Inside WWE legend The Big Show’s incredible weight loss

In a profession where most athletes are encouraged to continue to make their physiques bigger, scarier and more outlandish, WWE superstar Big Show’s dramatic weight loss has captured the imagination of many.

Billed for much of his career as the “world’s largest athlete,” Big Show’s weight has been listed as high as 500 pounds at various stages of his career.

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And despite working 200 days a year for two decades in a physically rigorous environment, Big Show wasn’t exactly a picture of health. A pretty poor diet contributed to his massive size — which originally stemmed from a tumor that formed on his pituitary gland during childhood — and the 45-year-old, whose real name is Paul Wight, decided enough was enough.

?With my trainer Dodd. We’re training for ‘Mania — hope you are too, @Shaq. #CountingTheWeeks

A post shared by The Big Show (@wwethebigshow) on Feb 15, 2017 at 9:38am PST

Big Show has charted his new commitment to slimming down and toning up on social media, and he’s been an inspiration to many. But it hasn’t been easy.

“It was definitely a conscious decision. You don’t make the transformation I’ve made without a serious commitment to changing 40 years of improper diet and improper training,” he recently told WWE.com.

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Big Show teamed up with Miami-based celebrity trainer Dodd Romero — who has worked with the likes of actor Denzel Washington and baseball star Alex Rodriguez — and devised a plan that included swimming, cycling, and weight training.

@Shaq! Karaoke? Doughnuts? You better get serious. All roads lead to #WrestleMania. The only giant!

A post shared by The Big Show (@wwethebigshow) on Feb 9, 2017 at 10:08am PST

“Right now my schedule’s pretty light, but if I’m home three days, I train every day. If I’m home 10 days, I train every day,” he said.

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