North Carolina does right, it is college football. With 4 major football rivals all within a stone’s throw of the cities capital, it is only appropriate to spend your weekend pulling for you favorite team. Whether you are dressed in Wolfpack Red, Carolina Blue, Pirate Purple, or Duke Blue, you share one thing in common: the love of a good tailgate. So here are our healthy tailgate tips.

If you are actively pursuing weight loss and focused on healthy eating, a tailgate may become your worst nightmare. The temptations are endless. But just because you are interested in healthy eating doesn’t mean you cannot participate in the fun. Below you will find a few healthy tailgate ideas for those of you who are on the journey to weight loss.

  1. Opt for Healthy Snacks

When preparing for the day ahead, try to choose healthy, low calorie alternatives to your favorite tailgate foods. Instead of buffalo wings and buffalo chicken dip, opt for buffalo cauliflower and hummus with celery. If your family wants to grill out, prepare chicken skewers with your favorite fresh veggies or turkey burgers (and skip the bun!). The options for healthy tailgate snacks are endless!

  1. Skip the Beer

If you have ever been to a tailgate then you know the first thing loaded into the car is the cooler. If you are interested in a beverage other than water, you may want to try a low calorie cocktail made with vodka, gin or rum. Liquor tends to have less calories (around 65 per serving) than other alcoholic beverages, but be careful when selecting a mixer. Many mixers, such as fruit juices, can be high in sugar, so it is wise to use a low calorie alternative such as diet ginger ale. If it is an early morning game, champagne is a great alternative to beer and has approximately 15 less calories than a 12 oz light beer, which makes it weight loss friendly.     

  1. Stay Active

When you are working towards weight loss, taking advantage of every calorie burning opportunity is good practice and a tailgate is a perfect location to burn extra calories while having fun. Idea #1: break out the corn hole boards! Actively playing cornhole for an hour can burn approximately 185 calories. Other ways to stay active include throwing a football, playing ladder golf or bocce ball, and opting to take the stairs versus the elevator to your seats. The key to a healthy tailgate is to stay moving!

We Invite You to Learn More

If you are struggling with weight loss, we invite you to learn more about Total HealthCareMD weight loss programs. Total HealthcareMD is a physician-supervised weight loss and wellness clinic that provides customized diet and nutrition plans for our patients. We will work with you to identify you weight loss goals and provide support and accountability on your journey to achieve them.  

Below is a list of some of the programs we offer at our weight loss clinic in Cary:

For more information, please Contact Us or Request a Free Consultation. We look forward to helping you lose weight in the healthiest, safest, and most efficient way.