Former GLEE star Kevin McHale surprised folks this week as he revealed he’s gone from ‘TV geek’ to gaining pounds of muscle and shedding layers of fat.
In an interview with US Magazine, the 30-year-old says he was struggling with an intestine and digestion issue that left him “constantly in pain.”
After trying several elimination diets, he found his weight ballooning as his confidence began to spiral down.
The actor, who came out earlier this year, eventually found his way to a personal training studio in Los Angeles called Ultimate Performance.
Powering through 4-5 workout sessions a week, McHale found himself transformed in only 12 weeks.
McHale packed on five pounds of muscle, dropped his body fat percentage from 16% to 7.8% and developed a set of washboard abs.
Key to the amazing progress McHale made was having a personal trainer – Eddie – who pushed him past his perceived boundaries in the gym and into results mode.
“Eddie pushed me to the point of failure, conditioning me to be comfortable with that, knowing that I could push myself harder than I thought I could,” said McHale. “And when I couldn’t, he would be there to quite literally take the weight from me.”
And nutrition took on a new focus. In addition to learning to eat a balanced diet of healthy fats, vegetables, complex carbs and proteins, McHale began to keep a food diary, tracking every bite he took.
“I became obsessed with logging my food,” McHale told US. “I’d also be rating my energy, sleep and digestion each day.”
Sundays became “meal prep day” as McHale would take the time to plan for the week ahead, ensuring there would be tasty food at the ready.
Happy with his new physical condition, McHale echoed the sentiments of many who have put in the work to get on the road to better health.
“[Before,] I felt bad about my body,” he shared. “When you’re investing your time and energy into yourself in this way, it changes so much of your life.”
