Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is well-known for his love of exercise and a healthy lifestyle and after he lost three stone he sticks to the same meals every day to stay in shape
TV cook Gordon Ramsay has a very strict diet and a clever trick up his sleeve to stop himself eating all the delicious dishes he whips up in his restaurants. At a time when many are trying to stick to New Year’s resolutions, which may include cutting back on the booze and losing weight, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay will simply be following the same daily plan he always does.
The TV star is renowned for scrupulously high standards when it comes to his award winning restaurants but he applies the same amount of discipline to his personal life, in particular his health. He is now the ripe old age of 58, not that you’d know it to look at him. His lean, muscular physique is that of a man much younger and he regularly runs marathons and takes part in Iron Man competitions and triathlons. Diet is obviously a key factor in staying fit and the dad of six, who is married to wife Tana, has revealed what he eats every day to keep the pounds off.
He sat down with Jason Fox from SAS: Who Dares Wins for a Men’s Health Interview. Jason revealed that when he’s going through an intensive period of training and eating clean he forces himself to eat “boring” food so wanted some tips from the chef on how to make his diet a little more interesting.
“Good food doesn’t have to be boring food and healthy food never has to be fad food,” he told him before explaining what he does to make things more tasty. “Whether it’s having a chilli or whether it’s the most amazing spice, I’ll always make something delicious out of pretty plain, basic food.” He then went on to reveal exactly what he eats every day to stay trim.
“I love eating,” he said. “Protein shake in the morning, scrambled eggs for lunch, and then something poached for dinner, whether it’s poached chicken or fish. We don’t do lots of salads but it’s finding that balance.” He advised Jason, who usually eats boiled chicken when dieting, to thinly slice some vegetables and add to the chicken before poaching it.
So how does he manage to resist eating all the mouth-watering dishes that are served up in his restaurants? Simply by being “super disciplined”. He only allows himself to have two mouthfuls of a recipe to test it and no more. “It’s painful because you sit there like the green-eyed monster, desperate to devour that whole f*****g plate,” he confessed. “I’ll discipline myself to two mouthfuls and then I get the f*** out of that plate. It pains me but I know if I eat a third, fourth, fifth, that’s it – you know, it’s game over.”
Gordon hasn’t always been so healthy though and it was when he turned 40 he realised that his life was out of control because of his hugely successful career. “I had no time. I was [working] seven days a week, [I ha]} restaurants opening all over the place, Michelin stars coming out my arse and all of a sudden my life got consumed,” he revealed. “So I took a good look at myself and I realised I was overweight, out of control and I’d forgotten my time. I’d forgotten the most important part of my day and that was that 90 minute [exercise] session, five days a week to myself.”
He now tries to exercise at least four or five times a week doing a combination of running, rowing, swimming, cycling and weights. He ups his work outs and has longer sessions when work is quieter so he can “bank” it for the times he’s needed on new projects.
When it comes to finding the inspiration to keep up his healthy lifestyle, he looks to his family. His youngest two sons get him up at 5.30am when he’ll have a work out but he’s also driven to push on because of his dad, Gordon Snr and brother Ronnie. His father was an alcoholic with a love of fried food. He died in 1997, just before he was due to have a heart bypass and Gordon says he realises the same could happen to him unless he stays disciplined.
His brother is a drug addict, who Gordon has spoken about in the past. The two grew up together and shared bunk beds in their small family council home and the Kitchen Nightmares star knows he could so easily have had the same life as his sibling, who is only 15 months younger. “Ronnie could have been me and I could have been Ronnie and so I think reminding yourself constantly you know there’s a backdrop, you know there is a downside, staying on resilience and dealing with adversity [is important],” he said.
What is your favourite healthy meal? Let us know in the comments below.
