The baseball season has officially begun, and it comes back to America next week! (C’mon, you can't be surprised by this – Susan doing a homework assignment so close to Opening Day…)

But I know there are lots of you who don’t follow sports. In addition, I’m a SF Giants fan with precious little to look forward to this season. Heck, they lost to their own farm team; what does THAT tell you? For those reasons, this assignment is only kinda sorta related to baseball. It also borrows from this week’s episode of The Biggest Loser, in which the contestants had to run around an arena gathering various high calorie snacks.

When you go to a sporting event, concert or other entertainment at a big complex (arena, stadium, park, whatever), what do you do about food? Is there something you indulge in as a special treat? Do you bring your own snacks to avoid temptation? Or do you look for a relatively healthy option? Are you reasonably sure it’s healthy and not hiding a ton of calories or fat?

OK, this is admittedly self-serving, because if I ever do get to a Giants game this summer, I'm afraid I may want to distract myself with food. Help me out by telling me your strategies!

A person in my dinner co-op is an Oakland A’s season ticket holder and her whole family is a healthy weight. I’ve never asked what they do for food… but they have figured out how to balance their calories.

Originally posted by susanrows:
When you go to a sporting event, concert or other entertainment at a big complex (arena, stadium, park, whatever), what do you do about food?

I don’t know how often a person might go to something like this. I would guess that if a person went twice a month, that might be pretty often. If a person ate 2 meals at a ball park in a month… and if they ate 5 meals/snacks a day… 2/150 is 1.3% of their meals eaten at a ball park. I’m not so sure that those 2 meals matter as much as the other 148 times they eat.

Me personally, I don’t go to that many sporting events.

Things I do do:
An outdoor concert in a park… I’d take my own food… probably a Subway sandwich. Ds and I went to an out door concert last summer and took a dinner from Subway. We went to 2 outdoor concerts in DC… and at one… we ate the food they sold (a sort of yucky fruit, bread and cheese platter). At another, we didn’t eat.

Or I go to (and play in) a concert in a park and our band has a potluck… and I just eat at the potluck… a mixture of healthier and less than healthy food. I count it as my one meal out.

Most indoor concerts I attend… I don’t eat. I don’t eat during most movies. I don’t find it a problem to go 3 or 4 hours and not eat.

One band I play in went out for pie after every rehearsal. I decided that I needed to get home and go to bed more than I needed pie every single week on a Wednesday at 10pm. I also wasn’t needing more social time, and got enough interaction during rehearsals.

But I’ll go out after a concert that we play… with both bands. That is about 7-9 times a year. I just fit it into my calorie budget.

Is there something you indulge in as a special treat? Or do you look for a relatively healthy option?

If I go to a concert with dh and ds… we usually go out to eat afterward, and it is often a “treat”… but it a “normal” meal out on a Saturday in restaurant… and we only do it 2-3 times a year. If I’m eating healthy and on track the other 34 meals that week… I don’t find one meal out a week to train wreak my weight control efforts.

Do you bring your own snacks to avoid temptation?
No. Generally not. But, I also don’t look at every menu as “temptation”. If I planned to eat… I eat. If I haven’t planned to eat… I don’t eat… and generally don’t think about it or stress about it or feel tempted.

Like when we went to Sizzler with my inlaws. I didn’t plan to eat dessert there. And (silly me!), I was actually kind of surprised when at the end of the meal… 3 people went to go get dessert from the dessert bar (which if you have been to Sizzler… the “dessert bar” is nothing special… and actually downright mediocre). I thought that the plan was to have dessert at home… and it surprised me that everyone didn’t think like me. But I suppose that is why I am thin… and they were not.

I was not tempted at all to go get dessert. I might have in the past. In the past, I might have been tempted to see other people eating dessert around me. But honestly, I was disappointed to see them eating brownies and frozen yogurt from a soft serve machine. It was also a big reality check. I’ll take being thin over the Sizzler dessert bar ANY day… not to mention… I did have some AWESOME cake when we got home. I wasn’t exactly deprived. And nobody said, “I’ll skip the cake since I had dessert at Sizzler”. But that didn’t surprise me.

Are you reasonably sure it’s healthy and not hiding a ton of calories or fat?
If I’m in a restaurant… unless I’ve ordered lettuce with no dressing (which I never have)… I ALWAYS assume that the meal is hiding a ton of fat. I’ve read over, and over, and over again that the AVERAGE restaurant meal contains 2,000 calories. My assumption is that I’m getting at LEAST 1,000 or 1,500 calories on my plate… even if it is a “healthy” choice. I’ve been served garden burgers that are 1,000 cals… with no fries. My basic assumption is that if I’m eating out… it is a ton of calories and/or fat.

I'm revisiting this thread because I heard something kind of disturbing on the radio this morning. The Oakland A's have opened a section of their ballpark as an "all you can eat" area. For $35 over the cost of your $15 ticket, you can consume all the popcorn, peanuts, hot dogs, soda, and ice cream you want during the game. Apparently, other teams around the country are doing the same thing. Has anyone else heard about this?

What was really disturbing was the number of people calling the morning show saying what a great thing this was! It's good deal, considering the cost of ball park food. We don't go to ball games THAT often. You can space out your eating over the course of a three-hour game, so it's not THAT bad. I was all but screaming at the radio. Excuses! Justifications! Rationalizations!

OK, the judgemental vent is over now. Sorry. But wow, what an example of going in the wrong direction healthwise.

I just saw an article on the msn site on saving money at the park that included some words about food...

http://cityguides.msn.com/citylife/article.aspx?cp-documentid=6550605&page=3

We are big soccer fans and make it a point to attend several matches during the summer months. This year we will finally get to see a pro game.... Food at most of the places we go is the same as a football game or baseball game, junkie.
So, IF we can bring a small cooler in, not all places allow for that, I bring the carrots, celery sticks that have been seasoned, fruit and drink that is healthy for me. If we can't bring the cooler in I make sure that I do have lots of flavored water (no salt no sugar) and that we stop before and after the match for a healthy meal. These matches are most often 90 - 120 minutes, good timing for a diabetic...and if I go...we follow my eating rules.

The boyfriend & his gang have football season tickets, and I go once or twice a year to the game. He has a big ol' Rubbermaid container with all the "dry goods" for a tailgate--cups, plates, extra collapsible coolers, charcoal, etc. They have a smallish grill on wheels that folds up, and they ALWAYS tailgate before games. I make them side dishes, they cook brats or burgers, and none of them eat inside the stadium, because it's so expensive. After a couple of seasons at this, they're near-experts and have a small awning that folds up small, chairs for everyone, a serving table...it's a nice setup. And I'll wager two brats on whole wheat buns, plus the healthy versions of side dishes I make them, isn't ANYTHING compared to the calories they could potentially put away if they went inside the stadium hungry.

When I go to things, I eat ahead of time, and drink water or diet soda. I don't like beer, and I really really really hate paying for bad food (though our arena football/hockey/concert venue has Outbacks scattered through it, so it's not THAT bad), so I'd rather be hungry for the last half or quarter or encore and eat a small snack when I get home than stress about the cost--monetarily and calorie-wise--of anything at the venues.

In general, big crowds are not my thing. Being 4'6", I get easily crushed, jabbed or burned (with cigarettes) because people don't see me in their peripheral vision. So a big crowd is not usually my idea of a good time.

I don't think I've ever been to a professional team sporting event in my life--sports are not my thing. I did go see the Olympic figure skating tour one year--that's about as close to a sporting event as I ever get.

I went to concerts a LOT in my younger days, but it has been many years since I have been to any of the large DC-area venues.

I guess the closest thing I can think of that would apply is when I occasionally go to RenFest every other year or so. The food at RenFest is decadent and, since it isn't food I can get at any other time, I usually just splurge on something while there, though I also eat a hearty breakfast so I'm not over-hungry (I usually try to get to the RenFest around opening--between 10 and 11 a.m.).

We have season tickets to the football games.
No outside food is allowed in. We usually have to leave for the games around 10:30am and don't usually get home until 4:30 or so. My plan involves eating a high protein very filling breakfast. I try to make it through the game without food, but if I can't I get a soft pretzel or some popcorn. There is an awesome BBQ joint that has a stand right outside our seats. Their restaurant is located in a rather unsavory part of town, so the only time I get it is at the game. I usually get the rib tips. A little messy for game watching, but it makes the half time go faster. I have walked all of the way around the stadium and there just aren't any healthy options. And I hate to pay that much money for crappy food. The BBQ is the best option in my book because it's good food. Maybe not the healthiest option, but I'm not going to get it anywhere else.

I love football, but prefer to watch it on TV. And there is usually not food involved because during football season, I'm often spotted in my favorite chair with my homework and the game volume on very low. Someday I'll be able to not multitask during a game...

The only time I ever got to stadiums is when I go with a friend to a few high school games a year. We make an afternoon/day out of it and since she thinks I'm very well versed in the food scene around our area, she makes me pick.

So that means we eat out before the game or after and I plan accordingly with a snack before I leave if I need to. On our all day football championship games, we plan to eat out all day. Again, I'm in charge of food.

The only thing I've ever bought is bottled water at the games.

I don't get to go all that often...usually one or two baseball games a year (although maybe more now that I'm in Denver and my Dad loves to go and needs a companion) and maybe a Bronco game once a decade or so. I eat ballpark food. It's a rare enough occasion and it's sort of a special occasion when I spend the money and take the time to go. I don't go overboard and eat everything I see that I would like but I usually have a brats and soda. I don't drink beer so at least that's not an issue. I must admit the prices keep things down for me...no ice cream at the ballpark is good enough to pay that much for it and surely not Dots.

I'm not a huge baseball fan but am looking forward to the season this year since the Rockies had such a big one last year!

Peg

I go to tons of pro games - football, basketball but mostly baseball (even got to some AHL hockey and arena football this year).

None of our arenas allow outside food and they check bags so sneaking in food is very difficult.

The food at the football stadium pretty much is junk and I try to eat before we go. The best I could come up with there is a grilled chicken sandwich (no condiments) but they aren't very good.

Basketball (and AHL hockey and arena football) have an awesome soup vendor and there is always a vegetarian and low fat option.

Baseball is the best. They have salads, sushi, Subway, etc.... I generally get either a salad (dressing on the side) or a veggie sub from Subway (no cheese, no condiments).

I also stick to water at games because the beer generally sucks (and is super expensive).

We used to go to a lot of Reading Phillies game and quite honestly I didn't eat because the lines were so long it was not worth waiting and missing the game. If we go to the Sovereign Center for ice hockey there are some really great food stands that offer salads and lighter fare vs. the deep fried stuff at most of the places. Last time I was there I got a taco salad that had a load of lettuce and tomato, grilled chicken, and then everything else was on the side so I could put on as much or as little as I wanted. I do love cotton candy though and if I get it i need to make it a very, very small bag.

Jill

Don't go to ball games .
If I am at a movie I only get a drink. I might take a pack of Lance snack crackers with me if I think about it.
If I am at an Indian Festival & Pow Wow I will get a drink and Indian Fry Bread. Possibly a buffalo burger and or a baked potato. When I still had teeth I would have gotten roasted corn on the cob. If I get that now, I have to cut it off the cob to eat it.
If I am at a Highland Games at Stone Mountain I will get Fish & Chips and a drink.

I just got in from my son's little league game. They won, it was close!! He didn't do so well, so he is busy right now beating himself up!

He and my husband have already been to a Yankees game. A spring training game, but still a game! They eat all the junk, that is the fun of it!

For me, I am just satisfied to see my Jeeter, Giambi and A Rod in those cute uniforms! Although, Giambi doesn't wear it as well as the other guys, I still love him! I eat before I go! Then, of course, I eat sunflower seeds at the game! Who needs food when you can oogle at all the cute boys on the field! I don't think my husband minds too much!