It’s another week of weight loss fun with Fit to Fat to Fit, and this week we meet Alex, a trainer from LA, and Geoff, a businessman looking to lose significant weight before his wedding. Alex is convinced that the majority of overweight Americans “don’t care” and that obese people “lack discipline.”  It is his mission to gain 60 pounds in four months so that he can learn things that will help him be a better trainer later, and (oh yeah) help Geoff lose weight too.

At first I was pretty startled to hear Alex use words like “selfish” and “irresponsible” to describe obese people. It soon became clear, though, that he’s an exercise monster, one who has set some pretty stringent rules upon himself that he projects on to others. His vocabulary matches perfectly with his belief system.

Four months before the real weight loss begins, Alex pays a visit to Geoff to let him know about his weight gain plans. Geoff is a 28 year old man who loves food. He used to be in shape when he was in high school and played basketball but over the years with the help of a sedentary job and love of food his weight steadily increased. Turns out that Geoff has a seriously lovely fiancée for whom he would really like to lose weight. Kat, in turn, lets us know that although Geoff doesn’t discuss weight issues with her very much, she is really worried about his health: ditto for Geoff’s mom. 

This has all undoubtedly led to him joining Fit to Fat to Fit.

Geoff is mostly concerned that Alex just won’t understand him and that he’ll just be an asshole that would be terrible to work with. Alex arrives soon after this revelation and meets Geoff for the first time. Alex is immediately convinced that Geoff will be a “hard guy to change,” and he lets Geoff know of his weight gain plans, leaving Geoff looking stunned and a little scared. Stuff just got real. The guys plan to meet up again four months down the road for the weight loss portion of Fit to Fat to Fit.

Soon we are witness to the complete health downfall of Alex. His starting weight is 165 lbs. and his goal is to get to 225 pounds in four months. He bemoans the journey he has to take (while beginning to understand how people might get addicted to certain foods). He is worried because “fitness is my greatest accomplishment and I’m afraid to let go of it.” It’s probably the most real admission by any trainer on Fit to Fat to Fit thus far.

The food orgy commences and Alex gains 14 pounds in two weeks. He is at a calorie intake of 10,000+ a day! We see him gorge on five cheeseburgers at a time and learn that he has discovered phone apps that can let a person order food straight from his/her bed—totally more convenient than walking 20 feet into the kitchen to make an omelet (or something).

At first Alex is surprised to learn that some of his family and friends (including his girlfriend) are starting to like him better now with the weight than when he started. He gets so lethargic that he starts to think that maybe he doesn’t want to live that hard and tough trainer lifestyle. It’s a sad moment for Alex and even sad for me as an observer because it seems like he’s ready to really give up (and it’s obvious that he wouldn’t be able to handle an unfit lifestyle).

After a few months Alex starts to get pains in his chest and is asked by producers of the show to stop gaining weight until he can go to a cardiologist for tests. He passes his tests and is allowed to continue.  Good news for Alex on the weight gain front, but bad news for his relationship status.

Alex and his girlfriend, Mackenzie, have started fighting (a lot) and he feels that he doesn’t have as much support as he thought he did.  Adios, Mackenzie! Alex falls into a slight depression and he can’t keep much food down. He gets to the end of his weight gain journey with a 53 pound upward swing (seven pounds lighter than his goal).

When we get back to Geoff he is impressed that Alex gained so much weight and proves that Alex is dedicated to him and his weight loss. He starts at 283 pounds and hopes to get down to an even 200 in four months. Alex immediately takes Geoff to the beach so they can get their work out on.  Alex turns into an exercise monster and shares that he is not going to let Geoff stop until he starts to “regurgitate” and that he plans to work Geoff so hard that he will not be successful. Not too long after, Geoff starts to puke in the sand—or as Alex describes it: “Geoff popped.” It is soon Alex’s turn to do a work out with things that are alarmingly referred to as “suicides.”

He gets through the work out but is not looking good. Geoff tells the camera that it is (selfishly) kind of cool that it will be tough for Alex to get back in shape. They really will have to do things together.   Day one is over and Geoff’s not doing too well mentally.

Day two brings Alex and results of blood tests that explain that Geoff is pre-diabetic. This kind of throws Geoff for a loop and he realizes that he has a serious health issue and that his isn’t just kind of “pudgy” as he previously thought. Thoughts of gloom and doom slip into his head and he admits that day two was not good at all.

Days turn into weeks and Alex is more convinced than ever that getting back in shape will be a “piece of cake” for him. He challenges Geoff to change the results of his bloodwork and get healthy. Week one brings a 14 pound weight loss for Alex and a 10 pound weight loss for Geoff. As time goes by, Alex realizes that it is more challenging to get fit than he originally thought and that it is really hard to emotionally accept that he is starting over again.  Geoff is pushed and pushed and pushed and after four weeks he has already lost 24 pounds. But it’s still not enough.

Geoff hits his wall and is bothered that his body still looks bad and still has problems even though he’s working so hard. Alex realizes that Geoff concentrates too much on his “physical form” and not on his overall health. Geoff thinks that’s a pretty interesting thing for Alex to say as he is so concerned with his own physical form. The boys come to an understanding and the weight loss game continues.

Alex, of course, loses all of his weight and looks kind of scary when he is back to his normal weight. Things are coming up roses for him (Hello, Mackenzie) and he’s feeling fine. We get to see Geoff reveal himself to friends and family and it is quite obvious that he has really been working hard.

All in all, Alex made it back to his exact starting weight and Geoff made it to his goal of 200 pounds (plus an extra five pounds—just because). Kat is obviously happy and Geoff’s mom just can’t believe it.  The experiment was a success again and it is such a joy to see Geoff looking so happy.

What did you think of this week’s episode of Fit to Fat to Fit? Let us know if you’re keeping up with the show below!