The Football Fan’s Diet

I did really well on my first day back to The Football Fan’s Diet. I hit the YMCA and did the treadmill and stayed under my calories for the day. I also did not have any beer, which is something I think I have to come to terms with if I want to succeed on the FFD Season II.

I am happy to report I stayed under my caloric goal for the day – as stipulated in my revised goals for the Combines (Under 1800). I did have beer and some rum and Diet Cokes, which made up far too much of my caloric intake for the day than I care to admit. I gave up a FG on that note, but I really plan to dial all the booze down.

With all apologies to Churchill: If you give up womanizing, drinking and gambling you can live to be a Hundred but it will feel like Two Hundred.

–Matt

Far be it for me to start Season II in the middle of the week. However, since my week starts on Monday I may as well start the Football Fan’s Diet on a Monday, just as any NFL team starts a week on any particular day. We can assume it is Monday in most cases. So Monday it is…

I devised something called the combines. This is a way to get started without really getting started. In another words, I went to the gym just now – in fact burned 530 glorious calories on an evil contraption called a “stepper.” I did 45 minutes (or it did me for 45 minutes).

On the way back from the YMCA, I hit Giant Eagle, which is a grocery story in them there parts called Western Pa. Here I bought some coffee, Tic-Tacs and Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi. I eventually expect to kick diet pop too, but what the hell – calories are my mantra for now. And so the Combines begin.

I see no point in waiting for New Years to set up a cliched exercise regimen when such a cliched exercise regimen can be started today. Hmm. I am not sure that is a ringing endorsement of enthusiasm but a new year beckons and what I failed to, oh, excuse me, what I didn’t get perfect yet, can be achieved in the coming year.

However, being that Monday is typically the first day of the week – I will simply get back to being healthy this Friday after Christmas, Saturday and Sunday. That way Monday is the big launch for The Football Fan’s Diet Season II.

As for Christmas, it was great. I also hope that all you out there that happened across this blog, found joy and health in your holidays. If you would like to follow along and do the Football Fan’s Diet with me – let me know. We can do it together or altogether depending on how many of you there are. With that news… Onward and waistline’s inward!

Yesterday we had some friends over for the Steelers game. Although the game didn’t turn out to my liking, the time we had a was great. I pounded Miller Lites, ate some wings, onion rings and the main course was hot sausage on rolls. Emm. That was good eating.

The thing that really wasn’t so bad was that I didn’t really over eat anything in particular. So, the next day, I actually didn’t feel that bad. So, eating sensibly and forgetting about calories may be the way to go.

It is a cold Pittsburgh day and if there every was such a thing as frozen tundra, I would have imagine it has to look like what the North Hills of Pittsburgh looks like right now. So this is the dead cold of winter and yes, I have a lot of weight to lose now. So, I will use this week off from work to contemplate how I will make this second season on the Football Fan’s Diet work.

As a coach I need to use all the tools available to me: video clips, audio, text, pictures – everything to get my healthy team on the right path to a Super Bowl victory. You know, I am weird aren’t I.

Okay, if I don’t post by Christmas – Have a very Merry one. Drink some eggnog for me!

I was doing really well – that is until Thursday. I went to a Christmas party and then afterward had the dubious chore of driving to the airport to pick up a relative at 11:30. The problem was that the flight from the notoriously delayed Chicago O’Hara didn’t arrive until 6 hours after its scheduled departure time. I stayed up pretty much the whole night and being tired – figured “what the heck… eat what I want.” So, I did. So I am here now.

That being said. I do plan on relaunching the 2nd Season here shortly. In doing so, I plan on revamping and re-thinking my strategy in terms of posting updates and everything else. But, it will be in full sway come J-1. I will make routine updates until then. Now, it is the holiday’s. Go stuff your face.

Hey, the economic times might be tough so what better way to suffer through them than taking this as an opportunity to reduce my food bill, waistline and nagging self doubts. Today, then, on another cold blustery day in Pittsburgh – I continued my regime at the YMCA. One hour on the stepper. That is 800 calories I tore up today. Tonight I have a Christmas Party at Dave and Buster’s (local Pittsburgh restaurant with video games, beer and all sorts of food I shouldn’t have). I will keep moderation in site, or at least give it my best shot. You know what – screw it! It is the Holiday Season right? Just kidding. I will keep my progress for the past 4 days in mind. I hope.

I heading over to the YMCA in Bellevue right now. It is cold outside. My dog is barking. I have been working on web sites all day. Time to hit the treadmill – oh, I should say Stepper.

My goal is to do the stepper for an hour. Is this crazy? I did it yesterday. I’ll give it a shot again today.

–Matt

It is Monday morning on a temperate day in Pittsburgh. The weather will climb into the 50s, but it will be short lived. Tomorrow the temperature climbs back down into the chilly digits where Global Warming becomes a fair topic for discussion. So why not start another season on the Football Fan’s Diet?

I was planning on re-launching Jan. 1, but that is so contrived. If I start now, and somehow succeed, I should be right and healthy come this summer. Well, that is the plan.

So now I am sitting in my basement typing away at this blog, wondering how I can avoid failure – the disaster that was Season 1 of the Football Fan’s Diet? How can I repackage this diet? I suppose I will call it The Football Fan’s Diet II, much like the Super Bowl’s use the Roman numbers for great big game.

The greater questions: Can I sustain something? Can I produce a winning season? How can I avoid the mistakes of the past?

So please check back often and get in shape with me.

–Matt