Fitness and Diet Health,
by Cindy Collins, PhD, RD
& Kaleigh Bell
Fit2Fat2Fit
Drew Manning, a personal trainer, is as dedicated as they come. All of his life, he had been an extremely fit and healthy person. His normal weight is 193 pounds and he is 6’2. Being in shape has always been a top priority for him. His main goal as a personal trainer was getting his clients healthy and lean but he could not figure out why he wasn’t getting through to them. He decided the reason for that was because he had never experienced being overweight and did not know what they were going through.
So he decided that he was going to put himself in their situation and become obese. He tried an experiment.
He gorged himself with unhealthy food and beverage choices such as ramen noodles, processed foods, white bread, soda and sugary drinks. During this process, he decided to discontinue his workouts completely. As his weight increased he consequently became less energetic and more sluggish. His personality change was drastic. He did not want to do anything, he wasn’t pleasant to be around, and his energy level decreased noticeably, as noted by his wife.
Along with all of this came the health problems. In just six months his blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose level increased significantly. His doctors deemed his experiment unsafe.
At the end of the six months he weighed 265 pounds and had increased his waist size by fourteen inches.
Manning said the worst part about this experience was how emotionally wounded he had become. He was unhappy, insecure and unsure of himself. He no longer had his “perfect” physique and felt as though he was constantly being judged.
After gaining the weight it was then time to do the hardest part – lose it. Drew reported how difficult it was to transition his dietary habits and overcome the embarrassment he felt going to the gym not to mention, how challenging and tiring it was to actually complete his workouts.
In the final analysis, Drew said that it made him a better, “less judgmental trainer”. He now knows what it is like to have to overcome the obstacles of weight loss and the emotional difficulties overweight people have to deal with everyday. Although it was hard, Drew is the perfect example that a healthy weight is possible if you truly want it enough.
Sources:
Wilson, Jacque. Fitness Trainer Gains and Loses 70 Pounds in One Year – On Purpose. CNN. June 15, 2012.
Ghebremedhin, Sabina. ‘Fit2Fat2Fit’ Author Drew Manning’s Top 5 Weight-Loss Mistakes to Avoid. ABC. June 4, 2012.