via @the300poundvegan

After dealing with tendonitis early in his NFL career, David Carter knew he needed to make some lifestyle changes—so he went vegan.

Now, the Chicago Bears defensive tackle has to put in a lot of work to keep up with his new lifestyle and ensure he can still play in the NFL.

Carter opened up about his vegan diet to Luke Darby of GQ, revealing that he made the change after he had trouble just getting out of the bathtub. It's a big adjustment for someone who needs to keep his body in playing shape, but the 27-year-old has made the necessary adjustments to make it work.

The vegan diet certainly had an impact on Carter quickly. Within the first month, he lost a whopping 40 pounds and also had his pain disappear. As an NFL lineman, he couldn't afford to lose all of that weight and still be effective on the field. He has since worked himself back up to 300 pounds.

Many professional athletes follow strict diets to keep their bodies strong. Carter is no different, following a strict vegan meal plan.

That works out to about 10,000 calories a day. Not only that, but he puts down "1.2 grams of protein per pound per day."

Carter admitted that there are times in which he would like to skip a meal or snack. However, knowing that he has to keep a certain weight, he makes sure that he follows the meal plan.

The lifestyle change is pretty remarkable. His body was telling him that he needed to make a major shift, so he did. When he realized that his new lifestyle affected his body, he made the proper adjustments to stay in playing shape.

[David Carter, GQ; h/t USA Today's FTW]