If you’re like me, Sunday football is a must-do activity during the fall and early winter. While rooting for your favorite team won’t cost you any calories, some football festivities have major penalties, especially when the game heads out to restaurants and bars.

Spending the afternoon at a local bar and grill can get you into more trouble than you might think. Let’s crunch the numbers…

Let’s say you meet up with friends to watch a couple of games. You arrive around 1pm and plan on leaving by 6pm, in time to make it home for the night game.

Let’s assume you consume 2 beers an hour, plus munch on chicken wings (5 pieces), some nachos (1/4 order), plus a cheeseburger (no fries, you’re being “good”).

Hold on to your helmet! That comes out to 3150 calories in 5 hours. That’s over 150% of the calories most folks need in an entire day. Eat like this for 16 regular season weeks and you’ll tackle over 50,000 calories (14.5 pounds), and that’s not counting the Super Bowl party!

If you spend ample hours at the neighborhood watering hole every Sunday, use these tips to avoid looking like a linebacker this season.

• Eat a healthy breakfast – kick the day off right.
• Exercise – start Sunday morning by burning some calories.
• Sideline the alcohol – keep the drinking conservative to avoid a hi-cal pile up.
• Plan ahead – see if the menu is online ahead of time, choose the healthiest options and be sure to share.
• Bye-weeks: on occasion – stay home!
• See our tips for ordering at popular chains.