Tag Archives: football

Retired NFL Players Adopt Retrofit as Official Weight Loss Plan

Working out everyday is required for professional athletes; staying in tip top shape is their job. But, what happens to athletes’ bodies, like professional football players, after their career is over? Some players try to live a normal life then start gaining an unhealthy amount of weight. It’s understandable how retired athletes can this weight after their career is over because they are no longer motivated by trainers and required to workout.

There’s now a very smart solution for retired NFL players. Retrofit has announced a formal partnership with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), a move brought on by VP of business development Reggie Smith, a former player himself. He gained an unhealthy amount of weight after his football career ended, but with Retrofit has lost 70 pounds!

Nolan Harrison, NFLPA Senior Director of Former Player Services, comments on the new partnership, saying “The NFLPA is excited about the opportunity to partner with Retrofit. The partnership with Retrofit shows our commitment to strengthen and improve the health of our players once they leave the gridiron.” (more…)

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Samantha

Kick-Off College Football With Healthier Man-Approved Tailgate Recipes

Finally! The weather is just starting to cool off, my favorite alma mater T-shirt is hanging front and center, and college football kicks off tomorrow. It’s almost more excitement than I can bear. I know I’m not alone, and I know I’m not the only one preparing a first game feast for my friends.

Whether you tailgate at home or from your couch, you can consume A LOT of calories in the four hours it takes to win a football game. I, for one, don’t want to be bloated when the big score comes in at the end, so I make a healthier spread. It’s far from rabbit food, but it’s also not the calorie bomb that most of my fellow fans are dishing up.

If I can promise you bold-flavored, sticky-fingered buffalo chicken, wicked dips, and killer desserts, can you promise to try at least one lighter tailgate party this season? I’m pretty sure everyone scores in that deal!

BBQ Pork Sliders

No one needs a half-pound pile of pulled pork, but a tiny slider or two can really fill you up. Our little pork sliders are smothered in a homemade barbecue sauce and a little coleslaw for a cool crunch.

Lighter Buffalo Chicken Dip

We guarantee everything about this recipe is the same as any you’ve tried before, except we’ve cut more than 200 calories out of it! A few simple swaps make this appetizer just as creamy, spicy, and in demand as its gut-busting counterpart. (more…)

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Natalie K

Reggie L. Smith Leads Retired NFL Players Losing Weight With Retrofit

We hear about it all the time – NFL players once at the top of their game and in prime physical fitness retire and become the antithesis of health. It’s not just pro football players, it happens to professional athletes of all kinds.

“What happens is you have a very regimented, controlled environment (practice times, nourishment to survive the season) year after year after year. Then imagine one day it stops – no routine, left to your own devices,” described Reggie L. Smith, former NFL player and President of the National Football League Players Association in Chicago. Just this week he was also named as the new Vice President of Business Development for Retrofit Weight Loss, an exciting new nutrition and fitness program.

“We don’t had another system to go in to,” explained Reggie of himself and his peers. Like many retired NFL players, Reggie settled comfortably in to civilian life and put on an unhealthy amount of weight. But that’s in the history books now, as is his All American status at the University of Kansas. In the past year he’s lost an impressive 70 pounds, a lot of it thanks in part to Retrofit Weight Loss.

“It’s exciting,” he told us of his personal success. He found Retrofit Weight Loss when his NFLPA chapter was approached by the company. They wanted to work together to help the guys get in better shape and regain their health. That’s when Reggie says he got on the program himself, and describes the brand as a “wonderful service and product. It’s an awesome idea and they’re doing good things.” (more…)

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Natalie K

Where to Find the Best Food in Super Bowl Village

Sporting events generally aren’t places where you count on finding healthy snacks readily available. Lucas Oil Stadium does have some “real food” (I don’t know if healthy really applies) beyond nachos and hot dogs, so I was hopeful for real options when the Super Bowl came to Indianapolis. While there was not much variety within the Super Bowl Village itself, you will not have to wander far to find something that feels more like a meal than a snack.

The Super Bowl Village, stretching from the Indiana Convention Center to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse (formerly the Conseco Fieldhouse) has plenty of concession stands offering chicken tenders, steak burgers, hot dogs, french fries, soft pretzels, Sweeties gourmet treats, Frito Lay chips, candy, hot cider, coffee, hot chocolate, cappuccino, Gatorade, water, and Pepsi products.

Inside the Indiana Convention Center, which houses the NFL Experience, additional options include Lipton tea, fruit juice, popcorn, whole fresh fruit, Lay’s Potato Chips, Snickers, M&M’s, yogurt, turkey caesar sandwiches, Italian grinder sandwiches, roast beef sandwiches, grilled veggie sandwiches, chicken caesar salad, tossed garden salad. burgers, BBQ pork sandwiches, and tenderloin sandwiches.

Deeper in the NFL Experience, near the memorabilia show and autograph stage, Pepsi Max and Doritos each has an exhibit with free samples, contests, and games. Considering the long lines seen in the NFL Play 60 Game Zone, attendees could have very positive feelings about these exhibits.

Luckily, not far from there in the maze of the NFL Experience, the “Sandwich Zone” offers carved turkey and carved beef for sandwiches with several topping options. They also have candy, soda, water, Gatorade, and Lipton Tea.

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Posted on January 31, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Where to Workout in Indianapolis During Super Bowl Week

Those visiting Indianapolis for the Super Bowl this week may be most concerned about celebrity sightings, fancy parties, the zip line in the Super Bowl Village, or the NFL experience, but that doesn’t mean that they will want to forsake their fitness habits entirely. With hotels packed to the gills and many renting out local homes for the week, the miniature hotel gym may not be the best option for everyone. Luckily, Indianapolis offers a variety of fitness options unique to the Circle City.

I am a big fan of running, even in the snow. Although it might require additional gear to run outdoors, we have had a sunny and unseasonably warm January which is predicted to continue past the big game. Indianapolis offers several trails that are great for runners, walkers or bikers; check out the Canal Walk, the growing Cultural Trail downtown, and the Monon Trail, which extends from the northeast side of downtown through Carmel and Westfield. Take your outdoor exercise a step further by jogging the steps at the Indiana War Memorial located just north of the Circle on Meridian Street.

If you want to take your workout indoors, here is a look at the best places to workout in Indianapolis. (more…)

Posted on January 30, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Oikos Greek Yogurt Wins Healthiest Super Bowl Ad of 2024 [VIDEO]

Buzz is building for the 2024 Super Bowl ads before we even know who will compete in Indianapolis. Trend watchers say that pets and sex will continue to sell to the largest TV-viewing audience of the year; more people will watch than will vote in November.

While most are tuning in to watch the final football game of the NFL season, many are watching solely for the commercials. Last year, the healthiest thing about those ads was Jillian Michaels’ appearance in the GoDaddy. This year, we’ve found one healthy food item being advertised amongst a gluttonous roster of chips, beer, and soda.

Dannon’s Oikos Greek Yogurt will make its Super Bowl debut this year, and will win MVP for healthiest product advertised. With only 120 calories for a 5.3-ounce serving, there are no more ingredients in Oikos than are necessary. John Stamos will present Oikos in the commercial as “possibly the best Greek yogurt in the world,” and stats will say blind taste-testers prefer Oikos 2-to-1 against Chobani. Organic sugar, organic blueberries, organic elderberry juice, organic nonfat milk, and five cultures are all it takes to make these slender cup of yogurt.

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Posted on January 22, 2024 by Natalie K

NFC Championship Game Recipes for the 49ers vs. Giants

Will the NFC send the San Francisco 49ers or the New York Giants to the Super Bowl? It’s a bi-coastal battle on the field tomorrow that will land only one of these teams in the Midwest to fight for the highest honor in professional football.

Keep those resolutions rolling like a good winning streak and stock your watch party with healthy food disguised as game-day favorites. Only you’ll know that a few calorie corners were cut.

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Posted on January 21, 2024 by Natalie K

Eat Like Tim Tebow: Professionals Weigh in on Football Pros’ Diets

Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Denver Broncos, is one of the most talked-about NFL players this season. While sports commentators have questioned Tebow’s abilities as a quarterback, others have wondered exactly what it takes to stay in peak shape as a professional football player. For many professional athletes, including Tebow, maintaining an athletic physique is not something that comes naturally but is a result of years of dedication to strength training, cardiovascular exercise and maintaining a healthy balanced diet.

Though Tebow’s autobiography Through My Eyes states that he was raised on “Coke and Popsicles” at his uncle’s farm, it is unlikely that he maintains a high-sugar diet today.

“Every athlete will have different needs, but typically you’d like your athlete to eat cleanly all year long,” said New York-based performance coach Chris Matsui, who has worked with high-level athletes including the Carolina Panthers.  “A football player’s diet shouldn’t change drastically in the week before a game, but what they specifically eat is dependent on their individual needs and food allergies or intolerances.”

For most of his clients, Matsui recommends fueling with plenty of lean meat (fish and chicken), healthy fats (avocado and nuts), fruit (blueberries and strawberries), vegetables (kale, broccoli and spinach) and complex carbohydrates (quinoa or brown rice).

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Posted on January 13, 2024 by Maris

LSU vs. Alabama National Championship Game Recipes

Tonight, college football season will finally come to a close as the Louisiana State Tigers take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the BCS National Championship game. It’s the second time these two powerhouses have met on the field this season, and the second time one will walk away as a winner, and another won’t. Tensions will no doubt be high, but delicious guilt-free snacks will help keep everyone cool.

The game kicks off at 8:30, and if you’re hosting a watch party, you’ll no doubt be serving your fellow fans a dinner worthy of a championship nod. Now, we’re all for enjoying finger foods and snacks while watching your favorite team charge the field. We’re also big fans of remembering those resolutions are just nine days old. So, serve the snacks your crowd expects, but do it in a healthy way that doesn’t sabotage the home team, or the visitors!

Try our recipes for Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo for the Tigers, Winning Fried Chicken for the Tide, or the 7-Layer Dip peace keeper for everyone. (more…)

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Natalie K

Favorite Football Game Day Eats from Diets In Review Staff

With football season in full swing, odds are you are either watching the games to cheer on your favorite teams…or because you enjoy sipping a cold beer and eating nachos with chorizo.

While some of the writers and staff here at Diets In Review are avid fans of their hometown football teams, others (like myself) are in it purely for the halftime noshes.

Brandi Koskie, Managing Editor
Favorite College Team: Oklahoma Sooners
Favorite Game Day Eats: “I can’t watch a game without tacos and homemade guacamole. To keep it healthy, I use ground turkey with sauteed onions, green chilies, black beans and corn tortillas.”

Also try: Easy Grilled Fish Tacos, Baja Chicken Salad, Sunset Guacamole

(more…)

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Maris

12 Healthy Tailgate Recipes for College Football Parties

This week marks the beginning of the college football season and after a summer of cookouts and picnics, most healthy eaters are tired of grilled vegetables and black bean burgers.

If you want to socialize without blowing your diet during football games this year,  stick to fresh, simple recipes to boost your team spirit, whether you’re in the stadium parking lot or watching on your neighbor’s flat screen TV.

As you plan your menu for the next big game, consider some of these healthy tailgating recipes – all just as delicious and crowd-pleasing as their fattening counterparts.

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Posted on August 30, 2023 by Maris