Caleb Swanigan’s Weight Loss And Its Impact on His Life And Career

The professional NBA player, Caleb Swanigan's weight loss transformation is one with its fair share of ups and downs. Take a glance through his inspiring journey.

Sanchari Bhattacharya
Written by Sanchari Bhattacharya , Health & Fitness Expert
Updated on Nov 03, 2023 | 10:30 PM IST | 628.2K
Caleb Swanigan’s Weight Loss
Caleb Swanigan’s Weight Loss
Key Highlight

From struggling with a meager lifestyle, homelessness, childhood trauma, and obesity to bagging a spot in the Portland Trail Blazers as a professional NBA player, Caleb Swanigan fostered an inspiring story and humble lessons for his fans and beyond. Unfortunately, the talented young man died at the age of 25 and left his fans looking for the reasons behind his untimely passing away. Ahead, we discuss Caleb Swanigan's weight loss and weight gain journey, along with a brush-up on his personal life and career. 

Who Is Caleb Swanigan?

An American professional basketball player, Caleb Swanigan was born in  April 1997, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. With his mother Tanya, and five siblings, Caleb struggled with housing, uncertain schooling, homeless shelters, and stability in life, while his father, Carl Swanigan Sr., remained oblivious from the family, owing to his crack-cocaine addiction. Caleb had been into basketball since his early school days. In his sophomore year, Caleb was voted as the first-team All-American. Post the completion of high school, he joined Purdue University and played basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers, before being selected for the 2017 NBA draft, where he played for five years. Caleb spent three years with The Portland Trail Blazers and two with the Sacramento Kings. During his time at Purdue, Caleb was titled Big Ten Freshman of the Week, thrice. Swanigan’s journey was not a breezy affair. He struggled with eating disorders, weight gain, and weight loss, which also affected his play. Here’s a recap of his life and weight transformations. 

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What Health Issue Did Caleb Swanigan Struggle With?

Besides the challenges he faced in life with homelessness, abandonment, and a traumatic childhood, Celeb struggled with binge eating harmful food, due to limited food selection and obesity. When his father, who was also an obese person, weighing around 500 pounds died due to diabetic complications, Caleb entered the eighth grade, weighing a whopping 400 pounds.  His childhood upheaval led him to inherit an eating disorder. Describing his unhealthy and complicated relationship with food, Caleb told in an interview how he would endlessly delve into sugary cereals, ice creams, cheesecakes, and pizzas. The uncontrollable weight gain coupled with genetic obesity affected his sports career adversely. Soon enough, he was prompted to lose the extra pounds and return to his games with a healthier and fitter body. 

With the support of his family and acquaintances, Caleb was pushed in the right direction and found himself under professional care to overturn his weight and help him lose 140 pounds. Here’s what Swanigan’s journey looked like. 

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Caleb Swanigan Weight Loss Journey

Caleb was acquainted with the former three-sport star at Purdue, Roosevelt Barnes, through his brother Carl Jr. This was the turning point in Caleb’s life. Amidst the uncertain times during his mother’s decision to move to Houston, Caleb was worried about gaining weight even more. Fortunately, he met Barnes at the time who agreed to take the leash in his hands and prepare Caleb for his basketball career. Barnes adopted Swanigan as his son and moved him to Fort Wayne, where he was residing at the time. It was during his eighth grade when Caleb began to look after his diet, food choices, and mental health under the guidance of his adoptive father. With a successful exercise routine that he followed during his sophomore years, Swanigan weighed close to 260 pounds. Caleb Swanigan's height was 6 feet 8 inches. As a professional athlete in the making, Caleb’s workout drill revolved around cardio exercises and strength training. His basketball-oriented drills focused on burning calories, building muscle, and overall enhancement of his court skills. 

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Caleb Swanigan's Weight Loss Diet Plan

For Caleb consistency was the key to ditching old eating habits and inheriting newer, healthier ones. Here’s what a day in Swanigan’s life looked like.

  • Breakfast included a whole-grain oatmeal with a punch of fruits and vegetables on the side.
  • Before his 2 p.m. practice session, Caleb avoided heavy meals and only had a small portion for lunch.
  • Lastly, the dinners encapsulated a healthy dose of protein and a variety of vegetables. 

When it came to his stressful workouts, the regimen included exercises that helped him sculpt his body and increase his stamina, enabling him to play his game in the right shape and spirit. Sadly, his successful career was quite short-lived. He passed away on June 20, 2022. 

Following his death, there were some fleeting speculations that mentioned how Caleb could have died due to his weight loss transformation and drastic changes in his habits. However, there was no staunch evidence to support this claim, and the hospital clarified that Caleb’s life had ended due to natural causes. During his last days, Swanigan weighed 352 pounds, and this indicates that he was probably not on any strict diet.

Before and after:

Conclusion

Weight loss transformations among celebrities and sports personalities are as common as them appearing on a talk show or giving an interview about it. Caleb Swanigan's weight loss journey is one such story of a gentle soul — remember the fact that Caleb came from humble surroundings and struggled with issues like homelessness and eating disorders since his young days. His remarkable transformation involved his dedication to not only losing weight but also overcoming his childhood trauma so that he could become an NBA player. Sadly, he passed away too soon due to natural causes. 

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FAQ's

What was Caleb Swanigan's starting weight before his weight loss journey?
When he entered his eighth grade, Caleb weighed almost 400 pounds — the same weight he carried before embarking on his weight loss journey.
Did Caleb Swanigan work with a personal trainer or fitness coach during his weight loss journey?
Caleb was adopted by basketball coach Roosevelt Barnes, who also coached him in his weight loss journey.
How has Caleb Swanigan's weight loss impacted his professional basketball career?
With his weight loss, Caleb became fit to be drafted by the NBA in 2017.
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About The Author
Sanchari Bhattacharya
Sanchari Bhattacharya
Health & Fitness Expert
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Sanchari, a certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach

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