From fit to fat ... Trainer piles on the pounds 'to identify with his overweight clients'

From fit to fat ... Trainer piles on the pounds 'to identify with his overweight clients'

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 3:44 PM on 24th February 2009

A fitness trainer and former model has swapped his six-pack for a paunch - in a bid to understand his overweight gym clients.

Paul 'PJ' James, whose buff body once graced the Milan catwalk, is now halfway to reaching his goal of weighing 20st following a bizarre New Year's resolution.

Having started from a healthy 12 and a half stone, he has already reached 15 and a half stone.


Guts: Fitness trainer PJ James has been stuffing himself with carbohydrates to produce his current paunchy figure - a far cry from his previous look, right

'I was finding it difficult to relate to my overweight gym members so I have decided to crank up my weight to experience life as an overweight person,' said the 32-year-old, who trains at a gym in Melbourne.

After an inaugural meal of four doner kebabs, the Australian trainer has stopped his daily routine of exercise and is fattening himself up on a carbohydrate-heavy diet which includes pasta, cream sauces and chocolate.

The former teetotaler now drinks a couple of beers every night to help gain weight.

He hopes to hit 20st by the end of March.

He then aims to spend the following three months at the same weight, to show overweight people that it can be done.

Finally, he plans to resume exercise so that he will be back to his former trim self by October.

'I have always been telling my clients who have come through the gym's doors that weight loss shouldn't be difficult, but it has reached the point where I can't relate and by doing this it should make me a better personal trainer,' he said.

Doctors in this country though have pointed out the dangers of such rapid weight gain and loss.

'Weight gain of this kind could cause Mr James to get visceral fat around his organs such as his heart and liver, increasing the dangers of diabetes and high blood pressure,' says Dr Matt Capehorn of the National Obesity Forum.

'Also, he could find his skin stretching when he loses his weight, which often happens in cases such as this.'

A physician is conducting weekly checks to monitor James's health during the stunt.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1154022/From-fit-fat---Trainer-piles-pounds-identify-overweight-clients.html