Football fans gain average of 10 pounds during a regular season football season.  Why is this? Take a look at the last few months of Monday, Thursday and Sunday nights.  It is almost certain that the beers and bar food were not part of a healthy diet. Here is what you were probably eating: . 

·       Be aware of what you’re eating

·       Buffalo wings/ranch dressing

·       Cheese

·       Pizza

·       Chips/dip

·       Beer

·       Soda

That doesn’t mean you can’t eat what you love, but social gatherings like football games typically bring out the glutton in us.   So now that the season is over, it time to lose that holiday weight and create better habits by making make small changes.  It is high time to find ways to enjoy food that is healthier for you.  You can do this by:

·       Smaller portions

·       Spread meals apart

·       Fat-free condiments

·       Going with light dressing/dips/drinks

You shouldn’t think of these changes back to the off season as a diet, because it isn’t.  Your football season habits can be thought of instead as a reverse diet.  Most diets are fads and most often not something you will stick with.   There are so many diets out there and weight loss tips. Many of them can work if integrated into a healthy lifestyle plan. We've talked about all types of weight loss strategies and trends recently on the blog. From intermittent fasting and weight loss myths to juicing and detoxing for losing weight, there are sure no shortages of tips. However many people make a lot of mistakes when they choose to go on a diet or lose weight. So often we cling to unsupported studies that we heard somewhere, statistics taken out of context.

The average diet only lasts for 3 months, so think of this post season as the time to get your body, gut and health into gear.  Think of it as nutrition choice that can be kept up for the rest of your life.  So although you will probably see weight loss by just changing the bad habits you’ve acquired through months of cheering on your favorite team, try to focus more on nutrition than the number of pounds you are losing.  1-2 pounds of weight loss is healthy, and exercise works well, but only in combination with what you’re eating.  The key is not to restrict yourself, or you might run the risk of binging at a later time.

You may be thinking, so what if I overeat? But there are actually some extremely serious consequences that are driven from overeating.  Here are some of the highlights:

·       Increasing risk of mortality                                                               

·       Heart disease

·       High cholesterol

·       High blood pressure

·       Diabetes

·       Depression

·       Cancer

·       Gallbladder disease/Gallstones

·       Gout

·       Breathing problems

·       Sleep apnea

·       Asthma