The NFL football camps are in full swing now and the kickoff to the regular season occurs 5 weeks from Thursday. Over the past 5 1/2 years, we have put several ex-NFL players into our weight loss program. During their playing careers, they all obviously had to be in great physical shape to meet the demands of their sport. Daily exercise, weigth lifting, practices etc. resulted in enormous caloric burnoff. To support these very strong, well toned bodies, there also needed to be substantial caloric intake to avoid unwanted weight loss. These guys told me that during the training camps and seasons, the meals would be enormous, containing incredible amounts of protein and carbs. Weight gain would not occur however in response to this food ingestion because of the incredible amount of exercise being performed.
Upon retirement, several factors occurred: 1- Getting older, the metabolism slowed down and 2-the exercise and training didn't take place anymore. Because eating so many calories became part of their lifestyle, this did not adjust to the aforementioned metabolism/exercise decline. This was a recipe for disaster on the scales, and indeed, morbid obesity set in. I saw an HBO Inside Sports awhile ago that similarly did a story about some ex-NFL linemen who are so moribund and obese with orthopedic problems, that they are confined to wheelchairs. Many also reported that a major issue was that they never learned to change their eating patterns.
Okay, so what does this have to do with my teachers, lawyers, analysts, engineers, professors, consultants, and my other patients out there? The answer: We all need to think about adjusting our food intake to match our changing age and physical activity. Personally, if I ate now what I ate when I was 21, I would be probably 250 pounds. I think all of us realize that metabolism slowdown dramatically affects are ability to lose weight. Also, perhaps due to responsibilities at home/work we do not have the time to exercise as much as when were in college or before marriage.children. Most of us do not weigh what we weighed 30 years ago, and we should not expect that. What we do strive for is a healthy weight which makes us feel good and look great.
Now, speaking about the NFL, anyone interested in a little contest/pool of some sort that would incentivize weight loss efforts? Let me know: serotab@aol.com
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