There are many diets and many work out programs today. People are always trying to find the best way to be healthy. At times trying to whip yourself into shape can seem impossible. Drew Manning is a personal trainer from Utah and he is going the extra mile to show that you can lose those pesky pounds and eat right. In May he started an unprecedented journey that has gotten worldwide attention. He was tired of hearing that he didn’t know what it was like to be overweight or unhealthy. So, he decided to start the journey of fit to fat to fit. He quit exercising and quit following his strict diet. He started eating without restriction and even let people choose meals they wanted to see him eat. After six months of an unrestricted diet and gaining more than 70 pounds, he has started his journey back to fit. Manning appeared on The Jay Leno Show and Dr. Oz where he shared his experience of exercising and breaking his new addiction to Zingers and Mountain Dew.
Manning has taken the phrase “lead by example” to heart. Rather than sitting on the sidelines coaching people about fitness, he is on the front lines showing them by example that it can be done. He is demonstrating an excellent way to communicate. People can understand more when they are shown rather than told what to do. People of all professions can learn a thing or two about Manning’s message.
I for one am looking forward to seeing him accomplish this goal and see the many people he will inspire. You can follow his journey at http://www.fit2fat2fit.com/.
P.S. Thanks to our long distance intern Jeff Larsen for this post.
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I hate to be a cynic but the one thing wrong with this is that anyone who purposely puts themselves into the position of a person with troubles for a short period of time so they can learn what it’s like is going to learn a very limited amount because they know they have the ability to get out of that situation. It’s like a white person who dyes his skin black to experience racism, or a politician who tries to live on welfare for a month to see what that’s like. They always know the experience is time-durated, so they never really experience the sense of hopelessness that paralyzes people who have lived with long odds for years, if not their whole lives, and have tried numerous times to escape, unsuccessfully. Particularly with this situation, Drew Manning is not going to learn what it’s like to have the health problems of a chronically obese person because it takes a long time for those problems to develop. While I applaud the effort to learn something of what life looks like on the other side of the table, I hope he’s keeping it in the context of knowing he’s experiencing only a small, fleeting taste of what the battle is like for those he wishes to reach.
Thanks for your comments Lynne. And you are totally right. Gaining weight intentionally with the goal of losing it again after a period of time is not the same and gaining weight gradually with no foreseeable turnaround. However, I think that it is a powerful start! Most fitness fanatics and instructors have been involved in sports, outdoor activities and fitness their entire lives and cannot in any way truly empathize with the clients they train. By taking this step, Manning is learning to be better at his job and will be able to better communicate with those he trains because he simply understands them better. This is not the perfect way, but I think it will enrich our understanding of the weight loss process!