How Chris Pratt Bulked Up For “Terminal List”

Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt shows off his jacked physique in Prime Video’s new action revenge series The Terminal List, which dropped its first full season in July. From Guardians to the Jurassic World series, the former Parks and Recreation star has moved beyond the doughy physicality of Andy Dwyer and toward the look of his famous father-in-law, Arnold Schwarzenegger. How does he stay so fit? Read on to see five ways Chris Pratt stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

1. He Stopped Drinking

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Pratt focused hard on his diet and stopped drinking while training. He swapped out a pint of beer for a plate full of chicken and broccoli. Cutting out drinking allowed him to focus on working out and eating healthy without empty calories.

2. He Eased Into Training

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Pratt worked his way up in the gym. “To begin with, it was let’s train every other day, with some days off,” said former Navy SEAL and celebrity trainer P.T. Duffy Gaver. “After all, you don’t get fit in the gym, you just get beat up in the gym. You get fit recovering in bed and at your dinner table.”

3. He Did Strength Training And Floor Exercises

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After a quick warmup to get his heart pumping and blood flowing, Pratt engaged in high-intensity interval training and a lot of burpee reps. "When it comes to workout efficiency, HIIT is especially attractive in that it does not require a large amount of time to reap the benefits. HIIT workouts typically last 20-30 minutes and are extremely effective as long as the intensity level is high. From both a psychological and physiological perspective, it is easier to maintain a high level intensity for a brief period of time than it is over a longer period of time, greater than 30 minutes," says ACE Fitness.

4. He Did A Lot Of Weight Training

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Pratt did bodybuilding with few breaks and weightlifting combined with high-intensity interval training and the right diet. That’s what gave him his ripped body. "Weight training is a type of strength training that uses weights for resistance. Weight training provides a stress to the muscles that causes them to adapt and get stronger, similar to the way aerobic conditioning strengthens your heart," says the Mayo Clinic. "Weight training can be performed with free weights, such as barbells and dumbbells, or by using weight machines. You can also increase your strength through other types of resistance exercises, such as by using your body weight or resistance bands."

5. He Was Committed

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Dedication paid off. “I think Chris’s body at the time was working for the type of actor he was, but it was time for a change,” Gaver said. “I’m extremely proud of the work I did with Chris because it took him from being a character actor of sorts to being a leading man. And a really highly sought-after leading man.” Having a growth mindset can be more beneficial than people think, according to the Mayo Clinic: “Folks with this outlook understand that they can develop their abilities and adapt them to different situations. They know mistakes are inevitable, which helps them recover more quickly from setbacks.”

From the mighty Asgardian to the gritty streets of Gotham, these male stars have captured hearts and screens with their stunning physiques. Discover the secrets behind their jaw-dropping transformations as we delve into the intense regimens and dietary choices that have sculpted their bodies into works of art. From Chris Hemsworth's strategic meals to Dwayne Johnson's versatile workouts, and Hugh Jackman's commitment to the old-school way, these leading men share their fitness journeys. Unveil how dedication, discipline, and expert guidance turned actors into real-life superheroes, showcasing their awe-inspiring evolution both on and off the silver screen.

1. Chris Hemsworth

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Chris Hemsworth works with trainer Luke Zocchi to prepare for his role as Thor in different Marvel films. Zocchi talked about the actor’s diet and exercise in an interview with Page Six. “When we go into prep for movies like ‘Thor,’ it’s a massive increase in food,” Zocchi said. “He eats, like, six to eight meals a day. We’ve kind of got a structure. He found if he eats a really big meal he, like, feels too heavy, so they’re 450-calorie meals broken up into the eight. We try to eat every two hours and getting 450 calories in [each time].”

2. Dwayne Johnson

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For a lot of his roles, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has to be in good shape. His trainer, Dave Rienzi broke down how Johnson prepped for his role in Black Adam to GQ. “We tweak his training depending on the challenge or project, but for DJ, training is always six days a week, and we do strength and cardio each day. The Black Adam training process was chest and triceps, back and biceps, shoulders, arms, then chest and back – one of those groups a day – but focused on getting lots of blood into the muscle as opposed to training really heavy. Day six is normally on Sunday, so there's a day off beforehand, and that'll be leg day. We specifically planned a leg workout on the weekend because it's away from his working week so that he can recover without it impacting his job. Imagine going from a killer leg workout into 12 hours of filming? It wouldn’t work. A leg session these days can be something like: leg press, hack squat, chain lunges, 100 lbs dumbbell sumo squat, with no rest between them. Typically there’s a negative hold for three seconds and one-second pause at the bottom on something like the sumo squat. We use a lot of negatives.”

3. Jason Momoa

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Jason Momoa works with trainer Damien Viera to help him star in films like Aquaman. Viera opened up about Momoa’s diet in an interview with Men’s Journal. He says that the actor doesn’t believe in cutting carbs. “Jason couldn’t do something like a ketogenic diet, because he needs readily charged energy from carbs to be explosive. And when I say carbs, I’m not talking about breads and pastas—those are long gone. I’m talking about cruciferous vegetables and fruits. You can’t train the way we do with fat for fuel; you need the carbs for explosive movements.”

4. Zac Efron

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Patrick Murphy trained a lot of the stars of the film adaptation of Baywatch, including Zac Efron. Murphy talked about what he did with Efron and his castmates to Men’s Journal. “With Zac, I helped him create positive adaptations for perfect posture and alignment, all the while going through a very high-intensity program. I also plan ahead. I consider what type of supersets I’m slating for every workout. With Zac, it was ever-changing. I trained him for several months, and he never went through the same exact workout twice. That's how you avoid plateaus. I saw him daily, too, so it was amazing what happened.”

5. Hugh Jackman

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In an interview on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, Hugh Jackman talked about how he got in shape to play Wolverine. He says that he made sure to not take steroids and eat a healthy diet. “I got to be careful what I say here, but I had been told anecdotally what the side effects are of that. And I was like, ‘I don’t love it that much.’ So no, I just did it the old school way. And I tell you, I’ve eaten more chickens — I’m so sorry to all the vegans and vegetarians and to the chickens of the world. Literally the karma is not good for me. If the deity has anything related to chickens, I’m in trouble.”

6. Chris Pratt

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Chris Pratt made a massive transition career-wise in 2014, when he shifted from playing Andy Dwyer on Parks & Recreation, to starring in action films like Guardians of The Galaxy and Jurassic World. Pratt also had a massive physical transformation for these roles. He started working with Jared Shaw to help him achieve this. Shaw talked about working with Pratt to Men’s Journal. “Chris was still doing Parks and Recreation at that time and not in the shape he is today,” says Shaw. “I was supposed to work with him and a few other guys, but because he was just starting this journey I ended up spending a lot more time with Chris.”

7. Henry Cavill

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Henry Cavill is best-known for playing Superman in the DC films and for appearing in Enola Holmes and The Witcher. “I've been very fortunate over my career to have pros guiding me,” he told GQ. “As useful as that has been when it comes to physical results and how the body looks when I'm taking my shirt off on camera or whatever the case may be, it does certainly hinder my growth in knowledge. And so over the past couple of years, I've been trying to quiz my trainer, Dave Rienzi, more and more about the why of everything. ‘Why is that going in? Why this rather than that? Aren't they both carbohydrates? Why this protein versus that protein? What does it mean when you do this before or afterwards?’ And so my journey is still very much in process.”

8. Michael B. Jordan

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Michael B. Jordan is best known for his roles in the Creed films and as Killmonger in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Naturally, he’s got to be in good shape for these roles. Jordan talked about how he dieted for Creed on Good Morning America. “I stripped down my diet completely. Grilled chicken, brown rice, broccoli, a lot of water. I worked out two to three times a day, six days a week. And if you do that consistently for about 10 months, your body will change.”

9. Ryan Reynolds

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Ryan Reynolds has played two superheroes in his career: The Green Lantern in 2011, and Deadpool since 2016. To prepare for the latter role, Reynolds works with Don Saladino. In this post from Saladino’s Instagram, Reynolds is seen lifting weights in the gym. Saladino captioned the post, “Deadpool 3 training in full effect.”

10. Gerard Butler

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Gerard Butler made sure to get in shape for his role in the film 300. Butler talked about the process in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “That was the best shape I have ever been in in my life. In some ways I was ruining my body, but I was looking amazing doing it.”

Butler said that he worked out six hours each day, and did bodybuilding, fighting, and CrossFit.

11. Mark Wahlburg

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Mark Wahlburg opened up about his wellness in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “Getting the right amount of rest, really staying focused. My spirituality, my faith has got to be the center of it all.” Wahlburg also opened up about his new plan. “I don't have to do as much cardio, I don't have to spend as much time in the gym and I feel like I am getting better results.”

12. Vin Diesel

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Vin Diesel is in great shape. One of his secrets? Making sure he still enjoys exercising. “I work out less and enjoy it more these days,” Diesel admits to Men’s Health. “It’s a time in my week where I don’t have to juggle things. I can just exercise and be present."

13. Terry Crews

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Terry Crews is known for his impressive figure. Not only did he used to play football, he also played the muscular Terry Jeffords on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Crews opened up about fitness in this video for Men’s Journal. “Fitness is one of the most important things in my life. I do not start my day until I have my workout on.”

14. Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Arnold Schwarzenegger is known for several roles, particularly his role as the Terminator. He talked about his fitness secrets to The Hollywood Reporter. “We all know the rules of life: Hardship and struggle makes you stronger. So I always look forward to discomfort. Why do I go skiing in Aspen for three days in high altitude that wipes you out? Because it’s tough to do, especially at my age. Everyone is talking about their feelings. That’s OK if that’s how you want to occupy yourself. How I feel is irrelevant. I don’t give a fuck how I feel. What I care about is: ‘What can I do to make it better?’ Sometimes I get out of bed and feel shitty. But I get on a bike or go feed the animals and suddenly I feel great.”

15. Keanu Reeves

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Keanu Reeves is known for playing the title character in the John Wick franchise. Reeves’ trainer, Patrick Murphy, talked about working with the actor to GQ. “I’ve trained talent for 25 years,” says Murphy. “Keanu is second to none when it comes to focus and effort for a physical role. He 110% gives it his all, day in and day out. It’s one of the many reasons why he is respected by so many who work with him.”

16. Idris Elba

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Idris Elba opened up about his workout secrets to Men’s Journal. He says that he likes to kickbox when he can. "I'm not really allowed to do it while I'm working because it's considered too dangerous," he says. "Film producers get very nervous…"I'm not really fussy. I just need a couple of speed bags."

17. Dave Bautista

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Dave Bautista talked about how he got in shape for Guardians of The Galaxy, Vol. 2 to Muscle and Fitness. “With Drax always being shirtless, there’s no room to hide any fat,” says Bautista. “I really focused on being in better shape and more muscular. I still do a lot of cross training, a lot of boxing and grappling. But I did gear a lot of my training toward weights this past year.”

18. Bradley Cooper

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On an episode of the SmartLess podcast, Bradley Cooper talked about how Will Arnett helped him overcome addiction. "I was so lost, and I was addicted to cocaine," he recalled. “Will is the reason (I overcame it). He took the risk of having that hard conversation with me in July of 2004, and that put me on a path of deciding to change my life."

19. John Cena

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John Cena talked about the difference between wrestling and doing his stunts in Peacemaker to People. “Movie coordinator stunt performers are massive amounts of repetition not only through practice, but through performance as well. Whereas you can practice your craft in WWE, but once you're out there live, it happens once and there really is no wrong. It just is. There's also no enormous, energetic, unbelievable crowd cheering you on as you do all this stuff and it has to be done from many angles and many perspectives.”

20. Ben Affleck

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Ben Affleck talked about his struggles with Imposter Syndrome to Complex. “What I’ve discovered is that the idea that outside approbation or approval is going to fill the place in you that is anxious or wanting or feels like it has something to prove. It doesn’t actually do it, strangely enough. You have these moments that are supposed to create that feeling in you and I think one finds that it generally doesn’t. It’s not lasting, that the things that last in life are not the totems or trophies or ribbons.”

In the world of big-budget blockbusters, movie stars often undergo incredible transformations to portray iconic characters. From intense workout routines to specialized diets, these actors commit themselves to becoming the physical embodiment of their roles. In this article, we'll take a closer look at 25 Hollywood stars who got fit for their major blockbuster performances. Discover the dedication and hard work behind their stunning on-screen appearances, as they share their fitness journeys and wellness secrets. Prepare to be inspired by their determination to bring beloved characters to life on the silver screen.

1. Chris Pratt

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Chris Pratt made a large body transformation after transitioning from starring on Parks and Recreation to starring in several action movies. Notably, Pratt lost 60 pounds in 6 months. He opened up about how he got in shape for Guardians of The Galaxy to Best Fit. “They held up the selfie from Zero Dark Thirty and said, ‘You’re too fat for Star-Lord. How long will it take you to look like this?’ They gave me five-and-a-half months.”

2. Hugh Jackman

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Hugh Jackman is preparing to play Wolverine in Deadpool 3. On Instagram, he revealed that he is bulking up and eating 8,000 calories a day. He captioned the post, “Bulking. A day in the life. Thank you, Chef Mario, for helping me stay healthy and properly fed whilst… Becoming. Wolverine. Again.”

3. Gal Gadot

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In order to play Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot works with Magnus Lygdback. He shared how the actress got in shape for Wonder Woman 1984 to the Hollywood Reporter. “Both [director] Patty Jenkins and Gal had a vision of how Wonder Woman should look, and they didn’t change much. They had the same for this one, but it was more about making sure that Gal was as strong and as healthy as possible.”

4. Scarlett Johansson

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Scarlett Johansson’s trainer, Eric Johnson, shared how the actress gets in shape to play Black Widow with the Hollywood Reporter. “What is the Black Widow able to do? Lift 500 pounds. We’re trying to create this crazy comic book hero in real life with somebody who’s normal.”

5. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

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No matter what role he plays, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is always in great shape. He tells Muscle & Fitness that his father, pro wrestler Rocky Johnson, inspired him to workout as a kid. “Other dads took their kids to the playground,” said Johnson. “Mine took me to the gym, and the gyms he took me to were very hardcore. Weight rooms? Really? But it was important bonding time for us, and it was there that I learned at a very young age that there’s no substitute for hard work.”

6. Charlize Theron

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For Charlize Theron, staying in shape is easy. She shared her biggest tip for exercising consistently with Red Online. “I’ve always believed that if you find something you love, exercise won’t be a chore. I love anything outdoorsy. My mum recently got me to play tennis, which I wasn’t good at, but really enjoyed. If you do exercise you enjoy you’re keeping yourself fit without even realising it.”

7. Will Smith

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Will Smith’s personal trainer, Aaron Ferguson, shared how the actor got in shape for Suicide Squad with Men’s Journal. “Using very controlled motions with not too much weight, but perfect form, because we couldn’t chance anyone getting injured again. We were trying to build up the shoulders and slim down the waist to give that real action-figure look, which I think we accomplished.”

8. Tom Hardy

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Tom Hardy opened up about how he gets in shape for roles in an interview with askmen. "When it came to conditioning my body for the role of Charles Bronson, there was no official regime: I did very non-specific exercises such as press ups, push ups, abs work and resistance training. My approach was to do a lot of repetitions in order to send messages to my muscles: this helps them start to grow in a way that you can’t make them in the gym."

9. Jason Momoa

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Jason Momoa’s trainer, Damian Viera, shared how the actor stays in shape in an interview with Men’s Journal. “We’ll clean the organs—the liver, kidneys, gall bladder, and intestines. And in the process of cleaning, the water weight drops and we achieve that skin-to-muscle ripped look you’ll see in Aquaman.”

10. Emily Blunt

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Emily Blunt has to stay healthy, and avoid getting sick, to keep up with her schedule. She shared one of her tips for doing so with Glamour. "I would say if you feel yourself coming down with a cold, which I'm like the worst person to nominate this because I sound horrible today - tail end of laryngitis. But... oil of oregano. You sort of just throw a few drops down there. It's disgusting, you burn your throat but I do tend to find it shortens the cold."

11. Jennifer Lawrence

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Jennifer Lawrence works with Dalton Wong to help her stay in shape. Wong shared some of his biggest wellness tips in an interview with Well + Good. "When you give your body the foods, exercise, and rest it needs, the complaints hush up, those unhappy symptoms vanish, and you feel good.”

12. Henry Cavill

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Henry Cavill shared some of his wellness tips that helps him stay in shape with GQ. “The protein shakes before bed, they are a real lifesaver for me. Especially with the amount of work, with the amount of output I have. It's important to make sure that all the right stuff is getting in at the right time so you don't lose anything and you're not wasting any time at the gym.”

13. Tom Holland

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Tom Holland works with trainer George Ashwell to help him get in shape for playing Spiderman. Ashwell tells Esquire that he had Holland do a lot of weight training. "It'd be a whole-body circuit split into perhaps a posterior chain legs exercise with a horizontal push and pull, (so chest and back) then anterior legs (like a squat) with a vertical push and pull."

14. Zoe Saldana

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Zoe Saldana revealed on Facebook how she eats healthy for her role as Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “I am going to remove the word 'diet' from my life. I am going to remind myself that it is not about losing weight, it is about being healthy, feeling healthy, for the rest of my life. I am gonna try to focus on what weekends are really for-resting and making time for your loved ones ... And when chow time arrives? I will make amazing and healthy decisions.”

15. Vin Diesel

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Vin Diesel makes sure to work out on a regular basis. He shares a lot of his favorite workouts on Instagram. Diesel makes sure to do a variety of things. In this photo, Diesel is seen using the elliptical. He also shared this video of himself using a circle to get himself in a plank. Diesel captioned that post, “There are times when a specific role calls for great physicality... Cage is one of them. Welcome to the Xander zone.”

16. Margot Robbie

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Margot Robbie opened up about how she got in shape to play Tonya Harding in I, Tonya with Body & Soul. “[I did] as much as we could possibly do before production started. I think I did about three or four months of skating, like five times a week for a couple of hours a day. Even if I had 10 years to practice, I could never do a triple axel.”

17. Constance Wu

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Constance Wu shared some of her wellness secrets with Health magazine. In it, she talked about her approach to eating. “Understanding the difference between pleasure choices and stress choices. One piece of chocolate is pleasure. Ten pieces of chocolate is stress."

18. Mark Wahlberg

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Mark Wahlberg opened up about his diet in an interview with Men’s Health. He says that he eats a plant-based diet. “I was just eating chicken, fish, steak, pork. I found myself toward the end of the movie, after 6 months, having a leaky gut. So I did a bone broth fast, and I’ve been eating just plant-based for about three weeks now. I’ve got to tell you, I feel really good.”

19. Anne Hathaway

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Anne Hathaway has gotten in shape to play different roles. For her role as Rebekah Neumann in the series WeCrashed, Hathaway decided to change her diet to the characters’. "I became a raw vegan,” she said on The Late Show. “Rebekah is a very passionate vegan.”

20. Chris Evans

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Chris Evans shared how he stays in shape to play Captain America with Men’s Health. Evans says that he keeps things simple. “It's as simple as stretching in the morning," he said. "Things like that. Making sure you're drinking water, that you go to bed at a reasonable time, making sure you're not drinking too much coffee or beer, simple things, but they add up."

21. Brie Larson

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Brie Larson works with nutritionist Dr. Phillip Goglia to get her in shape for her role as Captain Marvel. Dr. Goglia told People that Larson drank a lot of protein shakes in the morning. "The most recent science has shown that a little bit of fat and a little bit of simple sugar will actually increase intensity while you train early in the morning… and allow you to still continue to train and burn fat. That really does start your engine for you."

22. Ryan Reynolds

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Ryan Reynolds opened up about how he got in shape to play Deadpool to Muscle and Fitness. “Most of it is self-preservation. You want to still be able to get up after take 50 of falling off some ledge and landing on cement. As I’ve gotten older, falling on cement has become less and less hilarious.”

23. Matt Damon

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Matt Damon’s trainer, Jason Walsh, shared how the actor stays in shape to play Jason Bourne with Muscle and Fitness. “He loved Bulgarian split squats. And those were really good for him because they helped him with mobility, but they also helped with strength. Try it. It’s a huge demand on the lungs and the metabolic system.”

24. Chris Hemsworth

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Chris Hemsworth revealed how he got in shape for Thor: Love and Thunder to Disney. “We’d try more swimming then try more martial arts and adjust calories. It was a really fun exploration. I got really big and fit but then just had to hold it for four months, which was very hard.”

25. Gemma Chan

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Gemma Chan shared how she got in shape for her role in Eternals with Vogue. "I like doing yoga. I’ve just started Pilates which is brutal–so brutal, deceptively so. But I do enjoy that and I have a mini morning routine."

Joshua Swiger appeared on Jeopardy in January 2020—right before the pandemic. At the time he became a champion, he weighed over 400 pounds. “I became known for being the aloha shirt guy on ‘Jeopardy,’” he told Hawaii News Now. However, something happened to inspire the married father of two to kickstart his weight loss journey, which has resulted in a 200-pound weight loss in just two years. What happened and how did he do it? Read on to see the things Joshua Swiger did to lose 200 pounds—and to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!

1. The Pandemic Halted His Career

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When the pandemic resulted in tourism shutdown in Hawaii, Swiger’s life changed. He owned a small tourism company, so work dried up fast. “The summer was going to be really great for me, and the business 100% shut down in a matter of days,” he said.

2. He Realized He Was “Morbidly Obese”

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He started searching for other jobs, which forced him to look at himself in a new light. “I was not just overweight, not just obese, but according to the charts morbidly obese,” he says. “I didn’t feel like I was that big until I looked in a mirror, then I would say, ‘Oh, my goodness!’” He was suddenly motivated to get into shape.

3. He Changed His Diet

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One of the key ways that Swiger slimmed down was focusing on his diet. "Do you want to adopt a healthy diet but aren't sure where to start? As you consider the parade of healthy diets in magazines and cookbooks, make sure to look for one that:

• Includes a variety of foods from the major food groups: fruits; vegetables; whole grains; low-fat dairy products and lean protein, including beans and other legumes, nuts and seeds; and healthy fats
• Provides guidelines for how much food to choose from each group
• Includes foods you can find in your local grocery store — rather than specialty or gourmet store items
• Fits your tastes, lifestyle and budget," advises the Mayo Clinic.

4. He Started Exercising

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“I try to a hike once or twice a week. I mix it up a lot. I end up doing some sort of activity pretty much every day,” he said. He also works out in a local park several days a week doing body weight exercises to blast fat.

5. He Attributes His Weight Loss Success to the Pandemic

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Swiger believes that if he hadn’t embarked on his health journey he would have paid the price. “I’m pretty sure that in another five or six years I would have seen some very serious health problems,” he said. “I don’t think I would have done this without the pandemic and that’s a really weird thing to say. "

6. He Has a New Career—As a Personal Trainer

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Swiger has lost half his body weight, reaching his target goal of less than 200 pounds. Now, he has a new career as a personal trainer and fitness instructor. “My mission from now on is to encourage and inspire as many people as I can so that they can do impossible things too,” he said.

Known for his work in American History X, Blow, Remember the Titans, John Q, The Wolf of Wall Street, several of Kevin Smith's films—as well as Boy Meets World and My Name Is Earl—Ethan Suplee has always had a booming career. The award-nominated actor achieved great success professionally, but personally was fighting a private battle--addiction. The 47-year-old has dealt with heroin, alcohol, and food issues, and was told by doctors he was going to die.

"There have been countless mornings that I’ve woken up, as though startled by a terrifying nightmare, with the need for change," he told Celebwell. "The idea that change was needed came frequently but was also frequently forgotten. There would be some effort put into actually changing, but for a long time, I was easily moved off of that path." He adds, "Eventually, I was able to hold onto it long enough to make some progress, and when I’d lose grasp of it, I wouldn’t slide all the way back to the starting line or further."

After going to rehab several times, Suplee was able to overcome his drug addiction and get sober, but knew he also had more work to do. "With regard to my weight, the change occurred in 2002," he explains. "I had gone through much the same thing with sobriety and finally got a decent grasp on that in 2001, and with sober eyes, I was then able to confront the next hurdle, my weight." He adds, "I began dieting, of my own volition in 2002. I got down to 280 pounds, then went back up to 400+. Then I got down to 220 and went back up to 400." For the last 20 years, the father of four has fought to change his complicated relationship with food, losing over 200 pounds and totally transforming physically.

In an exclusive interview with Celebwell, Suplee reveals what led to his weight loss and how he helps others with the same struggles on his podcast American Glutton. "I am very interested in having conversations about both people’s problems and solutions in regards to health, fitness, and weight and get to do that each week." Read on.

1. He Stopped Eating in Secret

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Suplee’s unhealthy relationship with food started when he was just 5-years-old. His grandparents began limiting his food because they were “shocked” by his weight and he learned that if he wanted a second helping at dinner, he had to do it quickly without them seeing him. This led to a fear of people seeing him eat and would binge meals in private. "I didn’t like people to see me eating, so I ate very quickly," he shares. "I also found that some euphoria accompanied binge eating, I thoroughly enjoyed that. So I no longer eat in secret and no longer overeat, this is a difficult thing to learn because for so many years I trampled over my body’s satiety cues." He continues, "I’m not totally sure I’m entirely aware of them even today. I can tell when I’m hungry, but not really when I’ve eaten enough. I had to learn what a proper meal was for my body, and stick generally to that, not eat it so quickly that anyone I’m eating with still has food on their plates, which leaves me wanting to fill mine again because sitting and watching people eat while not eating also makes me uncomfortable."

2. He Changed His Mindset About Eating

"I used to think of a diet as though it held all the secrets to the universe, that I could achieve some zen state of happiness and normalcy through dieting," he tells us. "Having set so many arbitrary numerical goals, achieved them, and felt no mental or spiritual relief from the very same madness I’d felt at my heaviest, I’ve learned to set my expectations a bit lower for what weight loss can provide."

Instead of trying to stick to various diets, Suplee now adopts a healthy lifestyle. "Also, dieting won’t keep the weight off, so if I want both those things, knowing that’s absolutely all I’ll get out of it, my entire life needs restructuring. Dieting is a tool to reduce body fat, and nothing more."

3. He Did Keto But Stopped

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Suplee tried Keto for a while, but stopped because "it didn't seem right." He shares, "In 2017 my wife Brandy, who had never encouraged me to diet was upset because I had to have what would’ve been an outpatient procedure (ruptured distal biceps tendon repair, caused by a fight scene in a show I was filming at the time called Chance), in a hospital. They told her that I had to have it done in a hospital because of my weight." For health concerns, Suplee's wife wanted him to make changes. "She said she didn’t care what I weighed, but she wanted me under the number that separated outpatient and hospitalization… so I started doing keto again, and despite sticking to it exactly, I wasn’t losing weight (although I had lost weight on keto in the past), so I started doing the keto “hunger” diet - Keto, but just never felt full. I started losing weight… but it didn’t seem right."

4. He Started Eating Carbs Again and Began Losing Weight

After not having success on Keto, Suplee switched up his diet. "I decided to look into what all the macronutrients were doing to my body exactly," he says. "Allowing myself to eat carbohydrates again after a long period of believing they were poisonous, was pretty scary, but as long as I stayed in a mild caloric deficit, I steadily lost weight. I have maintained (aside from getting very lean once for a photo shoot and once for a movie) my weight for the past 5 years."

5. He Doesn't Eat Processed Foods

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Suplee has now learned what works for him and shares what he typically eats. "My diet is protein-focused, with the remainder of my daily food allotment in carbohydrates and fats that I consume at my own discretion," he explains. "I try not to eat too many processed foods, mostly because I find I don’t get much bang for my buck with them, I can easily overeat them and I am often hungrier faster after eating them. I try to take in more omega 3’s than omega 6 with my ancillary fats, these would be the fats I eat above and beyond whatever fats are commingled naturally with the protein I’m eating."

6. He Works Out Six Days a Week

As you can see from his Instagram posts, Suplee hits the gym hard but gives himself a day off each week. "On Sundays, I generally don’t go to the gym, so I will usually up my fats and reduce my carbohydrates," he says. "When I work out first thing in the morning, the meal that follows the gym usually has the majority of my day’s carbohydrates in it." He adds, "I try and get to the gym 6 days a week, all my exercise will be on a 5-6 week progressive overload schedule, week one being the easiest, week 5 or 6 is really tough, heavier, more reps, more sets, even my cardio will increase, week one will usually be 30 minutes a day, week 6 will be nearly an hour."

7. How Losing Weight Changed His Life, But Didn't Solve All His Problems

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Suplee has worked hard to completely transform his body and conquer many issues, but losing weight didn't solve all of life's problems. "My knees hurt less, I’m more active, have better energy, and the problem of my weight, which I viewed the entirety of my life through, has waned quite a bit," he says. "I’d expected all the other difficulties of life to disappear because I looked at them as though they were all caused by my weight. This wasn’t the case, and now I am able to actively tackle them with intention, instead of just thinking the one issue of losing weight would solve the rest." He concludes, "Though losing weight doesn’t solve everything, I did find it a good starting point, so I am at least able to tackle life with a healthy body, rather than being slowed by focusing on needless health issues that were resolved simply by losing weight."