The Football Fan’s Diet

There is nothing quite like the Super Bowl: The commercials. The hoopla. The excitement. The anticipation. The finality of the season. The celebrities. Like any football-loving fan, I live for the Super Bowl. This is what it is all about.

It is easy to loose sight of your health goals during such increased levels of male rite and ritual. This time, I plan to stay focused.

Of course I will be focused on my TV and all the aforementioned. But, I want to stay focused on the ball. That is my ball. My ball called health and my effort to not only get to, but win my Super Bowl on the Football Fan’s Diet.

I am off to a great modest start and the best thing is I am not “straining” to do. It is natural.

Do you ever notice how the great teams don’t struggle to be great. They just are great. They need to show up and be mentally prepared but excellence becomes ingrained.

The funny thing is that greatness is achieved in little steps. The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts are no different: the seeds of a championship season were sowed way back in the sweaty days of August.

Last year, I greatly enjoyed watching my favorite team, The Pittsburgh Steelers, win an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl championship. It was immediately afterward that I went on a personal tear of excellence. Even though the Steelers are not in it this year (becuase they failed to show up during the regular season) I plan to take it one step further.

Last year I actually got tired of being healthy. I distinctly recall several times during the year when after weeks of restriction and hard work, I was like, “I need a break.” Then the breaks were harder to break until ultimately I started down the path only to arrive right back where I started.

All was not lost. I did learn I can be healthy. I also learned I like to exercise. I learned the issues I had to deal with were primarily about using food as a mental break.

This new strategy aims to attack those reasons. This new strategy is based on taking a more measured approach so that when I get there, I will have been there. The new strategy is designed to ensure I am not simply “tired of doing it” as the season wears on. No doubt these are all subtle changes in my strategy, but they could make all the difference.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday. Go Saints!

By Matt DeReno
On The FFD

PITTSBURGH – It is hard to believe it is Super Bowl weekend. Here the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints are prepared to do battle in Super Bowl XLIV and I am sitting in Pittsburgh buried in the snow drifts from the Great Snow Storm of 2010.

I know we are luckier than most. The power went out early last night, but it came back on. And, the whole tribe is snug inside safe and cozy. The little one is antsy to go bury me even further in a pile of snow. No doubt there are others skidding down roads or have awoken this morning to find a tree on their car if they can see their car at all. I know Washington, D.C. had come to a “grinding halt” as one local paper put it, but doesn’t Washington do that anyway – whether it is snowy or sunny?

Meanwhile, in South Beach, Florida a party rages. You have all the swanky clubs. You have topless beaches I suppose. You have nightlife. You have celebrities. You have football legends all cavorting and pulsating to the urban beat of tropical Miami. You know what? I would not trade places.

Everything is as it should be, a man wiser than me once said.

Wintering in Pittsburgh only makes the summer time that much more enjoyable, if indeed, we will ever have another summer again in Western Pa.

What this post has to do with being healthy, I am not sure. Perhaps only that if I keep working at being healthy on the Football Fan’s Diet, the sun is bound to shine again? Ah, that is a warming notion in a blog post of icy thoughts.

Now where is my snow shovel.

By Matt DeReno
On The FFD

PITTSBURGH – Yesterday was another good solid day on the Football Fan’s Diet. A workmanlike effort at the YMCA capped a 10-0 shut out of my Inner Fat Slob. In fact, this morning was another session at the YMCA, which puts Friday off to a good start too. I enjoyed a decent movie yesterday, not a great one, but decent. The movie was called Doubt. You can read all about it on CoolFilmz.com, our sister Web site. Other sites include FunnyNewz.com, which as of late has taken a very bizarre twist in terms of content. The Football Fan’s Diet is merely one great web magazine in a suite of them intended for the modern man’s lifestyle. Enough with the shameless plugs. We got health and football to talk about. It is Super Bowl week after all.

Super Bowl weekend is always filled with traps for the healthy-minded football fan. You got cheese dips, wings, pizzas, chips — you name it. It is almost darn near impossible to not give up some points on Super Sunday. You know what? If you must, go ahead and enjoy yourself. You don’t need my permission but you got it.

Me, I am going to try—try being the operative word—to stick to what I am doing. After all, I could well be headed into a week where I may just start to see the results of my slow and steady progress. After all, I have to get to my Super Bowl. How will you get to yours? That question should be at the back of your mind, somewhere between the beer and the nachos.

By Matt DeReno
On The FFD

PITTSBURGH – I noticed a very bizarre sequence of scoring this week: three days of touchdowns without any exercise. I alluded to this in yesterday’s post but today I should emphasize why this could be significant.

It is rare that I actually win days on which I do not exercise. In fact, reviewing the entire previous full season of scoring data (Season III on the Football Fan’s Diet) I noticed that out of nearly 154 days (22 weeks) only on 5 of those days would I do the following: win without having exercised. Almost to a tee: the days I won, all included exercise.

You may recall that I give myself a field goal for exercise (3 points). So the maximum score I can get on any given day is a 10. I got quite a lot of 10s and on those 10 days, I won. However, seldom were the 7-0 days and the 7-3 days. This means when I didn’t exercise, I had little concept of how to live healthy and naturally.

I think that reflects an all or nothing at all mentality. It was as if I felt that if I did not exercise, the day was mostly a loss anyway. This thinking dooms one’s long-term efforts at being healthy day-in and day-out.

Now consider those 7s I just notched: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I had all but five 7s total for one whole complete season. Now I have 3 consecutive 7s already. This means I actually ate within my means and didn’t exercise. This means I could be learning something like how to be healthy.

By Matt DeReno
On The FFD

PITTSBURGH – As my progress continues on The Football Fan’s Diet, I am glad to report that so far, since the Combines at least, my theory that I should strive to “hit the daily mark” in terms of how many calories it would take to sustain my ideal weight—or my goal weight at least—is showing signs of real promise. Those signs comes in digital readouts, and unlike the stock market, when these numbers go down, elation goes up. I am lighter on my feet—literally and figuratively.

I am on a 5-day scoring streak. However, what is noticeably different than on the previous 8-day scoring streak, which I notched early in Jan. (only to segue to 2 weeks of giving up and ultimately starting over), I feel much more content. Why?

Is it because I am “hitting the mark?” Does my body not care about dieting at all, because it is getting what it wants? No more. No less.

Time will only tell. However, the past 5 days have been nice and steady with nary a trace of deprivation. There has even been some beer in there and a good fried fish sandwich. Is eating becoming first nature again? I say “first nature” becuase I believe eating healthy is first nature.

“Second nature” is eating like a fat slob. Now eating like a fat slob had become second nature to me for years in fact. However, it remains to be seen—first or second—which one is my “true nature.”

Another unusual thing is that yesterday is the rare touchdown only and shutout: I scored 7 points and gave up 0. That is there is no exercise and no beer field goals given up could prove to be significant for several reasons, mostly because one should not feel they must exercise to be healthy. One should be healthy day in and day out, no matter what activities you have lined up for the day. Usually, in past efforts on the FFD, I would have to “make up for” some eating by hitting the gym. I shouldn’t have to “make up for” what I eat on the Football Fan’s Diet. After all, healthy eating for football fans and all others alike, can and should be attained with moderation and sensibility in mind. And so Season IV on the FFD continues.

By Matt DeReno
On The FFD

PITTSBURGH – I won’t belabor the point because on a Tuesday, things are usually smooth sailing for me health wise. As testament, I chalked up another wining day yesterday. However, it is the end of the week that presents the biggest challenge.

As it is now, I took a day off from exercise yesterday but it was well needed if not outright deserved. Today, I will get in about a half hour of walking—at least. Maybe more, if I walk the dog. Even more than that, if the dog walks me. The nice thing is we have the Super Bowl too look forward to this weekend.

As the Super Bowl approaches, I can only dream about what commitment, dedication and passion it takes to hoist the Lombardi. But, like the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts – dreams are formed in training camp. And so to it goes with health.

You have to work hard in camp if you want good things to happen. If you want to be healthy, it starts with practicing each day. Practice makes perfect. Practice enough and you develop skill. Work hard enough at that skill, you will be a champion.

For the record, The Football Fan’s Diet is pulling for the New Orleans Saints. My prediction is for a close Super Bowl. New Orleans 35 – Indianapolis 28.

By Matt DeReno
On The FFD

PITTSBURGH – It is early. Way too early I guess. My mental energy is about a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. However, I believe I am in a good frame of mind for the work I need to do to be healthy this week. At least I hope I am until the coffee can kick in.

Yesterday, capped a good, brief stretch of successes. I found myself at a social hall for a gathering of Polish people in Pittsburgh. There was some very good food and for the most part, I laid off most of it. What I did have, I had in moderate amounts. The trick is to do this day in and day out, week in and week out and so on.

The whistle has blow. It looks like Week 1 is underway. Now, where is my coffee.

By Matt De Reno
On The FFD

PITTSBURGH – Yesterday I tried my “new plan” and it worked. I comfortably enjoyed a couple decent meals, even had a beer or two in the evening while watching the Inglorious Basterds (No football this weekend – well, except for the Pro-Bowl – if that can be considered real football). I had a really good workout at the gym and was very active all day.

In continuing the thread on my previous post, maybe I should strive to hit the mark daily? That is I should avoid thinking I have accomplished anything of lasting value if I starve myself for one day under the theory that less calories is better and can only help me to get to the finish line faster.

Again, this is based on my latest idea that if I only consume enough calories to maintain the fit vision of me, I will slowly and naturally get there. Who cares how long it takes? It can take two or three seasons. What do I care? So long as it is slow and steady progress, I’ll be happy.

Perhaps I don’t have to “diet” at all? I just have to eat for my ideal size. The idea is that along the way I will be eating at a level that is appropriate already. When I get there, I will be there already (if that makes any sense).

Monday is the start of my first Preseason match on the Football Fan’s Diet. I will begin to put this theory to the test. Check back daily for updates.

Hut. Hut. Hut.

By Matt DeReno
On The FFD

Pittsburgh – Yesterday I had a good time with some great friends. Drank a few beers. Ate fairly well too. I also spent an hour at the gym. The scale was respectful of my moderation (though I could have been more moderate at the bar).

All things considered, it was a good day to get reacquainted with the gym, moderation and health in general. It got me thinking – why not have a day like that everyday?

What if I just endeavored to loose a pound a week until I got to my ideal weight? That would mean it would take longer than one season to get there, but what is the big hurry? Especially if in the rush to lose weight, I simply spend another six months putting it right back on?

I am in the combines right now. That means I am in the odd number of days preceding a full week start on the FFD. The combines allow you to tinker with your approach to the upcoming season. My preseason is going to start Monday.

I am debating then if I should drastically lower the expectations of what I hope to lose in one season. I have to admit, I am no Lance Armstrong. I do get into the gym but it surely can’t be my life. So what if I took the tortoise’s approach and slowly eroded those pounds away? What if in the course of the next six months I simply started eating right?

Another approach could be to simply eat the caloric level needed to maintain my ideal weight daily? This would be as opposed to endeavoring to drastically reduce your caloric intake to lose weight quickly. In theory, I would starve off all the extra pounds by eating only enough to maintain my goal weight of 185. Hmm. That is an interesting idea. I wonder if it will work and how long would it take?

It would seem to make sense at first glance. After all, perhaps the reason weight loss can be challenging to a really fat guy is that he probably strives to loose four or five pounds a week. However, that means going from a fat body type of diet to one in which that by its very nature would make someone at their ideal weight even hungry. In other words, why eat at level that would make a person already at your ideal weight loose weight? If a guy that ways 185 right now would loose weight on my current caloric levels, then how could a blob like myself maintain that pace? What a fantastic approach!

Quick Warning: today’s great idea is tomorrow’s apology to the masses.

Nonetheless, you would think that if you did eat at the level needed to maintain your ideal weight then over the course of time, quite naturally and effortlessly, your body would simply get back to where it was always intended to be. You would think. Could it be that simple? There is only one way to find out.

Hut. Hut. Hut.

By Matt DeReno
On The FFD

Pittsburgh – And so we begin—For Real—Season IV on The Football Fan’s Diet. My charts are all updated, the slate is wiped clean, and I ain’t wasting no more time…

On that note, I leave you with these unforgettable lyrics…

No, I don’t know where I’m going
But, I sure know where I’ve been
Hanging on the promises
In songs of yesterday
An’ I’ve made up my mind,
I ain’t wasting no more time

here i go again, here i go again

Tho’ I keep searching for an answer,
I never seem to find what I’m looking for
Oh Lord, I pray
You give me strength to carry on,
‘Cos I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams

An’ here I go again on my own
Goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known,
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
An’ I’ve made up my mind
I ain’t wasting no more time