Fitness Trainer Ballooning to Obesity - On Purpose

by Bev Sklar (Subscribe to Bev Sklar's posts)
Mar 3rd 2009 4:00PM

Trainers can try to understand their obese clients or they can take it a step further like 32-year-old Aussie trainer and underwear model, Paul James. In an attempt to empathize and eventually inspire his chunky clients toward a slimmer future, James is on his way to packing on 85 pounds to reach a 265-pound target weight by the end of March. He'll then gym-fight his way back down to his 180-pound starting weight. At least he's hoping he will.

James has bulged his belly with deep-fried chocolate bars and creamy pastas, catapulting him into his fat-pants-of-choice -- second-hand track pants. With the extra flab, his blood pressure has risen a bit, he's sluggish and finding it difficult to motivate. Obesity is not kind. Weird and wacky to me, I would never consider gaining that kind of weight ... unless it involved a million-dollar role in a movie. Even then, maybe not. Battling back after two 35-pound-plus pregnancy gains was humbling enough.

If you were a trainer, would you be willing to commit to a Slim-Obesity-Slim Challenge to help your clients?

Check out the gallery below to see celebs who have gained and shed serious pounds, just like Paul.

Top Celebrity Yo-Yo Dieters

By Gabrielle Linzer and Allison Bond

Photos of a heavy-set Kelly Clarkson taking the stage at KIIS FM's Wango Tango concert this weekend show that she may have backed off of her weight-loss program from earlier this year. In January, Clarkson debuted a slimmer physique in her video for the single, "My Life Would Suck Without You." By working out a few days a week and making diet changes to get in shape for the March 17 release of her new album, Clarkson reportedly lost 20 pounds, according to OK! Magazine. However, noticeable weight gain from a March 11 American Idol performance, coupled with recent concert photos show that Clarkson may have fallen off the wagon.

To squeeze into those famous Daisy Dukes, Jessica Simpson endured two months of dieting and sweat-dripping workouts, according to People. Hitting the gym with trainer Michael Alexander and sticking to a South Beach-style diet paid off--Simpson looked lean and strong for her acting debut. But the once-slender star was recently seen looking noticeably curvier while performing at a chili cookoff in Florida.

Rick Diamond, WireImage.com

Sandra Bullock has admitted that obsessing over junk food drove her to overeat and then compensate for it with crash diets when she was younger. After Bullock wed husband Jesse James in July 2006, she gained again, leading to speculation that she was pregnant. Tired of combating baby-bump rumors, Bullock vowed to escape the frustrating cycle of weight gain and dieting. One thing that helped her was changing her meal staples from pizza and Diet Coke to lean meats and veggies.

Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images | Rabbani and Solimene Photography, WireImage.com

Known for his "Gladiator" physique, Russell Crowe is not your average yo-yo dieter. Despite his reputation, Crowe packed on 63 pounds for his upcoming role in Body of Lies, according to "People." Crowe may be accustomed to looking a bit more toned than the flabby CIA veteran he morphs into for the role, but that isn't to say he didn't enjoy earning his paunch. We hear from PopEater that he joked, ""I'll have that cheeseburger for breakfast, thank you!" No word on how Crowe plans on thinning out yet, but if he plans on redeeming his sex-symbol status, he'll need to cut the burgers and pump some iron.

Lucy Nicholson, AFP/Getty Images | Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

Early in her career, Jennifer Love Hewitt was known for her curves and slim waist. More recently, however, she filled out due to a lapse in healthy eating and steady exercise, according to iFitandHealthy.com. Overwhelmed with "photographers taking invasive pictures from bad angles," according to ABC News, Hewitt responded to criticism, claiming that she was comfortable in her skin. Soon after, however, ABC News points out that Hewitt dropped almost 20 pounds to "boost her energy." We hear from iFitandHealthy.com that Hewitt adhered to the calorie shifting diet, where you "confuse your metabolism by up-shifting and/or down-shifting into different calorie ranges, which may help your body burn more calories."

SGranitz, WireImage | Splash News

Although she vehemently denied having an eating disorder, Nicole Richie's weight has fluctuated between thin and absolutely gaunt in recent years. She dropped to 90 pounds in fall 2006, which according to "People," was due to an inability to gain weight. When Richie became pregnant, she apparently focused on gaining weight for her baby, while also maintaining a light gym routine, but her quick transition back into her pre-baby body after she gave birth reportedly left fans worried. In the past Richie has blamed her dramatic weight loss on stress, so maybe that's the reason she lost so easily this time, too.

Jean-Paul Aussenard, WireImage | Jeffrey Mayer, WireImage

Best known for his role as Chandler on "Friends," Matthew Perry's weight has ballooned and deflated in relation to his reported numerous addictions, including painkillers and alcohol. According to "People," after Season 6 of "Friends" Perry dropped down to 145 pounds during a particularly rough period due to pancreatitis induced by "hard living and drinking hard and eating poorly." This resulted in a rehab stint at L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Since his brief stay, his weight continued to fluctuate. Some of his weight gain can be attributed to recovery from addiction, while his periods of athleticism occurred when the former junior tennis champion "returned to the court and hired a personal trainer," according to "People."

When Britney Spears shimmied onto the music scene with her scandalous schoolgirl outfit at age 16, her stomach was flat as a washboard, and the rest of her body was youthfully fit. But after two babies, some said Britney wasn't looking too hot. To undo the toxic effects of hard living, we hear that she enlisted a personal trainer and got back on the dance floor. According to "OK!" Britney was so serious about getting into shape that she even cut back on her beloved Starbucks Frappuccinos!

eZuma.com | Kevin Mazur, WireImage.com

Far from his fit disco days in Saturday Night Fever, John Travolta's weight has swung up and down in recent years as a result of diverse movie roles and personal habits. According to the BBC, in 2001 Travolta upped his exercise routine to lose 25 pounds for Swordfish. The intense workouts, which included yoga and boxing according to AskMen.com, must not have lasted, as Travolta looked pleasantly plump during a shirtless romp in his 2007 film Wild Hogs. According to reports from the Daily Mail, Travolta claimed that "Life is too short to diet constantly" and declared an intense love of food -- both of which go far in explaining his yo-yoing.

AP | Jim Spellman, WireImage

Christian Bale worked out like a maniac while doing both intensive cardio and weight-training sessions for his brutal role in 2000's American Psycho. Four years later, he dropped a reported 63 pounds, by eating only an apple and a can of tuna every day, to play a skeletal drug addict in The Machinist.

Lions Gate Films | Paramount Classics

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Comments (13)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Melinda 3-03-2009 @ 6:48PM

The thing that upsets me about this guy is that you never "understand" obesity from eating cheeseburgers. So he's going to stuff himself full, but the emotional connections to food, and the deep rooted feelings will never be had. I don't think it's motivation, I think its stupidity and extremely harmful to his heart. Obese people don't gain weight in a month, it's packed on over a lifetime of emotional or mindless eating. Period.

Sarah 3-03-2009 @ 9:06PM

Well said. Exactly what I thought too. The fact that he could do this at all just highlights the fact that he does not have a complicated relationship with food that many overweight people have.

Bev Sklar 3-04-2009 @ 12:04AM

Melinda,

You make a good point. He's experiencing the physical baggage of obesity, and perhaps even the emotional toll of carrying that extra weight around, but what does this stunt have to do with understanding longtime habits/emotions surrounding overeating and lack of exercise? Beyond wondering whether his abs will return, I'll be most curious to hear his perspective after he's spent considerable time trying to lose the weight. Still, it's only the experience of someone overcoming momentary obesity.
Bev

Jessica 3-05-2009 @ 12:28AM

I agree. This guy means well but hes a fucking idiot. An obese person has the mind set of an obese person- not someone who's always been fit gain weight and then loose it just to prove that "fat ppl you can too!" Honestly, most obese to morbidly obese people have been over weight since birth or a very young age...that means years of over eating, lack of exercise, and LETS NOT FORGOT phycological damage/ baggage from being emotionally and physically abused by the society that damns them. Being obese is a body, mind and soul thing...just "getting on a tread mill and putting down the donuts" isn't the answer and any one who has been severely over weight knows this.... so someone gaining weight over a few months then burning off the fat that didn't really have time to settle and stick to the body isn't moving any mountains like a person who has been obese their entire life and has become accustomed to it.

I'm sure this trainer means well, and I must give 'em credit too! What person that dedicates their life to fitness ( or any slim person thats always been on the slender side) put on weight to see how it feels to be obese and also to help motivate the obese to drop the weight? I can't think of one, so kudos to you buddy with the noble intentions- you clearly mean well. HOWEVER your results will have a screwed point of view and you'll be farther way from helping someone lose weight. Its sad, I bet that this is how we get most of our health statistic.... FROM BACKWARDS ASS STUDIES LIKE THIS ONE!
.

Mabel 3-03-2009 @ 9:04PM

just one word to comment: stupid....

http://www.idolreplicas.info

Donna 3-03-2009 @ 9:44PM

That is one of the craziest things I have ever heard.
http://www.fabulousafterforty.com

Any-Wayz 3-04-2009 @ 10:59PM

he shouldnt have done that to himself he should know what could have happened with rappid weight gain like that.

trainer 3-04-2009 @ 11:11PM

He's failing to take into account the difficulty many people have losing weight when their bodies are "set" at a certain weight for so long. Whether it's losing or gaining--if your body is used to a particular weight, it will naturally work to maintain that weight however possible. So by gaining 80+ pounds, his body's natural reaction will be to work overtime to lose the weight again, and he will lose it much easier than someone with longtime weight issues. In addition, his body will already be accustomed to regular workouts, and beginning an intense exercise regime will be far easier for him than people with real obesity issues. Not to mention the fact that he won't share the same emotional issues, as mentioned above. In my opinion, this will only serve to make those who can't lose the weight as quickly as he can even more discouraged. He seems to be trying to prove that "it's easy" to lose weight, so why doesn't everyone just do it? This is quite self-serving and counterproductive.

Jayne 3-05-2009 @ 1:09AM

I so agree with Melinda. I don't think you need to be obese to understand that it is healthier to eat right.

I was obese as a kid and I know I would stop going to a trainer who tried to be fat so he could better understand his clients. It feels condescending in addition to being pure stupidity!

I lost 20 pounds recently by going to Weight Watchers and getting off my butt and walking more. I strive
to eat healthy and lead by example for my daughters. I eat fitflax
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Intraining 3-05-2009 @ 2:59AM

I totally agree with Melinda here.
I was on the other end with an eating disorder. It's still mental and painful to have people point and whisper. My Sister's are both morbidly obese and I see what they go through too and it's sad and it hurts me too. I'm 5'7" and I was below 100 pounds...I hate to even think back to that time! What people don't know is that my eating disorder was starvation and that came about because, with my stress, I just didn't eat. People would tell me I was...lucky? No, I was not. I was not healthy and I ended up with an abnormal heartbeat and horrible anxiety attacks that I still have. When the doctor's told us our daughter was going to die, the only thing I knew to do was not to eat.

Nobody is perfect and never will be. This specific trainer needs to understand that too. It's not only about food either. If I were his client, at a "normal" or over/under weight I would feel totally turned off and insulted by what he is doing. I train now in a boxing ring and I love it. That's me...not for everyone though. I'm at the weight that I need to be and I'm at the point where I am maintaining it now. I had to be broken down before I had to be built up again and I was willing to handle that, as difficult as it was, and it was a choice I needed to make when I was READY. I would NOT be willing to be insulted by my trainer if he told me he was gaining weight for his clients that needed to lose their weight. It's just not right...in my opinion.

rxnxt 3-06-2009 @ 10:17AM

The upside of being obese is that if you are you are now in the majority. With over 60% of adults overweight, we now ridicule models and actresses who are "too thin." There are far more health related issues associated with obesity than being underweight. The ideal weight? Probably the weight that you would feel comfortable walking around naked. Life causes people's weight to fluctuate whether they are in Hollywood or not. We spend a fortune on looking good, clothing, makeup, cars, etc. I can tell you that the easiest and cheapest way to look good is to lose weight. Lookin' good is well worth the effort. I lost 47 pounds in 6 weeks using the Rapidthin diet at www.rapidthin.com. Good luck to all. Use what works for you.

Shauna 3-22-2009 @ 1:40PM

I completely agree with Melinda! This guy is totally risking his health and will still never understand the issues people struggle with regarding food addiction and obesity.

This seems like a bad publicity stunt and it will probably just backfire. Anyone in the health and fitness industry should be smart enough to understand the risks involved with consuming the type of diet he is subjecting himself to.

What kind of a terrible example is he setting? Is this stunt supposed to be funny? As a personal trainer/nutritional consultant myself, I try to be as understanding and supportive as possible with my clients that struggle with obesity. I suffered with bulimia as a teenager and I understand food addiction and emotional eating and how incredibly difficult it is to overcome.

It sounds to me like this guy needs some lessons in how to be compassionate and it wouldn't hurt if he did some research on the causes of heart disease, stroke, cancer and all of the other health risks involved with this ridiculous scheme.

I'm sure his potential clients are smart enough to realize this guy has no business training people or working in the health and fitness industry at all!

Shauna Weiss

http:www.healthy-womans-diet.com