- Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lost 22 pounds in one month, his trainer says.
- In 2020, Guerrero switched from third base to first base, which requires less speed.
- Losing 22 pounds in a month could be harmful, according to experts.
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lost 22 pounds in a month, his trainer Jose Fortuna said in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
Fortuna posted before-and-after images of Guerrero's transformation and credited his Blue Jays teammate Teoscar Hernandez for pushing Guerrero to lose weight.
Guerrero reportedly showed up to the Blue Jays' preseason training camp in 2020 weighing 280 pounds, 30 pounds over his listed weight of 250 pounds on MLB.com.
The 23-year-old All-Star slugger was an MVP candidate in 2021, but his weight gain slowed him down, ESPN analysts said in 2019. In 2020, Guerrero switched positions from third base to first base, which requires less agility and speed.
Now at 239 pounds, Guerrero is at the lowest weight of his MLB career.
Losing weight too quickly might lead to muscle loss, fatigue, and weight gain later
Losing 22 pounds in the span of just one month could be unsustainable, as rapid weight loss could cause more problems than losing it gradually, Jessica Crandall Snyder, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Healthline.
Snyder said that one of the biggest risks of rapid weight loss is potential muscle loss, since the body might burn muscle tissue for energy if too much fat is burned too quickly.
Snyder added that the loss of muscle and fat could cause the body to become more easily fatigued and drowsy.
Losing weight too quickly can also slow down metabolism, which regulates the body's calorie-burning process.
A 2017 study involving contestants on the competitive-weight-loss reality show, "The Biggest Loser," found that losing weight fast by eating fewer calories may cause the body to burn up to 23% fewer calories per day.