The big game is right around the corner and people are planning their Superbowl menus. But what if your fan experience could make or break your weight loss efforts?

That’s right, if you are a big Denver or Seattle fan and feel they are your team, you are about to be more stressed than those of us who don’t care about either team. And that stress just might make you eat more.

Strong identification with a team increases the stress hormone cortisol. When you watch the game, feel passionately about your team but have no control over the game, you are on the edge of your seat, yelling at the TV, and jumping to your feet. During an interception, you fall back on the couch in disbelief. Your heart is pumping. Come on, let’s win!

But if you lose, you may lose self-control and find yourself arm deep into a bowl of potato chips and dip!

A study published in Psychological Science found that the consumption of saturated fat after a beloved NFL team loses increases. If your team wins,  the saturated fat consumption goes down. Psychologically, the winning team makes you feel good and optimistic for the future. When you feel good, you tend to be more motivated in your eating and exercise. When you feel bad, well, we find comfort in those fried fatty foods!

Personally, I’m looking forward to the game because I really don’t identify with either team. I guess that means I’ll have better control with the snacks this year.

So thank you Chicago Bears for not making me fat!