An interesting read.
Celebrities seem to have it all, but one thing money can't necessarily buy them is a sick (or sickly) bod—for that, they have to work out and eat right, just like us... even if they do get lots of help from personal trainers and chefs. Whether it be for an Oscar-worthy movie role, to fight obesity or to battle diabetes, these stars got serious about their shape with extreme diet and fitness. Here's how they got those famous bodies.
"Adrian Brody"
What He Did: Lost 30 pounds in six weeks, going from 160 to 130 pounds for one movie, and packed on 25 pounds of muscle for another. Why He Did It: Before 2002's The Pianist he was told to "lose as much weight as you possibly can." It paid off when he became the youngest actor to ever win a Best Actor Oscar for the role. Eight years later, he did the opposite when he gained 25 pounds of muscle to play Royce in Predators. What He Ate: Always a professional, Brody ate almost nothing to ditch the weight from his already slight frame for The Pianist, and didn't take his action role any less seriously—he cut out all alcohol and sugar. His Workout: To bulk up to play a mercenary in the alien action flick, Brody says he started lifting heavy weights again for the first time since college. He adhered to a strict six days a week workout schedule, and even slept in the jungle to get into the role. Plus: For The Pianist, he also gave up his cell phone, sold his car and, after secluding himself in an apartment to learn to play the piano, watched his long-term relationship crumble. For Predators he gave up sex. Adrien Says: "I was destroyed, fully destroyed." Difficulty Level: 8
"Gerard Butler"
What He Did: Worked out intensely for four months, getting in sick, warrior shape, completely transforming his body and mind. Why He Did It: For his role as King Leonidas in 300. What He Ate: Butler watched what he ate, making sure to fuel up every couple of hours His Workout: The 300-rep Spartan workout: 25 pull ups, 50 dead lifts with 135 pounds, 50 push-ups, 50 jumps on a 24-inch box, 50 floor wipers, 50 single-arm clean-and-presses using a 36-pound kettlebell and 25 more pull-ups (with no rest in between). For dessert, he'd engage in intense exercises like tire flipping and gymnastics-style ring training. Plus: This routine is efficient but tough to keep up—after filming, Bulter went cold turkey on exercising and lost all the muscle. Now he just tries to keep things balanced with healthy eating and workouts that aren't just fit for a king. Gerard Says: "That was a great thing, to put on that cape and put on that helmet and not have to think, 'Shit, I should have trained more.' Instead, I was standing there feeling like a lion." Difficulty Level: 9
"Bradley Cooper"
What He Did: Whipped himself into shape, piling on muscle and losing fat. Why He Did It: For his role as Templeton 'Faceman' Peck in The A-Team. What He Ate: Cooper nixed all sugar, salt and flour and eliminated sandwiches, although he jokes that he got around that by taking grapes and putting an almond in between. His diet allowed him to sculpt a tight midsection and eliminate stubborn fat. His Workout: He spent two hours a day in the gym with a personal trainer doing lots of strength and core training. He used the '3-2-1 Method'—that's three cardio circuits, two strength training circuits and one core workout, each for 10 minutes. Also: speed-hiking up a famous trail in Vancouver that locals call "The Grind." Plus: To boost his weight loss, Cooper gave up booze to cut calories and feel more energized for his ass-kicking workouts early in the morning. Brad Says: "It was the worst but I would still make sandwiches. I would like cut a grape in half—this is so depressing—and I would put an almond inside, you know, to make a little sandwich. It was my big treat." Difficulty Level: 6
"Steve Harvey"
What He Did: With trainer pal Lee Haney, Harvey started the 50 and Fly campaign, which encourages men 40 and older to tone up, slim down, eat right and stop whining that they're too old to get in shape. Why He Did It: On his 50th birthday, after his son called him an "old man" and a call-in listener on his radio show called him over the hill, he realized he wasn't in the best shape. "My arms were just sitting there—just a piece of meat hanging there, with no curves in them, no definition. And I just got tired of looking at myself that way." What He Ate: In October, 2010, Harvey announced his goal to stick to the controversial "21 Pounds in 21 Days" detox diet program, where he didn't eat or chew food for 21 days to quickly drop the pounds, sticking to an all-liquid diet. His Workout: Harvey was always on his feet, moving from the treadmill and core stimulation to some serious lifting, including military dumbbell presses, bent over rolls and lateral, frontal raise combos and lat pull-downs as well as other circiut training exercises like crunches and lunges. Plus: Harvey follows two rules to achieve his fitness goals. The first was "eat for what you're about to do, not what you've done," meaning he ate carbs before a workout and small lean protein-rich meals if he was about to be sedentary for awhile. He also aimed to "stimulate, not annihilate," meaning he worked out intensely, but not so much so that he was destroying his body. Harvey Says: "I tell jokes for a living. I'm not a body builder, I'm not a gym rat, I'm not spectacular, by any stretch of the imagination. For a 51-year-old guy, though, I'm pretty fly." Difficulty Level: 6
"Jake Gyllenhaal"
What He Did: Improved his physique and upped his athleticism. Why He Did It: After seducing his brother's widow in Brothers, Gyllenhaal had to seriously bulk up for his role in The Prince of Persia. What He Ate: Throughout the day, Gyllenhaal noshed on six small meals rich with protein, healthy carbs and fats, and lots of water. His Workout: Every morning Gyllenhaal did a 60-minute run outdoors over hot Moroccan sand while wearing a 20 pound flak jacket to simulate the weight of armor he'd wear while shooting. Then he'd spend 30 minutes doing squat thrusts and sprints in the evening. Plus: Jake relied on Parkour style training (French movement training that involves jumping or running between buildings or other outdoor structures) to master his stunt moves, along with horseback riding. Jake Says: "When you get Parkour down, or the essential idea of Parkour, it really is an extraordinary sport because there's an ease to it and it ends up not feeling that hard." Difficulty Level: 8
"Joe Manganiello"
What He Did: Manganiello got totally ripped, bulking up and shedding fat. His abs alone deserve their own transformation article. Why He Did It: Manganiello was hardly scrawny when he starred as Sophia Bush's love interest Owen Morello on the CW's One Tree Hill, but he had always wanted to get big and muscular. It wasn't until taking on the role as True Blood werewolf Alcide that he took fitness really seriously, and the results speak for themselves. What He Ate: Severely restricted his calorie intake, eating oatmeal, chicken, green beans, almonds, protein bars, apples and fish. See a full breakdown of his diet. His Workout: Manganiello worked out his chest and legs on Monday and Thursday, shoulders and biceps on Tuesday and Friday, and back and triceps on Wednesday and Saturday, and did 45 minutes of cardio every day before breakfast. Joe Says: "I had a friend of mine call me and tell me that it was a girl's birthday in his office and they got her a cake with my picture on it. A year ago I wasn't on anybody's cake. It makes me feel really good, and it makes me want to work even harder from a fitness standpoint." Difficulty Level: 7
"Drew Carey"
What He Did: The comedian, once famous for his chubbiness and iconic thick, black glasses, lost 70 pounds in five months. Why He Did It: Carey told US Weekly he was just "tired of being fat" What He Ate: Egg white, yogurt, fruit, lean meats and water. The hardest part: No donuts. His Workout: Carey gets advice from a trainer about what he should do, but he works out on his own, following a strict cardio program that involves lots of running. Plus: Once diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, Carey says after his transformation, he doesn't have the disease anymore. Drew Says: "I have cheated a couple times, but basically no carbs, not even a cracker. No bread at all. No pizza, nothing. No corn, no beans, no starches of any kind." Difficulty Level: 7
"Christian Bale"
What He Did: Bale dropped from 180 pounds to about 120 pounds. Then he bulked back up to 220 pounds. Why He Did It: To portray an anorexic, insomniac factory worker in The Machinist, then he got strong again to be Batman in The Dark Knight. What He Ate: To lose the weight, Bale went into starvation mode, eating a can of tuna, an apple and... nothing else. Every day. His Workout: To beef up after deflating himself for The Machinist, Bale had to kick-start his metabolism, which had been destroyed after starving himself. He used intense weight workouts, resistance weight training and plyometric circuit training, adding in martial arts training and lots of sprints, lunges, squats, chin-ups and high pulls. Plus: Bale wanted to get down to 100 pounds for The Machinist, but the movie producers told him it would be too detrimental to his health. Christian Says: "I'd done American Psycho and I bulked up purely for that part. But people start just going, 'Oh yeah, that guy's a real workout fanatic,' and that's not me, that's Patrick Bateman. It was a nice way to kill that dead by just destroying your body completely." Difficulty Level: 10
"John Goodman"
What He Did: The Roseanne and Treme star dropped 100 pounds. Why He Did It: The actor told PEOPLE he simply wanted to live life better. What He Ate: Goodman didn't stick to a strict diet, he just was more aware of eating healthy foods. He did cut out all alcohol and sugar. His Workout: John started running and doing other cardio workouts six days a week. Plus: John's idea wasn't to change his eating and exercise habits and then watch the weight peel off, it was to change his philosophy toward eating and exercise first. It wasn't how far he had run or how much protein he had eaten, it was how he had stayed committed to his new healthy lifestyle that made him drop pounds. John's secret weapon? A food journal. He wrote down everything he ate, which kept him honest and on track toward his goals. John Says: "I know it sounds sappy, but it was a waste. It takes a lot of creative energy to sit on your ass and figure out what you're going to eat next." Difficulty Level: 4
"Chris Hemsworth"
What He Did: Hemsworth packed on 20 pounds of muscle by eating constantly. Why He Did It: For his role as Thor in the action-packed blockbuster Thor. What He Ate: Hemsworth opted for high-protein foods, but also relied on non-processed carbs like fruits to help rebuild muscle by slowing muscle protein breakdown. Fiber-rich vegetables helped his cardiovascular health and muscle recovery. He made sure that what he was eating counted, eating quinoa instead of rice since it has protein, healthy fats and fewer carbs. His Workout: Before Thor, sports like surfing, boxing and rugby kept Hemsworth fit. But for the movie, he started getting serious about lifting, varying weight, reps and speed so that his muscles never got used to workouts. Even minor changes, such as swapping hand placement on a pull-up, can stimulate muscles in new ways. In fact, mixing things up is important no matter what kind of muscle gain you're looking for. Plus: Hemsworth bulked up so much that he didn't fit in any of his costumes. Chris Says: "I feel as if I've been busy, but all I've been doing is eating all day. Eating when you're not hungry and taking in that amount of food is exhausting." Difficulty Level: 6
"Michael Moore"
What He Did: Checking into Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa, a $4500-a-week luxury weight loss spa in Miami, helped the director of Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko shed 70 pounds. Why He Did It: Moore just got sick of being overweight and wanted to get healthy. What He Ate: Fiber-heavy foods (at least 35 grams a day!), making sure he was fueling himself with stuff heavy in weight but low in calories. Roger Ebert got Moore hooked on Pritikin, which theorizes that eating heavy foods naturally creates the same thing as gastric bypass, making you feel full faster. When he was most serious about losing weight, he cut out salt, white flour and sugar. His Workout: You won't see Moore at the gym doing the 300-rep Spartan workout—his main focus was to "eat less crap and move around more." Hey. It's better than nothing. Plus: Moore says all overweight people have three things in common: "We all drink diet soda but never lose any weight because it's so packed with sodium that it actually works against you, because it's breaking down the cellular structure by retaining fluid; number two, overweight people sleep less than seven hours a night, they never get a full night's sleep, which causes eating during the day to make up for it because you're tired, you need energy; and number three, we never eat. We put off eating because we're trying to not eat and then we get hungry by not eating. Michael Says: "Where I come from in the Midwest, I'm considered normal. That's not good." Difficulty Level: 3 for the "eating less crap and moving around more," 1 for blowing thousands on an expensive weight loss spa retreat.
"Randy Jackson"
What He Did: After tipping the scales at 350 pounds in 2001, Jackson underwent gastric bypass surgery and has managed to lose and keep off more than 100 pounds by eating healthfully and working out. Why He Did It: After being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2001, Jackson decided to get serious about his health. Around this time, Jackson had to be held in the emergency room for five days after feeling tired, thirsty, sweaty and dizzy. What He Ate: After the surgery Jackson was forced to start eating meals in moderation, and started filling up his plate with more fruits and vegetables. The music heavyweight, who used to love feasting on rich, buttery southern cuisine, learned to make low-fat sweet potato pie, salt-free Cajun spice bread and for the first time, corn without the bread. His Workout: There's a bulky treadmill next to Jackson's bed, strategically placed so that it's the first thing he sees when he gets out of bed. He usually walks on the machine for 35 to 45 minutes a day. The Dawg has also started getting down with the downward-facing dog, taking up yoga occasionally. Plus: Jackson keeps a little refrigerator his office that is stocked with his private stash of what he told WebMD is is healthy fare: baked Cheetos, diet soda and protein bars. (Note to Jackson: We actually think water and a banana would be even healthier fare.) Randy Says: "Liquid fasts. Bee stings. Urine of pregnant women. You name it. I have tried it.The problem is that those diets don't work for people who have the disease of obesity." Difficulty Level: 2
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