John Daly once weight in at 277 pounds but has recently shed 72 pound. In addition to his recent weight loss Daly still hope to drop 15 more pounds.
His weight loss is all thanks to his decision to undergo lap band surgery. He is now back to playing golf professionally after the surgery and subsequent weight loss. His lifestyle now consists of tiny portions at meals instead of the former whopping portions.
“Never been to the workout trailer and never wanna go,” Daly said recently. “What I had was safe and it’s effective. I feel a lot better and, far as my golf goes, it’s easier to swing the club around me because there ain’t as much of me as there used to be. Don’t have to route the swing according to my gut. Fat is in my family genes. I was big when I was little. Now, look at me. Great, isn’t it?”
Daly had the surgery in February to tie off part of his stomach. The surgery reduced the amount of food he can eat. Daly now weighs about 200—less than he did when he won the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick in 1991 – but not everyone thinks he is healthy.
“He’s losing the weight, but he hasn’t learned to eat right yet,” Rick Smith told GolfWorld. “The doctors tell him he needs 80 or 90 grams of protein a day, and he’s getting 10. He’s edgy from all the nicotine and caffeine, and he’s making bad decisions because his brain is disconnected from his body.”
Smith continued, “He’s frustrated. The problem is, he’s lost all this weight, and it’s nice to weigh less, but he doesn’t feel very good.”
New dietary challenges are only part of the problem Daly is dealing with that have put pressure on his game. Smith continues to be optimistic about both Daly’s weight loss, health, and prospects on making a comeback in the golf world, saying, “John picks up things so quick, and with his talent he could realistically be in the press room after the first round of the PGA if he can get the nutrition part right,” he said.
Daly will have to get his nutrition under control if he is going to be successful with weight loss. If he does not change his eating habits and start eating foods that are nutritious he will end up gaining much of the weight back like many other post weight loss surgery patients.
Regardless of whether he keeps the weight off, Daly is trying his hardest to make a comeback. Since his return to the PGA Tour he is trying to make a comeback free of drama and health problems.
