Unsupersize Me 2013

Unsupersize Me follows the journey of Juan-Carlos Asse, the owner of Zen Fitness, a personal training studio in Gainesville, Florida, as he demonstrates that a whole foods, plant-based diet paired with a structured exercise regimen can produce rapid and meaningful health improvements for a wide range of people. The film places clear emphasis on his method: a practical, supportive program that blends nutrition and movement to help clients reclaim their health and vitality.

The story is anchored by the expertise of notable voices in the plant-based field, including Neal Barnard and Robert Cheeke, who provide context on how nutrition and lifestyle choices translate into real-world results. The documentary centers on Asse’s simple but powerful approach, one that has guided countless clients toward substantial transformations—achieving weight loss in the range of 100 pounds or more through steady, informed changes rather than drastic, unsustainable diets.

In the film, the human side of the journey is foregrounded through testimonials and personal reflections. Tracy Ryan shares her experience of entering the Unsupersize Me program with what felt like a last chance to shed the excess weight and address long-standing health concerns. She explains that previous diets never stuck because they didn’t foster a lasting lifestyle change, and she ultimately embraces a path she believes she can sustain for life.

Tracy Ryan: I started the Unsupersize Me program feeling as though this was my last chance to lose the excess weight and address the health problems I had been avoiding. Other diets had never worked for me, because I’d always put the weight back on as soon as the diet stopped. I realized I needed a complete lifestyle change if I was going to become healthy for the long term.

The documentary also features wider perspectives from participants like Don Blair, who describes his initial struggles with weight, high triglycerides, and concerns about Type 2 diabetes, and Liz Smith, who recounts how exposure to the program and the film sparked her curiosity about plant-based living and its potential impact on her own health.

Don Blair: I started the Unsupersize Us project feeling overweight, tired and worried about his health. I had high triglycerides and was concerned about Type 2 diabetes. I’ve always struggled with my weight and found that difficult to keep under control.

Liz Smith: I first met Carly in 2015 after watching Unsupersize Me and doing an interview with him for an article I was writing for a food website. My curiosity didn’t stop after the article, however, and after watching the film I began researching whole food plant-based and vegan diets and wondering if this was what I might be missing in terms of my own health.

Through candid training clips, personal interviews, and real-world before-and-after examples, Unsupersize Me paints a portrait of a method that emphasizes learning and consistency rather than short-term gimmicks. The film invites viewers to consider how a plant-based, nutrient-dense diet, paired with regular exercise, can lead to meaningful health improvements and a more sustainable relationship with food and activity. The story remains focused on the people who embraced the program and the tangible changes they achieved, offering a thoughtful look at how lifestyle choices can reshape lives.