The Football Fan’s Diet

By Matt De Reno
On The FFD

PITTSBURGH – We all wrestle with problems in life and it is easy to get consumed with one’s own—after all, we are the only survivors of a universe uniquely called “I”. Speaking of I: I was perusing LiveStrong.com’s message boards the other day and found myself reading support forums for those that struggle from alcohol abuse. I believe this was the “stay sober” forum. Reading the comments got me thinking about my lighthearted use of beer drinking, which I sort of play with like a shaggy happy dog.

I suppose my jocular use of beer as a standard of living to be enjoyed moderately with massive doses of Football to help us get bye, could, for the life of those wrestling with alcoholism, constitute an egregious annoyance at best, a trigger for demons at worst. Man, if that isn’t the crux of our problems with our lives on this here Earth, I don’t have a clue what it could be: one person’s co-pilot is another one’s demon. I am not waxing moral relativism here but rather cold realism.

Yes, I have said, Beer is my co-pilot but it should be noted that there are many people for whom a TD or a FG is simply staying sober for a day. I am glad I don’t’ have that problem. I empathize with anyone that does. I have a food problem. Even my food problem is probably not a “problem-problem” by most standards in the great annals of problems. I simply want to get healthy although I have to admit I did soar up there to 270 lbs. Now, I am in the 220s with weeks to go before I rest. But, I digest… But, I digest.

Food and unhealthy living no matter what guise it takes can be deadly.

What if I were to suffer some kind of heart attack and die because of simply eating too many cheeseburgers? No different than wrapping a car around a pole I suppose on some level. On a more realistic level, overeating and using food to self-medicate is probably considered by some to be a “smaller” problem compared to drug addiction or alcoholism. But, like I said, what if you have a heart attack? A stroke? Develop diabetes? All, as a result of what you eat?

I am not lobbying for food disorders, be they mild or major, to be on some equal, greater or lesser footing than, say, alcoholism, but to have food, obesity and unhealthy living as a demon is for many a cross to be bore silently. Many probably would not put such a problem on the same level as drinking. Maybe that is okay? I never heard of anyone having a few too many cheeseburgers and then veering into the oncoming lane and taking out a young family of football fans.

Then again, I am sure some accidents have been caused because some dufus is busy eating a burger while driving? Could be that happened—I don’t know. I have heard of mother’s breast feeding kids while driving. I am sure eating while driving then probably has caused a fair share of accidents.

We all have our demons and co-pilots. By the way, a “co-pilot” is something that rides this race of life with us that helps us get bye. I like to say humor is a good co-pilot to have and even then humor should be doled out in moderation (lest you don’t want to be gainfully employed).

Laughter never killed anyone they say. Then again, someday, I could be laughing so hard at some joke on satellite radio that I veer into an oncoming lane of traffic or wrap my car around the trunk of a tree. A demon on the other hand is something you fight in life. It is a special burden that you seemed to have had the luck to get. I think no matter what you fight as a demon, you have a right to your co-pilot.

Speaking of co-pilots: I have not heard a beer in a week.

I had a great day healthy living wise yesterday and the scale is beginning to shake the dew from its Lilly (whatever the heck that means). I still got seven weeks. I am hoping I can catch the winning streak one more time. Here’s hoping I do (imaginary beer cracked open). And, here is hoping our co-pilots defeat our demons and never the two shall be confused for the other!

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