Saints going to Superbowl...I must be dreaming.

I don't have enough time to tell you of my entire relationship with the Saints football team so here's just a few highlights and low lights. My family moved here in 1974...before the Superdome was open. When it did in 1975 my first game was against the Houston Oilers (a team I supported since we moved from Houston just months prior). We (Saints) lost I believe by the score of 13 to 7. It didn't get much better after that. Our team was hapless, had coaching and player issues for years. If I heard it was a "rebuilding year" once I heard it a thousand times. Fact was they made some very odd personnel choices throughout the years...most of whom went on to great things after leaving the organization.

My dad had 5 season tickets for as long as I can remember. Throughout college, if he had extras he'd give them to me. Knowing they were going to lose I'd do a drive by at the dome and sell them for beer money that week. As my broadcast career took off I was forced to follow them and I recall some very exciting games and good times in those seats. I also remember boycotting them for 2 years because the Atlanta Falcons beat us twice one year with a pair of hail Mary's to win the game on the last play. Suckers!

I recall if we played a team that hadn't won a game yet we would always hand them their first win. Or if there was a record to be set on the other team it would happen while they were playing us. I was in Pro-Player Stadium one year (yes, the same place the Superbowl is being played in Miami) and Dan Marino tossed his 300th TD or something. You could always count on the Saints to give that kind of thing up. I vowed to travel to at least one away game per year a few years back. Charlotte was a kick and their stadium was brand new at the time. San Fransisco had its charm...we actually won that game; I cried and ate dungeoness crab. Chicago was interesting. It was October of 1999 and the last season the Bears would play in Soldier field. I was mere weeks away from having my second back surgery so I was furiously "numbing" my pain and becoming quite a pain in the ass to the home fans. We were winning 14 nothing with 2 minutes to go. We all lit Cuban cigars and cursed their fans until they scored two TD's and a field goal to win it in regulation. Since that day I don't celebrate until I see all zero's on the time clock.

I guess my biggest memory would have to be September 28th 1992. I was working at a radio station that was connected to the Superdome. I'd planned on going to the game right after my shift but would have to meet my friends and (soon to be) wife. They stopped by on their way to the dome and waved at me in the "fishbowl." I told them I'd be there shortly. I had a couple beers on the walk over to catch up with the gang...they tailgated and started a bit earlier than I did. A few more dome-foams later we were in position to win the game. We had the ball inside the 20 and Bobby Hebert (the Cajun Cannon) rares back and lets one fly into the end zone. My seats were on the first row of that end zone and I couldn't see so I jumped up assuming we scored a touchdown but instead found myself falling over the rail of the terrace (highest level) and into the Lodge (directly below me). I woke up bleeding on a large black man who saved my life; or at least kept me from hitting the seats below at terminal velocity. I was badly bruised, fat lip, few abrasions but none the worse for wear. I signed the paperwork on my house the next day fully medicated so that closing was much less painful than this last one. Now when I go to games I tie off but I figured I'm good from 30 feet or so.

My saints went 13-0 then dropped a big game to the Cowboys who were on a huge comeback and almost made it through the playoffs. The next loss to Tampa because of a missed field goal was heartbreaking and I feared the wheels had come off. They decided to rest their starters for the final Carolina game so we finished the season with home field advantage and were 13-3. We demolished the Cardinals and had several really nice breaks against the Vikings before our kicker redeemed himself in OT to kick the game winner. We're off to the Superbowl with Americas team. I'm hoping this magical season continues with a win because this town deserves a little something after suffering through the bags-on-head years with the "Aints."

If you're team didn't make it, rot for the Saints cause I feel I have some skin in this game...literally! Who Dat!

It's coming up on my one year anniversary!

All I can say is Thank you Diet to Go as Bo Walker has lost 40 pounds in one year while on the program. That may not rattle any cages given the gastric bypass mentality of today but doing it the slow easy way has proven to work better than the quick and hard on your body way. Case in point is I likely would have given up after 6 months or so and began eating my way back up to an even higher weight than before. I know this because I've done it so many times in the past. I'm proud to say that I stuck to a diet program for an entire year and even though I haven't met my goal of losing 60 pounds I'm happy that during an immensely stressful period of change and flux I was able to stay very close to my meal plan and succeed.

Traveling between two states pretty regularly doesn't leave me with the time I would like to have devoted to keeping up with this blog. I'm posting when I have time and including pictures when I get a chance to take them. I promise to include some shots of me in the poses I was using earlier in my weekly posts. My body has made some amazing transformations over the last year. My only wish is that I had more time for exercise. When I was walking every morning I felt better than ever and could feel myself getting stronger and more muscle definition not only in my legs but in my belly too. I look at pictures of me before my surgery (and I may be misusing the term) but I looked "cut." At least as cut as a fat guy can look. Because I had to shelf the exercise for several weeks after the surgery and have since moved my treadmill to Mississippi, I haven't had the time to walk. Something I need to fix as drinking water and exercise are the keys to consistent weight loss and regulating your sugars.

As mentioned in a previous blog post, my blood work numbers have never been in range but this last battery of tests confirmed that I was on the right track. ALL of my tests turned out to be in range. Some could be better but you know how the data kicks out the number to the right if it's out of range? I didn't have a sing number over there and that's huge!

Diet to go is not cheap but consider it an investment in yourself! You're worth it. As I wait for my work partner to have his gastric bypass I wonder how he will do without being able to have a loving relationship with food. Dieting is different from quitting smoking or drinking or whatever. The difference is you HAVE to eat. It's what you choose to put in your mouth and how much of it you decide to portion that will determine how you will fair with any diet. They all work but you must count something; carbs, calories, protein, sugar, etc. Any plan will work too but you must make the commitment to stick to it. I've tried most of the popular diet programs on the market today and some of the fringe ones too. Diet to go mixes a solid meal plan with great support and that is what makes it successful. If you are truly interested in losing weight and keeping it off log on to www.diettogo.com and look around. I'm positive there is a meal plan that works for you. The low carb worked for me because of my sugar issues and I've come back from the brink after hitting almost 260 a year ago. Good luck and thanks again Diet To Go!