Drew Manning is the New York Times bestselling author of FIT2FAT2FIT. He’s also known as the trainer who intentionally gained 75 pounds and then lost it in order to better understand the challenges his overweight clientele faced. Manning is the host of TV show ‘Fit to Fat to Fit’ that starts its second season on Lifetime TV, January 8, two years after the first season premiered on A&E.
Manning’s 60-Day program, The Keto Jumpstart, shows clients how to eat in order to jumpstart their bodies’ furnaces so they’re burning fat 24/7.
Read on to learn more about Manning’s journey with a ketogenic lifestyle and why he thinks having the LEVL device in his weight loss toolbox could have helped him lose those 70 pounds even faster.
How do you think the LEVLhome device can help people better understand their bodies on their journey to lose fat?
With new technology constantly developing, people love being able to track and measure their fitness progress because it adds a level of accountability. With LEVL, I think it’s a unique product with newer technology that allows people to track their acetone levels while following a ketogenic lifestyle. Understanding the right zone to be in allows people to know that they’re in a more optimal fat burning zone.
Do you think you could have lost weight faster on your journey to shed those 75 pounds if you paired a keto diet with the LEVL device?
I definitely think I could’ve lost the weight faster on a keto diet and using a device like LEVL to help out with tracking my ketone levels.
How did you settle on a Keto diet as the way of eating that best serves your fitness and lifestyle goals?
For me, I noticed a huge improvement in mental clarity, digestion, and I love only having to eat once or twice a day while still feeling optimal and having high energy levels.
What makes your Keto Jumpstart program different?
I think there are a lot of misconceptions about how to do keto. A lot of people think it’s just eating bacon, butter, and cheese all day long and thinking you’ll magically lose fat. My 60-day keto program really educates people on a very basic level of how to follow a keto diet the right way. It also includes a 60-day workout program to go along with it for maximum results.
Why is your program 60 days?
Once you become educated on keto you need to understand that it takes most people time to become keto adapted. For some people that can be as soon as 2 to 4 weeks, but for others it’s longer. The longer you are in ketosis, the more time your body has to adjust to using ketones efficiently as a fuel source. I made my program 60 days so that most people would see the maximum results while becoming keto adapted.
What are some results a follower of your Keto Jumpstart who’s following the meals and workouts can expect after two weeks? 30 days? 45 days? 60 days?
After two weeks they should be done with the dreaded “keto flu” [people report feelings of tiredness, fatigue, stomach pains, and dizziness] and start to feel a big improvement in their mental clarity. They should also notice a bit of a drop in weight (although it’s mostly water weight at first). After 30 days, their body fat drop should be noticeable and they should start to feel more consistent energy throughout the day. After 45 days, their sleep should improve as well as their skin and digestion. After 60 days, it should be a complete transformation for most people, not just physically but emotionally as well. Their relationship with food is so much healthier and their cravings should be a lot more manageable as they should be pretty much fully keto adapted at this point.
What can you tell us about the new season of the show Fit to Fat to Fit?
The latest season of Fit to Fat to Fit airs January 8th on Lifetime TV at 6 p.m. ET and all episodes will be released that night. That way you can binge watch the entire season all in one evening. Also, the clients this year are relatives of the trainers, which adds a whole other level of drama to the show.
Do you have a number-one tip for trainers (especially if they’ve never had a weight problem) to better understand their overweight clients without going to these extreme measures?
The first thing I would say is to listen to understand instead of listen to respond. Secondly, it’s important to remember that no one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. Having the knowledge is great, but to truly connect with your clients they need to know how much you care about them…and that’s where empathy plays such an important part in all of this.