Chef Tom Kerridge's 12st weight loss - from '15 pints a day' to new diet plan
Tom Kerridge feared he was going to die young if he didn't lose drastic weight - so he dramatically changed his lifestyle and shed a staggering 12 stone.
The Michelin-star chef has been on our screens for over a decade, appearing on Great British Menu, MasterChef and Saturday Kitchen - and in that time, he's lost a whopping half of his body weight. When he was approaching his 40th birthday, Tom weighed 30 stone and was 'mortified' by how he looked.
He decided to cut two simple things out of his lifestyle and found a much healthier relationship with food. Now, 50-years-old, the This Morning chef has completely turned his life around.
Tom was 'mortified' by how he used to look at 30st and feared he'd die young (PA)Speaking to The Sunday Times after his weight loss journey, Tom claimed he was "mortified" by how he used to look. He said: "Say we live to 80. Well, I thought, I'm halfway there. And then I thought... I'm not going to get there. If I'm like this, I'm not going to make it." At his heaviest, he would go on massive drinking sessions, which usually started with a Negroni cocktail followed by a whopping 15 pints.
And so he decided to ditch alcohol and go cold turkey - which wasn't an easy task. He told the Mirror last year: "I stopped drinking all by myself. I knew what I wanted to do and then I got on with it. It was all about mental strength. I have an addictive personality. People ask me whether I'm an alcoholic, but I think it could have been anything, it's just that alcohol was the thing I found. Maybe I am an alcoholic, I don't know. Some days are really, really hard and some days are easy. Most of the time it's not relevant in my life. I channel all that old drinking energy into work now."
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As well as ditching booze, he decided to cut down on the amount of carbs he was consuming and started following the dopamine diet. This focuses on eating dopamine-inducing foods which are delicious and satisfying. Dopamine is a 'happy' hormone, which transits signals between nerve cells in the brain. Eating food causes dopamine to surge in our body, especially after eating sugary, fatty food. But in theory, protein-rich food should have the same effect and is a lot better for you.
He lost a whopping 12st after overhauling his diet (BBC/Bone Soup Productions LTD/Richard Hill)
He went teetotal and ditched booze completely (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Montblanc)"It's impossible to lose weight and keep the weight off for good if you don't enjoy what you're eating," he told The Mirror in 2017. "The cooking techniques mean there's no compromise on flavour and you're promised a generous plate of food! I'm hoping this will help more people to lose weight and still love what they eat."
Tom realised this wouldn't be a quick fix, so had to make a plan for what he would eat, and which foods he needed to remove from his diet. It took him 12 weeks to make the change and decide which recipes he would use. He told GQ: "As a chef, I was grazing and snacking throughout service. Or I'd be eating cheese on toast and packets of crisps because they were quick and there and ready to go. I was a big one to skip breakfast. I didn't have any."
To achieve his transformation, Tom added foods that were high in protein, including vegetables, tinned beans and eggs, as well as cutting out sugar so that he wasn't tempted to snack. Tom, who wrote a book about his health journey, eventually lost the weight, while still enjoying some treats, including dark chocolate.
Because he followed the dopamine diet, he was still able to enjoy dairy products, which he called his "dopamine heroes" - such as full-fat cheese, milk, yoghurt and double cream. He added: "There is nothing wrong with a flapjack in the afternoon when you get that 4pm lull if everything else is in place." Exercise is also important for Tom to stay in shape.
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