The bad news is that there are now pictures floating around the internet of a 60-year-old Florida rep without a shirt on. The good news is that he isn't trying to get laid.
You might be inclined to freak out over Palm Harbor Republican Peter Nehr showing off his bod online, as first reported in the Tampa Bay Times. But he's not trying to pull a Chris Lee Craigslist seduction -- he's sooooo pumped about the weight that he's lost.
Nehr released a statement that not only confirms the photos are his but that they are "all originals with no photo shopping":
I have been a diabetic for many years and like many diabetics have had problems with my weight and my blood sugar control... I went from 210 pounds to 160 pounds and from a 38 inch waistline to a 30 inch waistline. I also went from taking over a 110 units of insulin per day taking 5 shots to almost no daily insulin shots. My blood sugar went from highs of over 300 to currently from 100 to 140. This was done by proper and moderate exercise and being very careful regarding not only what I eat, but how much I eat...He said that he was passing the pictures around to friends who were following his health problems but that "it appears that someone who has a problem with my politics is trying to use them in a way to hurt my campaign."
I use every opportunity I can to show other Diabetics that it is possible to control and possibly reverse the effects of this terrible disease. There are over 2 million diabetics in Florida alone and if my before and after pictures can give some of them the hope of a better life even with diabetes then I am happy to have helped.
"I am proud of what I have done to improve my health," he said, in perhaps the first instance of a controversy being diffused with insulin. Check out the Times for more pics if, like, you're into that.
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