Why are football teams more successful at home than when out of town? It’s partly because they’re sleeping at home, etc. But it’s largely about the fans. The fans keep them motivated, cheer them on when they’re doing well, remind them (sometimes not so subtly) when they’re not performing well, and generally help them feel supported.
Fans are a big part of the Football Diet.
Recruit at least 2 fans.
This could be a family member, friend, co-worker, or all of your 537 FaceBook friends—anyone you see fairly regularly. The key to a successful fan is what you do with them right from the start: you tell them that you’re going on the Football Diet, and you are going to try to lose one pound this week. Believe it or not, telling them your intention is huge. This is like Babe Ruth pointing at center field before hitting a home run (sorry for the intrusion of baseball).
By declaring your intention, you do 2 critical things:
- You publicly commit yourself to your goal. The behavioral scientists have shown that this is a huge deal that makes it much more likely you’ll do what you want to do.
- You recruit supporters. Your fans can help, and not just by nagging you. If they know what you’re doing, they can…
- Eat healthy things around you
- Stop offering you cookies
- Ask you how it’s going
- Eat the ice cream in the freezer so it’s gone when your 9:00 p.m. craving hits
- Join your team! How cool would it be to have 2, or even 11, people all on offense or defense at the same time?!
Take this seriously. What football team would want to perform with no fans? Why should you try to do this alone?