Back in 2011, Chris took his fitness to the next level. To get in shape for his roles as a Navy SEAL in “Zero Dark Thirty” and a major-league baseball player in “Moneyball,” he started intermittent fasting and focused on eating lean proteins. He ended up losing around 60 pounds, dropping from 245 pounds to 185 pounds.
Chris’s journey is a great reminder that with dedication and the right approach, you can achieve some pretty amazing results.
If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, the timeline can seem daunting. However, with consistency—just as Pratt demonstrated—you can achieve substantial weight loss in a relatively short period. Over 26 weeks (6 months), losing 60 pounds translates to an average of 2.3 pounds per week.
Admittedly, this is an aggressive weight loss program, but it can be done – and at OTN we have personally seen many normal people having similar results with a personalised plan.
Yes, by having a strategy that works down to the specifics of you and maintaining the appropriate caloric deficit, you can make a dramatic difference to your appearance a lot more quickly than you think.
6 months and an entire new wardrobe later, Pratt demonstrated just how true this can be.
Your Experience of Life Is Better When You’re In Shape
As Chris Pratt puts it, life got way more fun once he got in shape:
I have more energy. I sleep better. My sex drive is up. Blood’s flowing. I’m less impulsive. I’m in a different mode.
It’s hard to find a better endorsement for getting fit than that. Pratt, who’s experienced both being out of shape and getting superhero-fit in a relatively short time, knows first-hand how awesome it feels.
When you’re in shape, life just seems more enjoyable. You see the world with fresh eyes, like Pratt does: “When you get in shape, the world around you becomes things you want to jump on and climb on.”
But here’s the thing: training without a plan can lead to some pretty rough results. Pratt learned this the hard way when he was preparing for his role as a Navy SEAL in “Zero Dark Thirty.” He pushed himself too hard, doing 500 push-ups a day, running five miles, and eating too little. It ended up with him needing shoulder surgery and feeling terrible because he didn’t have the right guidance.
So yeah, working out hard is great, but without a solid plan and proper coaching, it can actually be harmful. You can work hard, with considerable levels of intensity, and still fail to get results if you are not following sensible protocols because you’re just putting yourself in a position of weight cycling.
For “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Chris Pratt took a more organised approach. He lost fat and built muscle without getting injured or burnt out.
So, here’s what you need to know to get started:
1. You Don’t Need to Work Out for Hours Each Day
We’ve talked about the cool results, but let’s clear up a common myth. Chris Pratt once mentioned that he worked out “three or four hours a day of just consistent, ass-kicking hard work.”
Hearing that might make you think getting in shape like Pratt is totally out of reach, especially since most of us don’t have 3 to 4 hours a day to spend at the gym.
But here’s the truth: You don’t need to work out for hours each day to get in great shape. Pratt might have been hitting the gym for that long, but it’s not necessary. In fact, you would see results quicker and more efficiently working out only 3 – 4 days a week, 1 hour each time, to build a body like this.
So, don’t buy into the myth that you need endless gym time to get fit. There are plenty of people that do it in a fraction of that time, by following smart workout routines.
2. You Don’t Need to Only Be Eating Clean Foods
There is a lot of hype about clean eating lately.
And let me be the first to say that there is nothing wrong with trying to make a focus on eating predominately healthy foods.
We hear this myth all the time – that the amount of weight you’ll gain or lose is somehow dependent on the specific foods that you eat.
That’s totally not true; the reality is way more flexible.
Chris Pratt, like many people, thought his success was all about eating “the right” foods. He even mentioned cutting out hash browns, burgers, and anything fried, saying, “You can’t have carbs.”
Pratt could have eaten a totally different mix of foods and still got the same results, as long as he managed his calories and nutrients correctly. His Paleo diet wasn’t the magic trick; he could have eaten carbs and still been in great shape.
3. Are Transformations Like Pratt’s Possible For Normal People?
Definitely! If you have the right knowledge and a solid plan, you can achieve amazing results just like Pratt. It’s all about having a personalised plan, sticking to your macros, and not constantly jumping from one thing to another until something finally works.
“Some might argue, ‘It’s easier to get in shape when you’re focused on it full-time, like people in prison who get ripped because they have nothing else to do.’”
It’s common for people to look at transformations like Pratt’s and think they’re unfair or out of reach. Some even suspect celebrities like him of using steroids, believing that such impressive results aren’t possible without them.
Others seem to feel that it is somehow absurdly expensive to get into Pratt-level shape, requiring teams of celebrity trainers and nutritionists that accurately analyse and dictate your every action.
The truth, however, is that building a body like this doesn’t require lots of money, time or even steroids.
Yes, it requires some time, money and effort, but not nearly as much time as many of these people think.
At the end of the day, these celebrity weight loss stories can unfortunately make getting into great shape seem out of reach.
Most people don’t have the money, the time, or the connections that these actors have.
Thankfully, you don’t need any of these things. Not a single one.
Again, I’ll emphasise once more that you can build a body like this by spending very little money, working out a few hours each week, and following a flexible diet that doesn’t require you to avoid carbs or any other foods. And this may go without saying but the reason we have this perception of reaching this goal is due to the amount of misinformation, trying various different diets and workout plans and none of them seem to be working or they are just extremely unrealistic.
So, in closing, while there are many useful and inspiring lessons that we can take away from Pratt’s body transformation, it is important to not to be pulled in by some of the popular myths that stories like this help to propagate.
Yes, without a doubt with the proper workout and nutrition plan, you too can get into amazing shape – without having to spend hours in the gym, give up your favourite foods, or have the resources of a Hollywood leading man.
