Trainer Goes from Fab to Flab
(19 posts) (16 voices)-
PrimalJewishAmericanPrincess
MemberIf he did it for his clients, as he claims, he is an idiot that is mocking them. If he did it for PR, genius. People are not heavy because they decide to be, it’s an emotional issue and an ignorance toward healthy eating, and to a lesser degree, genetics. Just because he gained a lot of weight, and will lose it (no doubt with a little lipo if need be), doesn’t mean everyone is able to do that. He doesn’t understand his clients any better. This is akin to me living on the streets for a week and claiming to understand a homeless person. God, this pisses me off.
http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2009/08/20/personal-trainer-fab-flab/
Posted 7 months ago # -
OnTheBayou
MemberMark and the other paleo advocates suggest 80-90% of our weight is determined by our diet, the rest genetics and environment.
I'll buy that.
I was homeless for a summer, 1994. I lived in my van, I called it "Urban Camping." But I had that van, and I had places I could shower, and I had mone for food. Yes, not the true homeless experience, although a glimmer.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Sir Grandma
Membergreat stunt. PJAP, you show a lot of emotion about this. I say what-ever they guy probably wanted to go on a huge bender because he was starving himself to begin with :) Chances are he will succeed in losing the weight and claim that it was easy anyone can do it. Except that is his job and he focuses all of his energy on it. Whereas most people have other things to worry about.
Posted 7 months ago # -
PrimalJewishAmericanPrincess
MemberI show a great deal of emotion about it, because I have long struggled with disordered eating and although the western diet is to blame for obesity, there are a lot of other things that go into account before hand is brought to mouth. I think it is unforgivable that he gained all this weight just to show others how "easy" it is to lose it, nevermind the fact that this is his job. Others work 9-5 and can't spend 8 hours a day in a gym.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Indiscreet
MemberPerhaps it isn't so much that he gained the weight to show them how easy it was to lose it, but more to find out how it felt to be fat. As he said, he acquired a taste for crap foods (and we all know how addictive those nasty refined carbs and grains are) so he can now relate to how difficult it is to kick that habit.
No doubt he will find it a lot easier to get back in shape than the average joe who sits at a desk all day, but at least he will have a little idea of what it's like to be mortal - what it's like to have people look at his body with disgust instead of envy or desire.
I'm just giving him the benefit of the doubt here. I've struggled with eating disorders and self esteem issues too, so I know where you're coming from, PJAP. But as Nick says, a lot of people (mostly men - women tend to be more emotional about food) get fat because they like beer, TV and carbs rather than because they have issues. In a way I think he's quite brave to sacrifice his sixpack and his health to see how the other half lives - though no doubt he'll do a book and a video and make some money out of it. He's not the first to do that - there was a female artist who got fat for art's sake, to see how that felt. You could argue that's even sillier.
Ultimately, there's always two sides to every argument and everyone has their own perspective on things.
Posted 6 months ago # -
I think I'll reserve judgment until I can see the final product. This does look like an interesting project, and may end up providing some very useful insight into the fat lifestyle.
Besides, if he does lose the weight fairly easily, it might inspire some others to get off their tushes and do something.
Posted 6 months ago # -
musajen
MemberI want to know how long he'll live in his overweight body. I think it's a lot easier to lose weight when you were svelte just a year prior compared to losing weight when you have no reference point for what a healthy svelte body feels like. Someone who has always had food issues and always been overweight (at least in their head) doesn't know what it's like to function in a svelte body and is going to have a harder time getting there.
Posted 6 months ago # -
I don't know how it's going now, but in August he was having trouble losing the weight:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=8288934&page=1&page=1Posted 4 months ago # -
bobbylight
Blocked"I wouldn't even put it down to emotion or genetics -- we've had those for millennia. Western diet (i.e. ignorance toward healthy eating) can easily take most of the blame. "
Nick, I would have to disagree with you. I think a lot of people that are obese have issues with their eating. I mean even with the misinformation about diet in the west, everyone still knows that eating fast food is bad for you, but people still do it. And don't kid yourself into thinking that there aren't skinny people eating what the government tells you to eat, because there are.
To be honest I think a lot of it comes down to addiction to food. I know that I am still struggling with this. I have eaten primal for about a month, and I feel great. I have lost weight and I look much better. I have more energy. Basically it just feels great eating healthy. But, I still crave unhealthy foods on a daily basis. I have set out two designated cheat meals during the week that I still go crazy on. But they keep me sane. Soon enough I will cut them to one cheat meal, and then eventually none. But I still think about eating bad food every day. It is quite the addiction. I think that most people that are very overweight share this addiction. It is unfortunate to say the least.
Posted 4 months ago # -
bobbylight
BlockedYes, AuH20girl, I have to agree with you. I went on a diet a couple years ago and about a month into it I stopped craving cheat meals. The diet was far from primal eating a lot of whole wheat wraps and the like, but I did stop craving fast food and things I crave now. Either way it really is a test of mental power. My next cheat meal is this saturday, and after that I am going to only have one cheat meal per week on saturdays. Maybe a few weeks after that I will eliminate a scheduled cheat meal altogether and just eat bad at special occasions such as holidays and family functions where a big meal is served...and even then try to eat as primally as possible in those situations. That is the plan anyway. Honestly, I was addicted to weed and alcohol, and once I stopped those I replaced it with food. I gained about 90 pounds in a year and a half and now I'm just trying to get to healthy weight. I have to say though that the food addiction is much harder than the drug addiction.
Posted 4 months ago # -
JulieD
MemberInteresting. Just a couple of thoughts, from someone still on the weightloss journey:
-Not everyone who is overweight constantly stuffs their mouths all day long to get and stay fat.
-We are not all psychologically damaged and unable to function in the world like "skinny" people. We are not all lazy.I actually felt the guy was sincere in his efforts and likeable. It was probably more of an experiment in just how fast crap food can mess you up than how it feels to be a fat person in the world.
Posted 4 months ago # -
AmyMac703
MemberAnother point that I think needs to be brought up regarding how easy it will be for him to lose weight, is that its pretty common for injured athletes to gain a few pounds while they're recovering because their body has adjusted to their previous level of physical activity and now that's gone. Then, after they recover and get back into their normal workout/training regiment, it doesn't take long for that extra weight to disappear.
I realize that many of you might view this statement as being kind of CW-ish, but that was definitely my experience a while back, FWIW.
I know that's not exactly the case with this dude, but it seems like a similar kind of thing. Also, while it wasn't the case with me, I wouldn't be surprised if some people who normally eat pretty healthy tend to eat less healthy when they're recovering from an injury. Recoveries often involve a lot of stress and pain, and food is an easy thing to turn to to cope with that.Posted 4 months ago # -
I'll be impressed if he can get back to his former condition. I stopped playing sports at 26, then started again at 33 to get back into shape after gaining 30 lbs. I thought I could exercise my way back into shape, but 7 years later I finally know why I couldn't pull that off.
Posted 4 months ago # -
I'm with JulieD on this one. I gained all my weight following a low-fat diet and working out everyday. Jogging, swimming, three meals a day. I still gained 80lbs+.
I've yet to lose them, nor am I pigging out or lazy. I don't have a car, so I walk or ride my bike everywhere. I've seen people thinner than me circling parking lots looking for a closer space.
Posted 4 months ago # -
I dont think he is going to have an easy time getting the weight off, Morgan Spurlock only did it for a month, gained 25lbs, and it took him according to Wiki about 14 months to get back to his normal weight.
Of course everyone is different.Then there is Renee Zellweger, and I its only my own personal opinion, but I think she has an eating disorder because of her choice in film role.
I wouldnt want to speculate about what his intentions were, whether out of compassion for his clients or a publicity/marketing ploy, but I think in the end he will have a pretty good idea what its like to try and get weight off, and it will be harder than he expected.
Posted 4 months ago #
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