Fitness Trainer Gains and Loses 70lbs

Prof X would be proud lol

(CNN) – When Drew Manning stepped out from behind the cardboard cutout of his former fat self on Monday, the audience of “Good Morning America” was appropriately shocked.
The fitness trainer’s journey had come to an end after successfully losing more than 70 pounds – six months after he purposely gained the same amount. “Like it never happened,” host George Stephanopoulos said.
“Kind of,” Manning said. Both Manning and his wife, Lynn, can attest that a lot actually has changed in the past year. While Manning’s body may have returned to its six-pack heydays, his mind, in many ways, has not.
Always a fitness junkie, staying in shape comes naturally for Manning. He’s that guy at the gym the rest of us love to hate, the one who likes to use his biceps for pumping iron instead of changing channels, and who prefers sucking down a spinach shake to indulging in a brownie sundae.
Trainer gains 70 lbs on purpose
Because of that, Manning was a “judgmental” trainer, his wife says. "He would look at someone who was overweight and say, ‘They must really be lazy.’
“I was convinced people used genetics or similar excuses as a crutch,” Manning writes in his new book, “Fit2Fat2Fit.” “You either wanted to be healthy or you didn’t.”
Defining the new male body ideal
That point of view wasn’t helping Manning help his clients. When he failed yet again to push someone over to the light side, he knew something was wrong. In order to better understand the struggles his clients were facing, he had to face them himself.
He gave up the gym and started consuming junk food, fast food and soda. In just six months, he went from 193 pounds with a 34-inch waist to 265 pounds with a 48-inch waist.
Lynn saw the difference in her husband in less time than that. He became lethargic, stopped helping around the house and was less than eager to play with their 2-year-old daughter.
“He was so insecure – saying ‘I’m so fat. I look so horrible,’ constantly complaining about how he looks,” she said.
Manning says he didn’t realize the effects of his weight gain would be more than physical. It altered his relationships and his self-confidence. Returning to the gym after the Fit2Fat portion of his journey made him nervous. The fact that he had to do push-ups on his knees was almost humiliating.
“The biggest thing [I learned] is that it’s not just about the physical. It’s not just about the meal plan and the workouts and those things. The key is the mental and the emotional issues. I realized those issues are real.”
Of course, Manning had his critics. Experts said that his stunt was dangerous. His blood pressure and cholesterol shot up with such dramatic weight gain. But Manning has no regrets. The followers on his website have encouraged him with their own tales of weight loss.
Overheard on CNN.com: Do Americans take enough personal responsibility?
“We see the success stories of people losing all this weight, but it’s more common now,” he says. “To see someone do it in reverse on purpose – it’s mind blowing. A balance of craziness and inspiration.”
Manning suffered through soda deprivation headaches and food cravings on his way back to fit. The journey was easier for him than for most, he’ll admit, but he’s eager now to provide tips for others to follow in his footsteps.
Lynn is just glad to have her husband back, maybe a bit better than he was before. Before Fit2Fat2Fit, the self-described foodie wife would make treats, and Manning wouldn’t even look at them.
“Now he craves them,” she says with a laugh. “It might be cruel, but I like that. I like that he’s humanized.”
Overheard on CNN.com: Fitness trainer’s intentional weight rollercoaster

This is a wee bit old. He didn’t do this to gain “a piece of mind” he did it for his moment of fame and to market his book/website.

I bet his wife didn’t put out much when he became a fatass, thus impacting his self-image and confidence.

70lbs lost would have resulted in loose skin, especially in 6 months, where is it?

[quote]Gogeta4X wrote:
Prof X would be proud lol [/quote]

The guy weighs under 200 pounds now.

Professor X would be contemptuous.

So what? A athletic fit person stops training, puts on weight then drops it?

Bodybuilders, powerlifters, wrestlers, boxers of the past have done this. Athletic fit bodies that have slacked off for a couple of months are going to react different to exercise than a person who has been a couch potato for years.

Why would Prof X be proud of this?

if the guy gained 70lbs and was ripped by dropping 30 THEN Prof X would be proud.

I think some of you need to revise how you see me.

[quote]four60 wrote:
So what? A athletic fit person stops training, puts on weight then drops it?

Bodybuilders, powerlifters, wrestlers, boxers of the past have done this. Athletic fit bodies that have slacked off for a couple of months are going to react different to exercise than a person who has been a couch potato for years. [/quote]

I agree.

Right. Big fucking deal. Bodybuilders do this all the time in the off-season. Check out Lee Priest. He doesn’t look much different than this guy did in his “fatty” phase.

[quote]Professor X wrote:
I think some of you need to revise how you see me.[/quote]

Well, now that your avatar is back to normal maybe they’ll see you more clearly.

What was up with the negative, anyway? Did you want to see what it was like to be white? :stuck_out_tongue:

[quote]… Manning was a “judgmental” trainer, his wife says. "He would look at someone who was overweight and say, ‘They must really be lazy.’
“I was convinced people used genetics or similar excuses as a crutch,” Manning writes in his new book, “Fit2Fat2Fit.” “You either wanted to be healthy or you didn’t.”

Before Fit2Fat2Fit, the self-described foodie wife would make treats, and Manning wouldn’t even look at them.
“Now he craves them,” she says with a laugh. “It might be cruel, but I like that. I like that he’s humanized.”[/quote]
So this guy is pretty much a reverse real-life White Goodman. Neat. Sounds like he was kind of a douchey trainer before.

You know who else knows that? Talented, successful trainers who already understand that there’s a bit more to getting results than saying “Eat this and lift that, don’t eat that, Fatso. Go away, come back next session.”

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

What was up with the negative, anyway? Did you want to see what it was like to be white? :P[/quote]

Yes.

I actually spent years wondering what it would be like to be white.

Visions of getting into concerts for free if they involved an electric guitar and not getting pulled over by cops even if I roll down the street with a lit blunt hanging out the window while getting brain from a university cheerleader ran through my mind for decades.

Then…a camera appeared that could take reverse images.

I swear, I felt so right with the world even my penis shrunk to the size of the average white guy.

I am on cloud nine, bro.

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

What was up with the negative, anyway? Did you want to see what it was like to be white? :P[/quote]

Yes.

I actually spent years wondering what it would be like to be white.

Visions of getting into concerts for free if they involved an electric guitar and not getting pulled over by cops even if I roll down the street with a lit blunt hanging out the window while getting brain from a university cheerleader ran through my mind for decades.

Then…a camera appeared that could take reverse images.

I swear, I felt so right with the world even my penis shrunk to the size of the average white guy.

I am on cloud nine, bro.[/quote]

That’s what I figured. Downside is, it probably didn’t do your dancing ability or fashion sense many favors.

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

What was up with the negative, anyway? Did you want to see what it was like to be white? :P[/quote]

Yes.

I actually spent years wondering what it would be like to be white.

Visions of getting into concerts for free if they involved an electric guitar and not getting pulled over by cops even if I roll down the street with a lit blunt hanging out the window while getting brain from a university cheerleader ran through my mind for decades.
[/quote]