Former center Matt Birk has lost 75 pounds, is ripped and doing some modeling

(VIModel.VI.com)

We've heard plenty of stories of NFL linemen losing a ton of weight in the months after they retire.

We don't think we've seen one who looks like he could start up a new career as a Chippendales dancer less than a year after he retired.

Matt Birk, who weighed about 310 pounds when he played, is a little more than eight months removed from playing in his last game, which was last season's Super Bowl with the Ravens. And he's ripped.

He went from fat guy in the trenches to washboard abs, dropping 75 pounds and 10 inches off his waistline, according to the Ravens' official site. Now Birk is even modeling for ViSalus, which markets weight-loss nutritional products. You can vote for Birk in the Vi model challenge here.

He told the Ravens' site all about the transformation.

“I don’t really think of myself as a model. Maybe a glove model,” Birk joked.

“I never thought I would pose for a picture with my shirt off. But I wanted to show people that it can be done and that we’re all in this together.”

The story on the Ravens site said Birk has always been into fitness and nutrition, which allowed him to survive in the NFL. But he had to maintain his large frame to play for 15 seasons in the NFL. Once he was done with football, he knew he had to lose weight.

And boy did he ever:

(USA Today Sports Images/VI Models)

Matt Birk (77) during last season (USA Today Sports Images)

He told the Ravens site he's not a paid endorser for ViSalus, but he likes the company's mission because he thinks obesity is a problem in this country.

“I really like to help people,” Birk told BaltimoreRavens.com. “I really do think that we have a serious problem in this country and our culture when it comes to our diet. We have a totally wrong approach about how to lose weight.”

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter.

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