David Montgomery Loses Pounds to Gain Yards

There's no way to put it nicely.

Bears running back David Montgomery felt like a fat slob last year.

"I kind of let myself get in the way of myself as far as what I ate last year," Montgomery said.

For most of us, getting in the way our ourselves is not too difficult.

Be mindful, this is a pro athlete who has dropped from a beefy, burgeoning 224 pounds to a svelt 218.

Montgomery's considerable heft was understandable considering what he ate.

My favorite thing was like flame-hot beef jerky and, like, some Swiss cheese," Montgomery said.

But wait, there's more.

"I realized that that wasn't good for me," he said. "Whenever I felt the craving for a Krispy Kreme donut, I'd definitely go have one, back in the day. But now I fight the urge to go have one."

Could this make the difference between 889 rushing yards like he had last year and 1,000 or more? Possibly, but what is certain is he'll be healthier.

Fish, chicken and Quinoa have taken the place of red meat and fats of all types.

"I didn't really care, I was a rookie," Montgomery said. "I was just eating whatever, but now it's definitely a main focal point in my every-day life.

"It's just being sure I put the right things in my body so it can carry over to field."

The fatter Montgomery had trouble getting a move on.

"I think, for me, I was a lot slower than I know I was capable of moving at, and it affected the game," Montgomery said.

Montgomery feels better equipped to help as a receiver and runner this year. It goes beyond what he put in his mouth.

He hired a new personal strength trainer and speed coach, and feels it will show in better breakaway speed.

And he's made it a point to understand the game better.

"For me, Year 2 is definitely a big leap from, of course, my rookie to my second year," Montgomery said, mindful that with his old diet leaping was probably not possible. "Just being able to understand a lot of stuff I didn't understand as fast last year, like understanding the offense more, knowing concepts, knowing defenses, knowing the personnel.

"Just being on top of that and being able to remember how fast the game was for me last year and seeing it kind of slow down here is pretty cool to see."

The game is slowing down for Montgomery, and it's partly because he expects to be speeding up.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven