Drew Manning is an Author and Personal Trainer/Fitness Coach that has been through quite the journey! We were lucky enough to get the details of this journey in an interview with him, and we were totally blown away by what he was able to do.
But first, a little backstory on Mr. Manning...
Drew grew up in a very large family of 11 brothers and sisters. His whole life he had been in shape and played sports, so having a shredded physique and being active came very naturally to him. In the early days as a part time personal trainer, Drew couldn't understand why some of his overweight clients just could not get themselves to make the necessary lifestyle changes to lose weight and get in shape.
For Drew Manning, things had always been extremely black and white when it came to fitness: eat healthy and exercise regularly...how hard can it be?!?!
Then one day, after several clients had told him he just couldn't understand their situation because he'd always been in shape his whole life, Drew got an idea....get fat on purpose, then shed all the weight to prove a point! He would also document his entire journey so people could see what he did. He was determined to understand his client's model of the world.
On his journey, Drew decided not to go the Morgan Spurlock route and just eat fast food. He chose to consume an average American diet full of white bread, white pasta, chips, cookies, crackers, granola bars, sugary cereals, sodas and the like for a period of 6 months and do absolutely no exercise during this experiment. He gained 75lbs. All by simply eating about 5,000 calories of processed crap every day, a typical diet that plagues so many Americans.
Drew was prepared for the physical changes that would take place during this six month period of eating processed, unhealthy foods, but what he wasn't prepared for was the mental and emotional side effects. Drew found himself feeling judged going out in public, wearing loose fitting clothing, covering himself quickly when stepping out of the shower so his wife couldn't see his body, and battling an overall feeling of low self-esteem on a daily basis.
Drew admits the feeling of low self-esteem was the most difficult part of the experiment by far, as well as the most humbling part of it.
Drew now understood the plight of many of his clients. After the six month experiment, it was now time for the climb back to health and wellness...and the first two weeks was total HELL, Drew told us. He went cold turkey from consuming 5,000 calories of processed foods to 2,000 calories of clean, whole foods.
The first two weeks of this was incredibly difficult for him. However, he battled through and over a period of a few months got himself back into the same physical shape he was in before he started this journey: totally ripped and shredded.
He had proved his point, but also learned many valuable life lessons along the way.
Drew Manning is a true testament of our philosophy of "Learn It, Live It, Give It"! Learn what it takes to live the life of your dreams, turn that knowledge into action, and find a way to pay the results forward.
- Cheat clean! Find healthy alternatives to your favorite sugar-filled desserts and treats that give your body the same feelings.
- When you feel stuck on your journey towards a healthy lifestyle, make sure you develop some accountability and a positive support system. Create a blog to document your journey for all to see. Start a Facebook group and invite people to join and hold each other accountable.
See the full interview with Drew Manning here: Drew's Journey to Gain & Lose 75 Pounds On Purpose.
You can find Drew's Book, Fit2Fat2Fit: The Unexpected Lessons From Gaining and Losing 75lbs On Purpose here. You can also find him online at www.fit2fat2fit.com as well as on social media.