The beginning of football season doesn’t have to be the beginning of expanding waistlines.

No, you’re not paranoid. Your attempts to lose or at least keep from gaining weight are really being sabotaged from all sides. Even football season is detrimental to your quest. PR Newswire reports that 25 percent of people surveyed by Harris Interactive reported gaining weight during football season, and 16 percent of those say they packed on 20 pounds or more. Apparently jumping up and down when your team scores and waving a fist in anger when the ref makes a bonehead call isn’t enough exercise to actually count as a workout.

The tasty and tempting tailgate food is partially to blame. It’s all too easy to mindlessly shovel in mouthful after mouthful of queso dip, super supreme pizza, and hot wings while you’re watching any game. Now, we’re not saying that you should forego snacking during football season. That would be as un-American as not standing for the National Anthem. If you really feel like you need to give up game-time-grazing, we respect your right to do that, but it’s a topic for a different blog. What we’re talking about here is making better choices, and it doesn’t have to mean compromising on your convictions about how delicious food and football go hand-in-hand. Here are a few tricks for tipping the scale in your favor during football season.

Healthier Chips ‘n Dips

Opting for veggie dips like salsa cut calories in half when compared to creamy onion and ranch dips.

You won’t even miss the crunchy-salty-creamy-flavorful goodness of potato chips and onion dip when you swap them out for corn chips and salsa. You’ll save half the calories when you do so, according to Today. If you favor queso dip, give black bean chipotle dip a go. In a food processor, blend 1 (14 ounce) can of black beans (drained, of course), 4 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 c plain Greek yogurt, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce, 1 Tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, and 1/2 tsp ground cumin. Serve it with baked pita chips you made yourself by slicing pita rounds into eighths to create wedges (pull each wedge apart so you get 16 chips from each pita). Lay the wedges out on a baking sheet and brush them with a mixture of 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp garlic salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Sprinkle chili powder lightly over chips, if desired, then pop them into a 350˚ oven for 8 minutes.

Lean and Delicious Deviled Eggs

Only use half the yolks and mix your deviled egg filling with plain Greek yogurt instead of mayo.

What’s a tailgate party without the deviled eggs? All those yolks and mayo are what will do your waistline in (or out), so take a tip from Health and substitute low-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise. Cut the fat and cholesterol just a bit more by only using half of the yolks. Spice up the filling mixture with the likes of ginger, curry powder, or Tobasco and give it more texture and flavor with add-ins like diced red peppers and green onions.

Pizza with Fewer Calories and Hold the Guilt

Skim mozzarella and a whole wheat flatbread crust make a pizza you can feel good about eating.

Men’s Fitness gives pizza on game day the thumbs up as long as you make it yourself with healthy ingredients. Use whole wheat flatbread for the crust and top it with skim mozzarella, fresh tomato slices, strips of fresh basil, and avocado. Absolutely need meat on your ‘za? Sprinkle chunks of cooked white meat chicken or turkey with Italian seasoning and use it to top your pie.

Boneless–and Shameless–Buffalo Chicken

Brush Buffalo sauce onto chicken tenders for lean boneless wings.

Not many people can plan a tailgate or football party without including hot wings, but you can enjoy a spicy chicken snack without deep-frying it and slathering it in butter-laden Buffalo sauce. At least cut the butter down to 2 Tbsp or substitute it altogether with 1/4 c olive oil when you mix it with about 1/2 c of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil over medium heat, then divide it in half, reserving one portion for serving. Instead of the traditional bone-in wings, opt for chicken strips made from breast meat. Thread the strips onto metal skewers and brush them with half of the Buffalo sauce then grill them over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, turning them at least once during cooking. Serve your Buffalo skewers with the reserved sauce and ranch dip you mixed up using a packet of ranch dressing mix and a 16-ounce carton of plain Greek yogurt.