How Tim McGraw Transformed His Body And Shed 40 Pounds

Country singer Tim McGraw is in the best shape of his life at age 52. He began this transformation when he noticed that his weight had crept up north of 200 pounds — and his daughter Gracie, around 11 at the time, helpfully noted that he looked "big" on the screen when he appeared in 2008's Four Christmases. He decided that he had to make changes in his life ASAP, and not specifically because his daughter said he looked bigger than he should. "I got out of it for a while," he told Men's Health. "I was in the prime of my career, and I wasn't capitalizing on it." 

He started his journey to weight loss and improved fitness by giving up alcohol, burgers, and truck stop foods. The next step? McGraw got moving. He decided to start taking a walk in the mornings, and that soon led to a 20-minute daily run. Shortly afterward, he started lifting weights.

While there were health perks and he was starting to feel like he looked better, one of the first improvements he noticed was that it was benefiting his musical career. "I use my whole body to sing — my legs, my butt," he said. "And having more control over those things makes my voice stronger."

Now, he's 40 pounds down several years later and is still working out on a regular basis — but he is still not tired of the hustle that led him there. "I don't really get tired of training," McGraw says."There's such a feeling of accomplishment that comes from the feeling of being my age and still being at the top of my game."

He's been so encouraged by his results that McGraw opened a new gym in Nashville, called TRUMAV, that he hopes will motivate others to follow in his footsteps. While he isn't a fitness trainer, he has created a slew of workouts that he's had personal success with, and he's stocked the gym with the gear he's grown to love, including kettlebells, TRX straps, and battle ropes. This gear also travels with him on the road, and he makes time a few hours before every show to work out with his band.

McGraw is also the author of a new book, Grit & Grace: Train the Mind, Train the Body, Own Your Life, which is due out November 5. In the book, he outlines the process he went through to get to where he is today, and offers tools for his readers to use as they gather motivation and encouragement to make these changes for themselves. 

McGraw has posted several times on Instagram how fitness has improved his life. "Focusing on my physical health hasn't just made my body healthier, it's made me healthier at every level," he wrote in a recent post. "Moving daily and exercising regularly was a pebble that set off a ripple effect, improving the way I eat, sleep, relate to others, and show up both personally and professionally. It made me a better person to be around."

He also writes about how change can be really hard, but that's it is definitely worth it. "Change can be unsettling, partly because it requires effort and partly because it's so comfortable to disengage and move through life on autopilot, to order in instead of cooking from scratch, to duck out of sight in real life but show up on social media, all filtered and flawless," he wrote in another post. He goes on to talk about how doing the same thing day in and day out just doesn't work, and it works against people because it doesn't make anyone happy or healthy. 

Tim McGraw has been married to fellow country singer, Faith Hill, since 1996 (via Biography). They are the parents of three girls — Gracie (born in 1997), Maggie (1998), and Audrey (2001). Their oldest, Gracie, was the girl behind the comment that spurred McGraw to begin his health and fitness journey, but there certainly isn't any ill will between the two. 

In fact, just a couple of months ago, Gracie joined her dad in a duet, which he posted on Instagram (via USA Today). They they totally nailed it, of course. "PIPES!!!!!!......Dang, this girl can sing!" he wrote on the post. "Gracie and I having fun with Babs and Barry on our trip."

So, while Gracie may have kick-started his journey, he definitely doesn't harbor any negative feelings towards her — in fact, he probably now appreciates how she helped drive him to make positive changes in his life.