In this episode of Q&A with Adee Cazayoux, founder of Working Against Gravity, Adee helps you get prepared to take on Super Bowl Sunday successfully with your nutrition in mind.

Q:How do you approach the Super Bowl with macros in mind?

A: Whenever you're going to something like a Super Bowl party there's always going to be some level of buffet-style food, so there's a couple approaches you can take. First, bring one item of your own. That means something that you know exactly what the nutrition information is. So if you really don't know what's in the other options, but you're going to have some of it so that you don’t feel rude, you can still get full on the item you brought. And, of course, your friends are going to think you're so polite for bringing something over. Second, I would sit in a place where you're not facing the food. Research shows that out of sight, really does mean out of mind. So if you have your back towards the buffet you're not gonna be sitting there eating your food fantasizing about what you're gonna load on your plate next. Third, enjoy the company, enjoy the game, focus on the people that you're with, laughing, cheering for the team that you're rooting for and not necessarily focusing on food and indulging.

Q: What foods at a Super Bowl Party will be sneakily filled with calories?

A: There's definitely going to be some tricks you can use to stay away from things that might come with more calories than you bargained for. You may want to stay away from some dips that are already made and mixed. You're not 100% sure what's going in them, it could be Greek yogurt that it's being mixed with but it also could be mayonnaise, oil or cheese. So it's best to use moderation when sticking to dips because those can be delicious and you can get to the bottom of the bowl real quick. Anything fried is also always going to carry more calories than you bargained for and the same for anything that's covered in sauces, including already dressed salads. Sometimes, even though it's a salad, it might have so much dressing that it could be even more calories than a burger and french fries. You never know, so go for dressings on the side.

Safer options you can stick to are veggies, whole foods, things that you know are not covered with sauces or tons of oil. Things from the barbecue, veggies and dips are usually somewhere on the table. If you're not sure what to bring of your own, you're in luck, because this Wednesday we have a cooking episode with not one, not two, but three different Super Bowl recipes that you can bring that people won't even know are macro friendly and healthy for you because they're just so delicious.

Q:Why is it bad to have a total cheat day?

A: Having a day where you're just taking a break from tracking your macros is different than having what most people call a "cheat day." The word "cheat day" insinuates that you're doing something wrong. There’s a negative connotation to cheating — and most people don't want to be a cheater. So on one hand, you're eating most of the same foods that you normally eat, you're just not putting it on a food scale, into a tracking app, or being very precise with being accountable to what it is that you're eating. But you're also not completely over indulging or eating foods that you wouldn't normally eat, which is generally what comes with a cheat day. One is very different than the other, but you're not being 100% precise with your nutrition in either scenarios.

Why is taking a complete cheat day not the best idea? Well one, it's not gonna feel great. We all have that post-binge remorse and it never feels as good as it does in the moment. It also can trigger some negative eating habits that can last for the rest of the week and not just be this one day or this one meal. It's also important to know that you could be really dialed in for the entire week and making lots of progress, then this one cheat day happens and you can derail all the progress you made from the past week. Of course if it happens once in a blue moon there's no reason to be shameful about it, but that's why you have a coach. At Working Against Gravity you can work through to make those cheat days far and few between so you can have more days where you're just not tracking and you're eating things you love without being really really precise, but less days where you're being entirely overindulgent.

Q:What else do you do for a successful Super Bowl Sunday?

A: One thing that I do every time is prepare ahead of time. I set what my goal is going to be for the evening before I even get there. Maybe I already know I'm only going to have one drink or I'm only going to indulge in one particular dessert and then I share that with an accountability partner. So for me, I get my husband Michael involved and let him know what my goals are going to be for that party beforehand so he can hold me accountable. If you don't have an accountability partner - Working Against Gravity is the perfect place to get one. You can always sign up and get a coach that's going to definitely hold you accountable at WorkingAgainstGravity.com.