Kevin McHale reveals how he went from 'skinny fat' to shredded in 12 weeks

Out actor Kevin McHale shares how he went from "skinny fat" to shredded in just 12 weeks.

McHale, who is best known for playing Artie Abrams for six seasons on the Fox musical-comedy Glee, talked with Us Weekly about how he gained five pounds of muscle and lost 8.2 percent body fat in three months.

"I had become skinny fat," McHale said. "I had been working through an intestine and digestion issue that was eluding diagnosis and that really took a toll on me. I was constantly in pain. I had tried so many different elimination diets – nothing was working."

"It got to the point where I was already feeling miserable because of the intestinal issues, plus the self-added guilt of not getting myself to the gym or eating as healthy as possible. It was a recipe for disaster."

McHale hired a personal trainer, whom he credited with helping him reach his goals.

"Eddie pushed me to the point of failure, conditioning me to be comfortable with that, knowing that I could push myself harder than I thought I could," he said.

McHale said that he was "most excited and scared for the diet," pointing out that he likes burritos and cookies. A food journal and prepping healthy food for the week helped.

"Meal prepping for the week was a revelation," he said. "I never needed to worry if I had something healthy at home to eat."

"[Before,] I felt bad about my body. When you're investing your time and energy into yourself in this way, it changes so much of your life," McHale, 30, added.