There was a time when a 300-pound player would have been considered too tubby for football.
In today’s game though, anything much less makes an aspiring pro look too runty for the NFL.
Some players, especially offensive linemen and defensive tackles, gorge on tubs of ice cream, entire pizzas, burritos and burgers to keep their playing weights up.
The added pounds come with added health risks. One 2005 survey found that linemen were more than twice as likely to die before age 50 than players in other positions.
After retiring from football, some players have trouble curbing their eating habits and their weight balloons.
Some find strategies to change their habits and shed major weight though – in some cases within months, in others over decades.
Here are 15 NFL players who have lost major weight since retirement, and the surprising array of strategies they used to shed the pounds.
Damien Woody: The 320-pound offensive lineman played for the Lions, Patriots, and Jets. After retiring at hitting 388lbs, Woody went on Season 16 of The Biggest Loser and lost 110 pounds
David Pollack: The 260-pound linebacker last played for the Bengals in 2006. Pollack has slimmed down to 220 pounds, crediting simple portion control
Mark Schlereth: The 290-pound offensive lineman played for Washington and Denver. He retired in 200 and has slimmed down considerably for his current job as a sports commentator, using a low-carb diet approach
Matt Birk: The 310-pound center played for the Vikings and Ravens, and retired in 2012. Birk lost 75 pounds after joining Body By ViSalus, and now models for the diet/fitness company
Tom Nalen: A 290-pound center for the Denver Broncos who last played in 2007. Nalen dropped significant weight after retiring and credited exercise
JaMarcus Russell: The Oakland Raiders quarterback from 2007 to 2009 struggled with weight issues annually. He dropped 51 pounds for an attempted comeback in 2013, but was not signed by any team
Nate Newton: The Cowboys offensive lineman played for 14 years, but weight issues nearly caused him to be released. After topping 400 pounds in retirement, Newton underwent a vertical gastrectomy surgery and dropped down to 220lbs
Roger Brown: The Lions defensive lineman played in the 1960s and was the first player over 300lbs to get regular playing time. He topped 450lbs in retirement before a health scare, and has slimmed down to 227lbs
Antone Davis: The offensive tackle for the Eagles and Falcons was 330lbs when he retired in 1997. After hitting 450lbs in retirement, Davis appeared on The Biggest Loser and shed 200lbs
Jordan Gross: The 300lbs offensive lineman played for the Panthers for a decade, when he’d eat a whole supreme pizza for dinner to maintain his weight. Just seven months after he retired in 2013, he dropped 70lbs. He said he didn’t go on a special diet, but just switched to a sensible diet and continued to keep up an exercise regimen
Jeff Saturday: The 295-pound Colts center retired after the 2012 season. Saturday now weighs 238 pounds and runs a program to help former players learn about healthy lifestyles
Nick Hardwick: The 300-pound Chargers center retired after the 2014 season. He used calorie restriction, intermittent fasting and yoga to drop 85 pounds in less than five months after he retired
Alan Faneca: The 320-pound offensive lineman played for the Steelers, Jets, and Cardinals. Faneca retired in 2010 and dropped 105 pounds, running his first marathon in 2014
Brad Culpepper: The Buccaneers defensive tackle inflated his weight up to 280 pounds before retiring in 2000. He lost almost 100 pounds and appeared on Survivor with his wife
LenDale White: The Titans running back hit 260 pounds prior to his last season in 2009. He showed up for training camp 30 pounds lighter, saying he simply stopped drinking tequila