From Fit to Fat…On Purpose
What would you say if you saw this guy on the beach?
Now, what would you say if I told you he’s chosen to look like this instead:
Personal trainer Drew Manning (no relation to Peyton and Eli, as far as I can gather) is deliberately making himself fat by overeating unhealthy foods and refraining from exercise. Why? So he can then put himself through his own diet and training programs to prove to others that they work. His goal is to teach people that anyone can get in shape with proper nutrition and exercise.
Drew admits the foods he’s eating do taste good, but he says he’s tired all the time and has literally become addicted to sugar and fat. He now understands what his clients face every day – which was the point of his little experiment.
Drew isn’t the first fitness buff to embark on a journey like this, but he might be the first to document every step of the way. Sure, he’s probably out for fame and fortune; but if his transformation from fat back to fit again inspires even one person to get off the couch, it can’t be all bad.
You can follow Drew’s progress HERE.
Filed under: fitness commentary
Thats kinda what I did last year though definitely more extreme. 145 (jun ’10) —>172 (jan ’10)—>142 (current)
I should have documented it more. Sometimes I still miss those big macs.
HA – I like how he makes a point of looking all sad in the fat picture, compared to his big smiley face in the first one.
It is brave of him to do, but I don’t think his “journey” has anything to do with what one’s journey would be like for anyone who’s ever been overweight before. He has purposely chosen to gain weight. Unfortunately, exercise and nutrition have very little to do with obesity. That might sound crazy, and it is crazy. Obesity is a disease, much like alcholism is a disease. This trainer has good intentions, I suppose, but misses the point entirely when it comes to tackling such a complex issue. Often times, it takes someone, who has never been “fit” who then becomes “fit,” to actually help this population of people. In such a case, the person knows what it’s like to be that way without ever being another way. That person knows what it’s like to wish they were in someone else’s shoes yet has NEVER been that other person. Such a person knows the actual journey, both physically and psychologically. They know what it’s like to relate to food and inactivity as friends. Drew may be overweight now, but he knows what it’s like to not be that way. He doesn’t have a disease nor does he have an addiction. Someone who comes from money can’t pretend to be homeless by simply giving up their home, cars, clothing, etc, because at any given moment, they can stop being that way. Sure, he has to lose the weight again, but becoming “fit,” being “fit,” and staying “fit” has never been a problem for Drew. If anything, being overweight is more challenging for him than it is to be “fit.” So, although his intentions are good, such a complex issue can by no means be oversimplified. Overweight and obese people know they have to eat right and exercise. We live in a time where calories come along with every meal. Knowledge isn’t power; applied knowledge is power and the only way to solve such an epidemic is to attack and solve the philosophy of change psychology. Losing weight and exericse aren’t actually that difficult. Keeping it off, doing it for the right reasons and reevaluating a detrimental relationship with oneself and changing that relationship are the only intangible and immeasureable keys to staying and becoming “fit.”