If you've got a big gut and you start doing sit-ups, you are going to get bigger because you build up the muscle. You've got to get rid of that fat! How do you get rid of fat? By changing your diet.

Timeline: LaLanne's feats
(As reported on Jack LaLanne's website) These accounts are not necessarily entirely accurate descriptions of what LaLanne actually did. He had violent episodes directed against himself and others describing himself as "a miserable goddamn kid. You see life is a battlefield.

Steve Reeves credited LaLanne as his inspiration to build his muscular physique while keeping a slim waist. LaLanne also gained recognition for his success as a bodybuilder as well as for his prodigious feats of strength. "
Decades before health and fitness began being promoted by celebrities like Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons LaLanne was already widely recognized for publicly preaching the health benefits of regular exercise and a good diet.