It wasn’t long ago that Jameis Winston was being labeled “fat” by some teammates. Now, he’s turned himself into the picture of fitness.
Winston told ESPN’s Britt McHenry that he had dropped 18 pounds since February thanks largely some tweaks he made to his diet and astute offseason planning.
“I heard from around the league that most rookies that come in, if they have a great year, they don’t have a plan for the offseason,” Winston said. “I had never handled an actual offseason before.”
Winston, who estimated that he weighed in the upper 240 pound range at season’s end, was motivated by attending the Pro Bowl and seeing players such as Russell Wilson and Julio Jones in such exemplary shape. He placed a call to Tim Grover, who has trained Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, to help him come up with an offseason plan. Grover put Winston on a dietary plan and began physical training with him.
“He’s 22 years old; I’m not going to tell him you’re not going to go out and eat only kale,” Grover said. “Instead of eating a whole bag of potato chips, cut it down by a third. It’s too difficult to give individual food plans, and it’s better to change eating habits.”
The results are obvious. Winston has dropped nearly 20 pounds, and Grover hopes to see him lose about five more before the season starts. His dedication has impressed coaches and teammates alike.
Winston was aware that he had work to do when the offseason started. Now he has teammates raving about how much he’s changed. It’s a good sign for a player coming off what was already a strong rookie season.
