AP

Colin Kaepernick is obviously skinnier now than he was during his best years as the 49ers’ starting quarterback, but in August he claimed he hadn’t lost weight. Now he admits he has, and admits he needs to get bigger and stronger.

“I think it’s the fact that my weight isn’t where it was,” Kaepernick said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “My strength is still growing, developing. But, once again, I’m always going to be prepared. Always ready to put it on the line for this team.”

Kaepernick said his plan is to “Eat food. And a lot of it.” He did not say what kind of food, but he has said in the past that he became a vegan during the 2015 season. Because vegan diets tend to be low in protein, it can be hard to maintain the kind of muscle mass an NFL player needs while staying strictly vegan. (Former NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez briefly went vegan during his playing career but then went back to eating meat because of the loss of muscle mass.)

Although Kaepernick believes he’s ready to play as soon as he’s called upon, 49ers coach Chip Kelly — who obsessively monitors his players’ physical preparedness — has said Kaepernick still needs to add muscle mass to be as effective as he once was. Until Kelly sees Kaepernick do that, Blaine Gabbert will remain the 49ers’ starter.