Golden State Warriors

Warriors' Bogut lost 22 lbs. by cutting sugar from his diet

Published Oct. 5, 2015 10:23 p.m. ET

foxsports

Sometimes the smallest changes can have the biggest impact. Case in point: Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut cut sugar out of his diet this summer and lost 22 lbs.

Bogut's motivation? Besides being healthier and in better shape, he watched Is Sugar the New Fat?, a documentary from New Zealand, in August and realized just how unhealthy his diet was.

After switching things up, and limiting his sugar take, Bogut’s body began to transform. The result is a springier, more agile center. Perfect for the way the Warriors want to play.

"I changed my diet a little bit," Bogut told CSNBayArea.com. "It’s really worked wonders for me.

"I watched that documentary. It’s unbelievable, man. [Sugar] is in absolutely everything. I have a couple friends that are label readers. I used to give them so much [crap], telling them, 'Man, just eat it. Stop reading the label.' And now I’m one of those guys."

The feedback has been positive thus far.

"Bogut’s been amazing so far," interim head coach Luke Walton said.

"He went three-quarters of the court, coast-to-coast, to finish with a floater," Stephen Curry added.

His coaches are noticing. His teammates are noticing. Bogut is a different player. Though he’ll never be particularly fast or athletic, if Bogut is in better shape he’ll be less likely to get injured and have the stamina to play longer minutes, if necessary. It can extend his career and give him more playing time.

"I want to get a couple post moves, roll to the glass strong and finish," Bogut said. "It takes a lot of pressure off us, then we can get a decent shot from the perimeter."

The 30-year-old saw his career ending earlier than he wanted -- possibly within the next two-to-four years -- and wanted to prolong that inevitability as long as possible.

Of course, none of this matters if he can’t apply it in the regular season. As Bogut says, everyone can "look"good in training camp and the preseason, but it’s a matter of applying it over to the real thing.

“Everybody looks amazing in the preseason," Bogut said. “I’ve got to carry it over into the games and into the regular season.”