As a fan, Kurt Benkert Jersey it was odd watching -- his first outside of New England. I'll forever be grateful for Brady's contributions to a dynasty, but still, it's always hard to see an ex thrive. Since Brady is 43 and still doing it, and one of my strongest personality traits is an ability to punish myself at any given opportunity, my bo ses here at CBS Sports thought it would be a good idea for me to embrace this personal crisis. What better way to prepare for the uncomfortable experience of watching Brady in LV than by living the TB12 lifestyle for a week leading up to the game? CBS Sports HQ Newsletter Your Ultimate Guide to Every Day in Sports We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and get a winning edge. I agree to receive the "CBS Sports HQ Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. For those unaware, TB12 is Brady's lifestyle brand built around his method of living that has allowed him to find an unparalleled level of sustained succe s at the level. Exercise, nutrition, expensive pajamas ... it's all part of the Brady method. For this experiment, we're going to focus on the diet and pliability aspects of the TB12 method, and I'll be documenting my experiences along the way. And for the record: I used to live a somewhat respectable lifestyle of my own before the world shut down last March. I used to work out frequently, attempt to eat well Eric Stokes Jersey and at least make a casual effort to pretend that I take care of myself. However, over the last year or so, my brand has e sentially become cigarettes, cheap beer, frozen pizza, marathon video game se sions and deteriorating hygiene. This project from my bo ses may very well have be an intervention masked as a "work a signment." Here's how it went. The guidelines There's a good chance you've already heard about Tom Brady's absurd diet. The checklist of things he can't/won't eat is seemingly longer than the things he can/will. Here's a glimpse at the insanity : "No white sugar. No white flour. No MSG. I'll use raw olive oil, but I never cook with olive oil. I only cook with coconut oil. Fats like canola oil turn into trans fats. ... I use Himalayan pink salt as the sodium. I never use iodized salt. Tom doesn't eat nightshades, because they're not anti-inflammatory. So no tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, or eggplants. Tomatoes trickle in every now and then, but just maybe once a month. I'm very cautious about tomatoes. They cause inflammation. What else? No coffee. No caffeine. No fungus. No dairy. The kids eat fruit. Tom, not so much. He will eat bananas in a smoothie. But otherwise, he prefers not to eat fruits." Yeah, so it's safe to say I didn't follow Brady's diet exactly as the quarterback does -- I'd rather have declined the a signment and be unemployed. However, I did follow the loose outline provided by the TB12 website. Here's a basic outline of the rules: 80% fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes 20% protein (chicken, red meat, seafood)Eat until you're 75% fullNo dairy or nightshadesHalve your body weight in pounds and drink that many ounces of water (70 ounces for me daily)Max 2 cups of coffee / No caffeine after noonNo food within 3 hours of going to bedMy goodne s, we made it. The diet journey has officially reached its end and I lived to tell the tale (if you need help envisioning me in this moment, I am Andy Dufresne standing in the rain after crawling through a sewer pipe in "The Shawshank Redemption.") I'm not going to Josh Myers Jersey say it was fun or enjoyable, but I will admit it wasn't quite as difficult or insufferable as I thought it might be. You can still eat pretty well in this lifestyle.Admittedly, I didn't really get too creative with the meals, as you may have noticed by now. That's partially because I am an idiot who is lucky to not burn down my house every time I try to make a meal, but also partially because I knew I was never going to be long for this way of life.I did finally take a break from chicken on Sunday, deciding instead to bring steak tips into the mix. I seasoned with some rosemary and pink Himalayan salt and then paired with green beans and carrots. Not super flashy, but a consistent, reliable player.I wish I could provide you with some grand takeaway after all of this, but really all I've got is:I got really ga syI almost drowned from drinking so much waterAgain, I only did it for a week, and a lot of these diets need a bit more time/commitment than that. That being said, I certainly don't feel like I could go out there and win six Super Bowls under center, but maybe if I kept going a little longer? Honestly, though, you can keep your rings, supermodel wife and hundreds of millions of dollars. None of that would make me happy if I wasn't allowed to smash a cheeseburger into Green Bay Packers Pet Gear my face or shove an entire pizza down my hatch whenever I damn well please. Do you know how happy I'm going to be when I get to crack into a bag of chips as I watch a game tonight? I've been waiting for this moment for my entire life one whole week.Also, let the record show that I gained one pound while doing this diet. Nailed it. Day 1 As I mentioned off the jump, this a drastic change from my natural way of living, so I had to knock out a quick food shopping trip in order to prepare. I figured my local Trader Joe's would be the best play for a lot of the organic meats and vegetables, and then I filled in some of the blanks with a trip to Stop & Shop. We've hit an annoying road block already, as I figured yogurt & granola would be a good way to make the nuts and seeds bearable. Turns out I'm an idiot who forgot that yogurt is dairy, and also an idiot who didn't realize that granola has a ton of sugar in it? God, this sucks already. I also decided to try some "green juice" simply because it looked healthy and seemed like something I'd be involved in while on this diet. It tastes like rain water collected in a yard waste bag and I will not be doing that ever again. I had a Jaire Alexander Jersey palm-sized portion of chicken (cooked in coconut oil) for dinner along with some spinach, carrots and cucumbers for dinner. Not exciting but, honestly, it was solid. The bigger i sue is that I got hungry again and sort of broke the rules on the first day already, as you're not supposed to eat anything within three hours of going to bed. I had celery and almonds as a late night "treat" to settle the hunger. You know your life is in a pretty lame place when you have to feel guilty about eating celery and almonds. Also, this is so much water to drink. I can't stop peeing. Day 2
