History Main / FormerlyFit

* In ''{{Frasier}}'', Jane Leeves, who played Daphne, became pregnant in the latter half of the show's run. The producers first tried to [[HideYourPregnancy cover her baby bump]] with looser clothes, but this proved ineffective. Instead, they [[RealLifeWritesThePlot added a subplot]] about Daphne indulging in sweets and baked goods to deal with the stresses in her life, and thus gaining weight (to add to the effect, the showrunners put her in padded clothing, making her appear bigger than she actually was). Once Leeves had her baby, Daphne returned to the show, now at her old size.

** Another episode has the main group ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Stuart]]) dreaming up [[WhatIfScenario hypothetical situations]] about their lives if they hadn't met Sheldon. Leonard imagines that he would have moved in with Raj, who thinks that Leonard would have ballooned to a massive size due to his lack of a girlfriend and Raj's cooking. When Leonard protests, Raj pictures himself as equally fat in the scenario. [[RuleOfThree Stuart then puts himself into the story]] in a desperate attempt to take part in the conversation; he makes himself obese as well, for no particular reason.

* In ''The Great White Hype'' World Champion boxer James "The Grim Reaper" Roper has got a huge paunch because he can beat his opponents with ease so he doesn't train well.

* You can flip through the cover art of each Music/RascalFlatt album and watch lead singer Gary [=LeVox=] go from average to visibly overweight.

* ''Manga/GekkanShoujoNozakiKun'''s character profile simply notes [[OnlySaneMan Miyamae]]'s the only fat character in the cast due to the stress of being with [[PointyHairedBoss Maeno]]. He would immediately lose weight when Maeno's away from his life, in fact, reverting to somehow akin to a {{bishounen}}.

* Nelson Jent in ''[[Comicbook/DialHForHero Dial H]]'' was once a boxer, and though still quite strong and his arms remain muscular, he's very fat and unathletic today. He's also self-conscious about this, and is embarrassed to go to the gym.

* In ''Film/DodgeBallATrueUnderdogStory'', [[Creator/BenStiller White Goodman]] goes from fitness guru to blob of lard after being humiliated and losing his gym franchise.
** Also a subversion of FormerlyFat. White was fat to begin with.
* In ''ShrekForeverAfter'', the AlternateUniverse version of Puss in Boots has given up swashbuckling and is now Fiona's pampered housepet, so fat he can't even chase mice. Shrek mentions how fa...[[VerbalBackspace ncy]] he's gotten.

* Boxer Jake [=LaMotta=] as played by RobertDeNiro in ''Film/RagingBull''. [=DeNiro=] famously gained a lot of weight to play the scenes from later in [=LaMotta's=] life.
* In ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'', Dukes (aka Blob) was a muscular man in Stryker's group. Years after the group's disbanded, he becomes obese, more like the comic book version.
* In the film ''The Great White Hype'' World Champion boxer James "The Grim Reaper" Roper has got a huge paunch because he can beat his opponents with ease so he doesn't train well.
* In WesternAnimation/SurfsUp, Big Z is the epitome of health. Flash forward a few character-developing moments, and he's [[spoiler:the washed-up, fat, lazy Geek]].

** Robert Baratheon was once a great and feared warrior, but after [[TheLostLenore Lyanna's death]] and his ascension to a throne he didn't want, he became so overweight from excessivly eating and [[TheAlcoholic drinking]] that even his best friend didn't recognize him.

* In the fourth ''Literature/HarryPotter'' book, Ludo Bagman is a retired Quidditch Beater, and when meeting him Harry quickly sees that he was a powerful man gone to seed. Later during the PensieveFlashback Harry sees Bagman then in his prime of health.

* In the ''Series/CSICrimeSceneInvestigation'' episode "Bittersweet" one of the victims is a now obese former male model who drowned in a vat of high end chocolate. [[spoiler: It turns out he became addicted to the chocolate after becoming their spokesperson and [[DrivenToSuicide drowned himself]] in the chocolate to spite them by ruining the batch.]]
* ZigZagged on ''Series/TheDrewCareyShow'' with Drew's hot fiancee [[http://www.themakeupgallery.info/character/fat/obese/drew.htm Nicki.]] She was fat in her backstory but then lost 80 lbs., only 2 short of her target weight. When she starts going out with Drew she gains the weight back, which we can see. When she and Drew try to make a sex tape she sees how fat she has become and breaks up with him shortly before their wedding. A later appearance shows her back to her thin self again.
* In ''TheBigBangTheory'', Howard's unseen mother, implied to be hideously obese and in the words of ''FatherTed'', ''prone to all the horrible ailments inflicted on middle-aged women, and that's a lot of horrible ailments'', loudly laments that she was so good-looking as a young woman that hopeful young men would queue up to give her chocolates. ("Oh, why did I eat it all?")

* ''InLivingColor'' parodied the famous super model Fabio by doing a sketch about a formerly fit superstar male model named Magnifico, who's now fat, obsessed with food, and very gross.

* In a parody of both ''Film/RockyIII'' and the Survivor song "Eye of the Tiger", WeirdAlYankovic's "Theme From Rocky XIII (The Rye or the Kaiser)" is about a Rocky Balboa who ends up "fat and weak" after getting too lazy. All is not a downer for him, though; he has a new career as the new owner and operator of the neighborhood deli and makes a decent living from it.

* Banjo in ''{{Banjo-Kazooie}}: Nuts&Bolts'' really let himself go years after last defeating Gruntilda.
* In the ''Videogame/{{Tekken}}'' franchise, Bob was once a very thin and pretty young man, but found his mass inadequate for fighting larger opponents. He trained for years and came up with the solution of [[{{Acrofatic}} gaining lots of fat, but losing none of his speed]]. While his fangirls (in-universe) were initially upset, Bob's performance, charming personality, and genuine heroic nature eventually won them back.
** Bob is also an ''[[FormerlyFat inversion]]''. In some of his endings, he accidentally loses all of his bulk and goes back to his slim size. However, his combat performance notably suffers as a result. Players can even use his slim form via DownloadableContent.

* Bill Dauterive in ''{{King of the Hill}}'' was a fit star offensive lineman in high school who was nicknamed "the Billdozer" and helped take his team to state. Flashbacks of these glory days showed him as pretty buff but not fat, and with long thick hair (fashionable then) "like [[TheWho Roger Daltrey]]". By the time he's a middle aged adult on the show, he is obese, balding, hygienically a slob, and pines for the mentally-abusive ex-wife who left him long ago, interestingly named [[TheLostLenore Lenore]].

* Happens very quickly in the ''{{Futurama}}'' WhatIf episode where Bender becomes human.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Avatar The Last Airbender}}'s'' General Iroh was a strapping, powerful Firebender in his youth. However, the death of his son led him to abandon active military service. He retained his Firebending skills, but his excessive eating habits led him to getting way out of shape. [[spoiler:He uses a brief stint in captivity to work off the excess fat and reveal a powerful physique underneath.]]
** ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' meanwhile has Tenzin's brother Bumi, who was a fit Commander in the military during his OneSceneWonder appearance in the first season. By the time the second season rolls around six months later, he's retired and gone to seed.

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** Homer Simpson himself used to be quite fit in his youth.

[[UnfortunateImplications This is rarely treated as a positive thing.]] Often the FormerlyFit person will be chided by other characters and/or show regret for letting it get this far. In those cases, he can usually be persuaded to work it all off.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': Mr. Incredible has a hard time fitting into his old uniform when he gets a CallToAdventure. The scene where it first shows Bob at work is even titled "15 years and 50 pounds." Mrs. Incredible, the former Elasti-Girl, has a Mom Butt as she notices when passing by a reflective surface.

* In ''TheBigBangTheory'', Howard's unseen mother, implied to be hideously obese and in the words of ''FatherTed'', ''prone to all the horrible ailments inflicted on middle-aged women, and that's a lot of horrible ailments'', loudly laments that she was so good-looking as a young woman that hopeful young men would queue up to give her chocolates.

** Hermes Conrad was once a fit professional limboer taking part of the Olympics until he retired after a kid broke his back trying to limbo. He's currently in poor shape to limbo in the current Olympics with his large belly in his way, but cas still limbo as well as his past.

* ''InLivingColor'' parodied the famous super model Fabio by doing a sketch about a formerly fit superstar male model named Magnifico, who's now fat, obsessed with food, and very grows.

* ''InLivingColor'', parodied the famous super model Fabio by doing a sketch about a formerly fit superstar male model named Magnifico, who's now fat, obsessed with food, and very grows.

[[AC:Video Games]]
* Banjo in ''{{Banjo-Kazooie}}: Nuts&Bolts'' really let himself go years after last defeating Gruntilda.
* In the ''Videogame/{{Tekken}}'' franchise, Bob was once a very thin and pretty young man, but found his mass inadequate for fighting larger opponents. He trained for years and came up with the solution of [[{{Acrofatic}} gaining lots of fat, but losing none of his speed]]. While his fangirls (in-universe) were initially upset, Bob's performance, charming personality, and genuine heroic nature eventually won them back.
** Bob is also an ''[[FormerlyFat inversion]]''. In some of his endings, he accidentally loses all of his bulk and goes back to his slim size. However, his combat performance notably suffers as a result. Players can even use his slim form via DownloadableContent.
* In ''VideoGame/CaptainRainbow'', Little Mac from ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' has gained a physique like King Hippo due to being out of practice. One of the player's goals is to help Mac get back into shape.

[[AC:Visual Novel]]
* ''VisualNovel/DanganRonpa'': Byakuya Togami appears conventionally slender in the first game, but by the time the second game rolls around (not that long after) he's grown into quite the FatBastard. [[spoiler:Subverted, since as it turns out that's not actually him.]]

* In a parody of both ''Film/RockyIII'' and the Survivor song "Eye of the Tiger", WeirdAlYankovic's "The Rye or the Kaiser" is about a Rocky Balboa who ends up "fat and weak" after getting too lazy. All is not a downer for him, though; he has a new career as the new owner and operator of the neighborhood deli and makes a decent living from it.

Contrast {{Acrofatic}}, when their weight does not hinder them (or, occasionally, even ''helps them'') in completely outclassing conventionally fitter people.

* ''VisualNovel/DanganRonpa'': Byakuya Togami appears conventionally slender in the first game, but by the time the second game rolls around (not that long after) he's grown into quite the FatBastard. [[spoiler:Subverted, since as it turns out that's not actually him.]]

* In the fourth ''Literature/HarryPotter'' book, ludo Bagman is a retired Quidditch Beater, and when meeting him Harry quickly sees that he was a powerful man gone to seed. Later during the PensieveFlashback Harry sees Bagman then in his prime of health.

* In XMenOriginsWolverine, Dukes (aka Blob) was a muscular man in Stryker's group. Years after the group's disbanded, he becomes obese, more like the comic book version.

* In WesternAnimation/SurfsUp, Big Z is the epitome of health. Flash forward a few character-developing moments, and he's [[the washed-up, fat, lazy Geek]].

* A flashback in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Talespin}}'' episode, "On a Wing and A Bear" reveals that Baloo used to be quite fit.