When you talk about going out on the weekend, what do you think of? Maybe it’s hitting up the ultimate chick flick based on one of Nicholas Sparks’ novels, or maybe trekking down to Jack Trice Stadium for a football game.

Yes, both of those sound like a lot of fun, but most of us college-educated, maturing adults think of making our way to Welch Avenue to dive into what many students could call the “Super Dog culture” on a given weekend night.

This culture is vastly different from what one would see strolling the sidewalks on campus throughout the week. In the Super Dog culture, your eyes are feasted upon party-goers looking for the best food to fix their craving of salty and usually fatty drunk food. Many may call Ames fortunate to have plenty of late-night eateries where they can go to chow down on these succulent greasy dishes, but sometimes even the intoxicated want to save a few calories on the usual bar fare.

If your usual burger order is a half-pounder piled high with melted cheese, crisp bacon, mayo, ketchup and countless other condiment options, choose a few things to leave off. For example, lose the cheese and bacon or mayo to save hundreds of calories and many milligrams of salt.

Or if pizza is your thing, find a nice thin-crust slice and trade the fat-filled meats like sausage for something like barbecued chicken and peppers.

Then there is the late-night burrito crowd. I have foolishly mistaken one of those burritos for a small child, they are enormous. If it is something you just cannot pass up when a late-night craving calls, keep the amount of rice low while the beans, grilled chicken and veggies high. These small sacrificial swaps are barely noticeable when gorging at 1 o’clock in the morning.

Although if you really want to save some mega-calories, remember these three simple words: Sharing is caring.