Charles Barkley was never a player who was in great physical shape throughout his 16 year career in the NBA. Upon getting drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, Chuck had to get bullied by Moses Malone into shedding a considerable amount of weight before he could actually be an effective player on both sides of the ball.
Advertisement
Despite never having bulging muscles or a low body fat percentage, Barkley never let it stop him from being a dominant force on NBA hardwood. ‘The Round Mound of Rebound’ was a fierce, well, rebounder, threat in the open floor, could knock down the 12 foot jumper, and had an array of post moves.
However, as he got older and was reaching the tail-end of his career when with the Houston Rockets, it was clear that he wasn’t truly getting his conditioning in order.
Charles Barkley lost 45lbs but his trainer wanted him to lose 85lbs in that same span
Charles Barkley went on David Letterman to talk about a variety of things but the conversation kicked off with them talking about his weight loss journey. After having retired in 2000 and gotten a job at Turner Sports right away, Chuck let himself go.
However, since that time up until this interview, he had worked with his trainer and since lost 45 of the 100 lbs he had gained. He would confess that his trainer wanted him to lose 85 lbs in that same time span but in his eyes, he was just too fat.
When talking about what all he ate during his weight loss journey, he admitted that he had to slow down on the ‘carby’ foods like potatoes and pasta. He would also have to cut down on his two favorite snacks: white chocolate macadamia nuts and oatmeal raisin.
What fitness advice does Charles Barkley have for the rest of us?
According to him, moderation is what helped him stay on track. Going cold turkey and cutting out every single guilty pleasure from his life all at once was not what he did. “You cannot give a fat person small meals and think they’re not going to cheat.”
Finding excuses to be active throughout the day and asking your friends for help is also something Barkley did, according to his interview with Mens Health.
