Getty The Seattle Seahawks turned down trade offers during the 2023 NFL draft.
Two-time Pro Bowler Russell Okung is quite literally not the same man he used to be as the Seattle Seahawks franchise left tackle. Okung has been providing updates on his health journey that includes losing more than 100 pounds since his playing weight topped 330. The former NFL veteran’s post below is once again going viral showing his surprising physical transformation.
The journey from being a 330+ lbs @NFL football player to 100+ lbs lighter – has been unreal! A new me, a new chapter.
The number one question I keep hearing is: “how did you do it?”
The former Seahawks star started a Twitter thread detailing the process it took to drop the weight required to play NFL offensive lineman. Okung revealed that a good portion of his weight loss came from a 40-day fast where the former Pro Bowler only drank water. Just days after creating the thread about his weight loss, Okung’s post has already topped four million views.
“The journey from being a 330+ lbs @NFL football player to 100+ lbs lighter – has been unreal!” Okung detailed in a series of June 5, 2023 tweets. “A new me, a new chapter. The number one question I keep hearing is: ‘how did you do it?’
“Answer: I fasted for 40 days with nothing but water. Yes, you read right! The experience was so rich and rewarding that I’m going to do it again. Fasting isn’t just about weight loss. It’s about regeneration, healing & self-discovery. In quieting my physical hunger, I unlocked mental clarity and spiritual revelation. A total reset.”
Russell Okung Was the Seahawks First Draft Pick During the Pete Carroll-John Schneider Era
@NFL Answer: I fasted for 40 days with nothing but water. Yes, you read right!
The experience was so rich and rewarding that I’m going to do it again…
The Seahawks selected Okung with the No. 6 pick in the 2010 NFL draft and was the first pick made under Pete Carroll and John Schneider. Okung would be the Seahawks’ lone top-10 pick during this stretch until the franchise landed the Broncos’ No. 9 selection in 2022 as part of the blockbuster Russell Wilson trade.
The longtime left tackle spent his first six seasons with the Seahawks making the Pro Bowl in 2012 and was part of Seattle’s 2013 Super Bowl run. Okung started 72 games for the Seahawks before signing a five-year, $53 million deal with the Broncos during the 2016 free agency.
The star previously signed a six-year, $48.5 million contract with the Seahawks. Okung was one of the few NFL players of his era who represented himself during negotiations opting against hiring an agent.
The former offensive lineman played 11 NFL seasons starting 131 games also having stints with the Chargers and Panthers. Okung most recently played with Carolina in 2020 before retiring from football.
The Seahawks Appear to Have Found 2 New Franchise Tackles in Charles Cross & Abe Lucas
Having displayed immense potential last season as the future of the #Seahawks OL, Seattle has only made their jobs easier by adding reinforcements.
The sky’s truly the limit for these two.
Between Charles Cross & Abe Lucas, who’ll be the first to make an All-Pro team?
Okung was part of a strong Seahawks offensive line during the team’s back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. The Seahawks would go on to struggle to find consistency on the offensive line but may have finally solved many of the issues thanks to the 2022 draft. Seattle selected Charles Cross and Abe Lucas in the first and third rounds last offseason.
Both tackles went on to start every game during the 2023 season and appear to be the franchises’s building blocks for the unit going forward. As for Okung, the former Seattle fan favorite is encouraging others to embark on their own health journey.
“My journey hasn’t been just about shedding pounds; it’s also been about shedding old habits and old ways of thinking,” Okung added on Twitter. “Fasting opened a door to a healthier, happier me. It gave me control back.”