I had a conversation with nutritionist Julie Burns this week. She is a consultant for the Chicago Bears, who just happen to be playing some football game this weekend. Our piece about the team's training table is published at msn.com. Here are some "outtakes" from the conversation:
- You won't ever signficantly reduce body fat percentage with eliminating or keeping alcoholic drinks to a couple per week. That's one reason why Dr. Kleiner recommends two weeks off alcohol in the Accelerator phase of the Good Mood Diet, then moderation after that. Julie says a fair share of Bears players simply quit alcohol consumption during the season.
- Some teams fine players for being overweight, which only prompts the players to lose fluids in order to make weight. A better plan (Good Mood Diet, anyone?) is to make changes that allow you to lose pounds that stay off. Julie says eating breakfast helps a lot of athletes control weight when that is an issue.
- Teams like the Bears will create charts with ideal body weight and body fat percentages by position. So a defensive lineman might be quite a bit higher in both categories than, say, those quarteracks they are out to squash. Bears fans who remember 1985 will wonder if William "The Refrigerator" Perry would have even been categorized by weight or body fat percentage. He was clearly one of a kind. That "Fridge" nickname referred to his wide presence on the line, but there were plenty of teammates who claimed Perry deserved the nickname by eating the contents of, oh, one of those huge refrigerators you see in a restaurant or food service cafeteria.
Bob Condor