How personal trainer made himself obese... to understand what being fat feels like



His round, wobbling stomach signals morbid obesity - but just six months ago, part-time personal trainer Drew Manning's body was rippled, honed and toned to impressively fit proportions.



The fitness fanatic-turned-flabby father has taken on the challenge of gaining around 80lbs over six months with the express intention of losing the weight over the following six months.

With just two and a half weeks to go until his weight loss phase begins, Mr Manning has ballooned from 193lbs to 263.3lbs - requiring a whole new wardrobe, reserves of mental strength and the support of a very long-suffering wife.



Before and after: Drew Manning has gone from 193lbs in May, left, to 263.6lbs this week, right, to understand what being fat and subsequently losing weight feels like



'People that are overweight have to overcome both physical and emotional barriers when it comes to losing weight. I hope to have a better understanding of this through my experience over the next year,' writes Mr Manning on his site, fit2fat2fit.com.

The father of two young girls says that he also hopes to use the unusual experience to 'gain an understanding of how hard it really is to be overweight... It’ll give me a small window of the physical and emotional issues that come with being overweight.'

Week 8: By eating badly, relaxing and not following his usual active routine, Mr Manning has piled on the pounds - and has grown increasingly bad-tempered, depressed, high blood-pressured and self-conscious to boot



Week 12: The father of two has been monitored by doctors throughout - his blood pressure has gone through the roof while his testosterone levels have plummeted

Part of his weekly pound-piling regimen is to complete a food challenge as voted for by the public.

The current online poll asks: 'Which old food challenge should I revisit this week?'



Votes so far place the stomach-churning 'Fuddrucker's Challenge (1lb burger, 1lb of cheese fries, and a large brownie sundae)' in first place, with 67 per cent of the 443 votes. It streaks ahead of 'Pancakes of Love (As many pancakes as I can eat)' and 'Corndog chowdown (As many corndogs as I can eat).'



It's all a far cry from the trainer and surgical technician's usual routine of healthy eating and five one hour workouts each week.



Rather than an addiction to the gym, Mr Manning's wife Lynn told MailOnline that her husband enjoys making the most of the outdoors where they live, hiking, skiing and mountain biking. He also eats a low-fat, balanced diet - which he believes is the biggest part of staying fit and healthy.

Week 16: Mr Manning's wife Lynn has seen the hardest sides of his transformation and has been shocked by the emotional toll. She is counting down the days until his weight loss phase begins on November 5



Week 20: Front and side shots of Mr Manning show his extreme weight gain. He will begin a strict exercise and diet regime in November and had admitted he is scared of fighting his new food addictions



Mr Manning has documented the emotional and physical journey so far on his blog.



On October 12, he recalled playing with his 2-year-old daughter in the kitchen, running around. 'After 15 “laps” around the kitchen, I was winded and my chafing (TMI anyone?) had started to become a problem... In truth, I can’t really say I’ve been truly depressed so far during this crazy journey. I’ve had moments of sadness, self-consciousness, or lack of confidence, but I can’t say I’ve been near to shedding tears. Until now...'



Tipping scales: After just a week, the fitness freak had started to pile on pounds

He says that the toll of the extra pounds is affecting his job as a father and his relationship with his wife. He is less confident, more emotional, more self-conscious and his testosterone level has plummeted to lower than that of a prepubescent teenage boy. He has had to buy several sets of new clothes to account for his new size.



While friends have been supportive, if a little worried, his wife has seen the worse sides of the transportation.

'It's been really hard' she said. 'We were pretty surprised at all the emotional and physiological changes.

' He used to help with washing the dishes, cleaning and chores, but now he doesn't have the energy to. I told him "You've turned into the average lazy American husband."'



Throughout the experiment, Mr Manning has been constantly monitored by doctors. 'They're worried about his blood pressure, which has gone through the roof. They want to put him on medication,' his wife said.



'He's grumpy, he has no endorphins, he's constantly miserable - the hardest part for me is that he's so depressed, he's constantly complaining - he's jealous of me because I get to work out. I tell him I'm sick of him putting himself down the whole time.



'Doctors are worried about his blood pressure, which has gone through the roof. They want to put him on medication'

'It's a state of mind - people who have confidence are more attractive and his confidence levels have gone way down.'



For his part, Mr Manning feels much the same way.

'I’m not going to lie' he writes on his blog. 'With less then a month left, I am relieved and a little scared. Part of me fears it will be hard to curb some of my addictions (I keep a bottle of Mountain Dew and a bag of Captain Crunch under the bed.) I guess I’m just sick of feeling like a different person. I want the old Drew back.'



On November 5, the focus shifts to losing weight - and Mr Manning will begin the hard task of shedding the weight. He will publish a healthy eating plan and exercise routine with the aim of encouraging thousands of Americans to join him in the challenge.



' He feels everyone can become more medically healthy if they follow his plan,' Mrs Manning, who is counting down the days until the old Drew is back, said.

