But the beginning was a “struggle,” said the trainer, who confessed to using an airhorn to force the reality star out of bed in the morning.
“You have to keep in mind, this lady used to eat this stuff called ‘sketti’ — so that does not sound healthy or nutritious at all,” said Crooks with a laugh. “We had to change how she looked at food. We had to cut down the portions, because she used to eat really, really big. So we had to change how she ate, how she worked out, and just put it all together!”
Crooks said at first, it was tough to motivate Shannon, but that changed “as soon as she started dropping weight” — and now, her self-esteem is “off the charts.”
Plus, Shannon’s 11-year-old daughter Alana, best known to fans as “Honey Boo Boo,” and 17-year-old daughter Lauryn, a.k.a. “Pumpkin,” got in on the fun — sometimes acting as “informants,” Crooks joked.
“We had to create a team culture. I come from a sports background, so I believe in the team concept, and you have to get everybody on board — you can’t have two different menus,” said Crooks. “So it was a team effort and the kids joined in and it made everything so much easier.”
“The cool thing is, when you start working with people, you become a family,” he added.
And according to Crooks, Shannon’s transformation isn’t done yet.
“She’s doing awesome. We’re looking at making her even more sexy,” he said. “I mean, she’s killing it now, but we’re looking at making it even more so. I like to put the ‘er’ on everything: finer and sexier!”