AFL great Dale Thomas reveals the radical step he took to control his weight gain after retirement

Former AFL excitement machine Dale Thomas admits he ‘ate his feelings’ during the Covid pandemic and had to seek radical treatment to halt the rapid weight gain in his post-retirement life.

The 35-year-old retired in 2019 after 258 AFL games with Carlton and Collingwood – colliding with the peak of the Covid pandemic and associated lockdowns.

The sudden halt to professional training and the enforced lethargy of the Covid lockdowns saw Thomas gain 13kg – and his mates let him know all about it.

“Yes, I was happy to be the butt of a few jokes, but in the end it takes its toll,” he told Channel Seven.

“No matter how hard I worked, it just didn’t seem to fall off.”

Thomas celebrates his partner Natasha Bongiorno’s birthday with a McDonald’s feed. He struggled with weight gain during the pandemic

The combination of retiring from the AFL and heading into Covid lockdowns meant the former Collingwood and Carlton star was on the weight

Thomas revealed that he “really hated” footy in the years leading up to his retirement when he appeared on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2020.

The former Magpies and Blues star consulted medical specialists who recommended a “metabolic reset,” which included a once-daily injection as part of a tailored weight-loss program.

His medication consists of a hormone already produced in the gut that works to slow the rate at which his stomach empties, helping him feel full longer.

The injection also affects the brain’s reward center to combat food cravings and lowers the weight your body naturally tries to maintain.

Since making this dramatic move, Thomas has lost 10kg and is back at his original playing weight.

‘Genetics play a big role in weight loss, something I’ve never understood. When you play a professional sport for a long time, you just roll out and expect that if you put on some weight, you train harder and lose it,” he said.

Thomas was a fit and lean specimen during his AFL playing days for Carlton and Collingwood

“No surprises when you gain the best part of 12-13 kilos that something has to change and many of us due to Covid it was a matter of eating your feelings – I certainly did.

“The only time I’ve experienced weight gain was after playing professional sports. Training so often over the weeks and over the years it was never really a problem.

“From what you considered to be out of shape or out of shape [when being a professional athlete] than what it looks like after your career is completely different.’

Thomas shows off his belly before participating in a fitness challenge and metabolic reset to shed the pounds

Thomas also took part in a grueling 45-day fitness challenge he called ISO 2.0 that helped him reach his goal.

“It has given me new life. [I’ve] what kilos can lose weight and [get] back to really enjoying some of the things I couldn’t do while at my heaviest — running, being active and enjoying myself,” he said.

“I suppose I would be a lot taller than I am now. I probably have four to five kilos to go to get back to my playing weight.’