Chargers' Nick Hardwick is latest retired lineman to drop massive weight

Nick Hardwick got hurt in Week 1, and started his post-NFL life then.

The San Diego Chargers center had a retirement press conference this week and he didn't even look like he could play center in high school. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune's Michael Gehlken, Hardwick lost 85 pounds from the time he got hurt in Week 1 to his press conference.

Yes, Hardwick went from 293 pounds to 208 in a little less than five months.

Gehlken said Hardwick normalized his calorie intake and worked out. And with that he lost 15-20 pounds a month.

Here's Hardwick before and after:

Hardwick played 11 seasons for the Chargers, starting 136 games. He made one Pro Bowl.

We have seen linemen like Jeff Saturday and Jordan Gross lose a massive amount of weight shortly after retirement, but it's always shocking to see. We all know that you're not surviving as an NFL center at 208 pounds. But to see players like Hardwick lose a massive amount of weight right after playing makes one wonder how unhealthy the players to bulk up to 300-plus pounds to play in the NFL trenches are during their careers.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab