Long before he was in Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt was the most beloved dad bod in Hollywood. His character Andy Dwyer on Parks and Rec was that of the casual everyman. His wit was sharp and, behavior-wise, he acted like the type of Bro we’re all friends with: Probably drinks a couple too many IPAs after work, enjoys reheated slices of pizza at 2 AM, and considers briskly walking from the back of a parking lot to the front a form of exercise.
Except he was unhealthy and completely miserable. This all changed when he landed the role of a lifetime as a Navy SEAL in Zero Dark Thirty. Suddenly taking care of himself became his number one priority. In an interview with Men’s Health last summer, he said he was 300 pounds before Zero Dark Thirty and laid out just how miserable he was:
‘I saw myself in an episode [of Parks & Recreation],’ Pratt, who admits he used to devour three or four cheeseburgers at every table read, told Men’s Health, ‘and in the matter of two moments very close together, I thought, “Oh my God, I’m getting fat.” And then almost immediately I did something else and I thought, “Holy crap, I’ve never seen myself funnier.” And I put the two together.
‘I was impotent, fatigued, emotionally depressed. I had real health issues that were affecting me in a major way. It’s bad for your heart, your skin, your system, your spirit,’ he adds.(via)
That’s no way to go through life. So he did something about it.
The result of Pratt actually taking care of himself is easily one of the most remarkable body transformations since Robert De Niro dropped his weight from Raging Bull. To needed gains and he needed them fast. He told PEOPLE that he was “doing 500 pushups a day, running five miles a day and working out at the gym while barely eating anything” in order to drop the weight.
Now he’s one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, complete with bookings in blockbuster money machines like Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy. We made a little recap of Pratt positive change in the video above.
If he can do it in his 30s, you can too.