James Martin shares foods he ditched to drop three stone in lifestyle overhaul

06 February 2024 , 10:51

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TV chef James Martin has shared how he lost three stone (Image: ITV)

James Martin managed to shed three stone thanks to getting rid of specific foods from his diet.

The TV chef, 51, once weighed 17 stone as he ended up eating for convenience rather than energy due to his busy lifestyle. He took part in Strictly Come Dancing back in 2005, where he had a complete overhaul of his diet and exercise regime. James had a dramatic weight loss on the BBC dance competition and has kept the weight off ever since.

He went from 17st to 14st by changing his lifestyle and sticking to a healthier way of eating. James doesn't eat takeaway pizza as he revealed: "I no longer stuff my face with really bad things." The star admitted to eating "tons" of calorie-heavy foods during a work day, "just like almost every other chef in the country".

James decided to quit certain foods after Strictly (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

The TV chef admitted he struggled with his weight while working (Getty Images)

Speaking to the Herald, he revealed he no longer eats "Mars bars and fizzy soft drinks". He added: "We might admire the Mediterranean diet but we don't eat the way the French, Spanish or Italians eat." According to the NHS, a Mediterranean diet focuses on plant foods like fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, and pulses, like, beans, chickpeas and lentils.

The diet includes moderate amounts of lean proteins like fish and chicken and low-fat dairy foods. Olive oil is used to replace other oils and fats in the diet. It can help lead to weight loss as plants are naturally lower in calories and high in fibre, which helps you feel fuller for longer.

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Instead of sipping on fizzy drinks, James now has 2.5 litres of water each day. In just one week on the BBC dance show, James said that he shed a stone in weight. Speaking about his diet, James said: "It’s hard work because I’m a big bloke so I’ve really got to watch what I eat and drink, and make sure I exercise regularly."

He binned butter while on Strictly and by the time his run on the competition came to an end, James had lost a staggering five stone. The TV star has now embraced butter again, and even wrote a book about it called Butter: Comforting, Delicious, Versatile – Over 130 Recipes Celebrating Butter.

James now disagrees that butter is too fatty and should be removed from people's diets. He insisted ready-made food is "the problem in this country," rather than butter consumption. The chef added: "It's the fact that not as many people cook in the UK as they do in France or Italy or Spain."

In another interview, James shared how being in the public eye and appearing on TV meant he was keen to keep off the extra weight. Speaking to Mail Online, James shared: "You kind of watch and go, 'Oh God there's a bit of chin happening there'. And everybody's TVs are bigger now. Before you used to watch TV on a small one and now they're massive."

While on Loose Women in 2019, James was asked if he is critical of his looks. He replied: "100% hence I’m wearing a jacket." Janet Street-Porter asked: "What about weight?" James confessed: "Weight is quite a big issue. Now she’s got a big TV. It never used to be a problem when she had a little TV. It's all relative. HD is horrific. I've never been a little lad. I’m 6ft 4 and 18 stone." He admitted he was a "bit thinner" when he started on TV back in 1997.

Mia O'Hare