All You Need to Know About Joe Thomas’s Weight Loss Transformation

NFL champion Joe Thomas’s weight loss has been surprising as he managed to shed 60 pounds. Here are all the details about his weight loss journey.

Sanchari Bhattacharya
Written by Sanchari Bhattacharya , Health & Fitness Expert
Updated on Jul 10, 2023 | 08:31 PM IST | 637.5K
joe thomas weight loss
joe thomas weight loss

When it comes to losing weight, we all face a lot of challenges. Looking at our favorite athletes and the transformation they go through can at times spark hope for us. Joe Thomas’s weight loss journey is one that you would look at when trying to alter your weight loss journey. Joe Thomason is a beloved celebrity NFL player who shocked his fans when he revealed his amazing body post-transformation on The Titan Games. The athlete retired from the NFL in 2018. The sport he played seemed to have played a significant role in his calorie intake and lifestyle. Now he focuses a lot on his health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The changes in his diet, calorie intake, and exercise have been major contributors to his transformation. He made a lot of changes post-retirement by doing health checks and blood tests that helped him change his diet and lifestyle to a sustainable one. 

Who Is Joe Thomas?

joe thomas weight loss

Joe Thomas is a well-known professional football player. He played for the Cleveland Browns and retired in 2018. He has played more than 10,000 consecutive snaps and is well-appreciated for being an offensive lineman in the game. When it comes to football, weight and the size of a player may be crucial factors and hence when Joe Thomas was 312 pounds, no one paid much attention. He is also the recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. The NFL iron man chose to resign from the game following an injury and an outstanding 11-year NFL career. Post-retirement he decided to focus on his health and eat healthier to shed the extra pounds. A change in lifestyle and daily regime were game changers for this star athlete. 

Joe Thomas’s Profile

joe thomas weight loss

  • Real Name - Joseph Hayden Thompson
  • Birthday - December 4, 1984
  • Age in 2023 - 38
  • Occupation - Professional Football player
  • Weight Before - 310 pounds
  • Weight Loss After - Approx 260 pounds
  • Reduced Weight Loss - 50 pounds
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How Did Joe Thomas Gain Weight?

Originally, when Joe started playing football professionally, he weighed about 250 pounds and they were trying to move him to the offensive line. His weight would not cut it to play at this position. This made him change his diet and gain weight to be able to play the game. He started having peanut butter jelly sandwiches over and above his three meals a day to gain the extra weight he needed. 

He isn’t naturally a huge-built guy and hence had to put on the excess weight. He would eat sandwiches every 30 minutes and chug about 30-35 liters of milk every day before bed along with the last sandwich. He consumed about 6,000 - 7,000 calories a day to build himself up to a whopping 325 pounds. This helped him in the run game to push people as a lineman and he was harder to bull rush in a pass game. Being bigger was essentially good for him given the sport and how demanding it can be. He had to maintain his weight at the high point and was always scared of weighing in less and being cast out by the coach for the same. He kept a heavy-calorie diet to avoid losing weight and playing his position on the team. 

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He had a heavy sugar and carb intake which always gave him a heartburn. There were struggles of having to maintain this weight and he shared that he constantly felt like he was starving if he hadn't eaten in 2 hours. He would always be someone who finished other people’s food when they couldn’t throughout his football career. 

How Did Joe Thomas Lose Weight?

Throughout his NFL career maintaining his weight at the higher side was a struggle for the star player. Trying to keep his weight on the higher side always meant eating unhealthy and this had its side effects. He was always on painkillers or anti-inflammatory medicines to manage pain. There came a point where he couldn’t wait to retire from the game and live a healthier life. He wanted to move around better and play with his friends without the aches, pains, and constant weight gain. His diet and workout regime changed quite a bit since he retired and decided to go back to his college time weight goal which was 250 pounds. 

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Joe Thomas’s Diet Plan

joe thomas weight loss

Joe Thomas explained how he lost the first 40 pounds post-retirement fairly easily. He did this by cutting down on the extra calories he would consume before. Post this initial weight loss, he had to learn to eat smart. Knowing the correct amount of proportions for carbs, proteins, and fats is key to losing weight according to him. He started tracking his meals and keeping the proportions right. 

Now, he consumes a low-carb diet and avoids most sugars and processed carbohydrates. He learned how to look at the nutritional values of what he ate rather than just filling his plate up. This helped him track his meals. He also practices intermittent fasting along with his workout which has worked wonders for him. Research has shown that intermittent fasting can be an effective way to lose weight while eating healthy. In this type of diet, you may eat and fast alternatingly in a cycle to manage your weight (1). Joe now eats only between noon and six pm. 

He has been sticking to 1500 - 2000 calories a day by eating slow-digesting foods like vegetables and meat. This keeps him full. When it comes to sweets he says he has been flexible and if it's a birthday or the family is having dessert, he does have some of it. While he tries maintaining the low-carb diet he does have cheat days when he is out with his friends. 

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Joe also realized that the amount of carbs and sugars he ate was causing inflammation. This was one of the major reasons he decided to cut down on sugar and carbs. When he went on a low-carb diet he noticed the difference and felt lighter while having lesser strain on his knees. The swelling he was struggling with started to dial down and disappear. This in turn also reduced his knee pain. 

Joe Thomas's Workout Routine

When it comes to a workout routine, each person may benefit from a different combination of things. For Joe Thomas, yoga seemed to have helped him to a great extent. He turned to yoga post-retirement and shared that it makes his body feel really good. He has been focusing on exercise while being sensitive about his joints. 

Joe said that he is more into bodybuilding lifting which consists typically of more repetitions. There is a lot of focus on single-joint exercises in the gym. Alongside this, he also has been swimming and biking to a great extent. He feels that for his body type, low-intensity cardio has worked the best. 

Conclusion

Joe Thomas's weight loss has given him a huge transformation since his game days. The star football player weighed more than 300 pounds to cope with the game. He struggled to maintain the weight and manage the side effects of eating a high-calorie diet for years. There was a huge shift in his lifestyle and diet once he retired. This was a game changer for him that led him to a fit and healthy body. Changes in his diet and reduced carbs and sugar intake also helped reduce pains and inflammation for the athlete. 

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He has been tracking his meals and trying intermittent fasting to keep healthy. In terms of exercise, yoga, and low-intensity cardio have been beneficial for him to lose weight and remain healthy. He likes doing yoga as it also works as cardio for him while giving him the good stretch he needs. When looking at weight loss, knowing that each person may have a different journey is essential. 

ALSO READ: Understanding Missy Elliott's Weight Loss Journey That Stunned Her Fans

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About The Author
Sanchari Bhattacharya
Sanchari Bhattacharya
Health & Fitness Expert

Sanchari, a certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach

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Credits: Instagram : @joethomas
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