London - After years of attempting to reduce Britain's waistlines, Jamie Oliver has turned his attention to his own weight – with impressive results.
He has gone from showing distinct signs of chubbiness to a slimline look. And the celebrity chef has achieved his transformation not by cutting down on food – but by eating more.
The popular TV chef, who turned 40 in May, has revealed that he has shed almost 2st (about 13kg). Oliver, a father of four, said he was able to transform his figure by decreasing the meat content of his diet and increasing the amount of vegetables he eats.
The key, he explained, is to eat filling foods that are also high in vitamins and minerals, adding: ‘Food is medicine.’
Oliver said he now tucks into nutritious foods such as seaweed, nuts and eggs, as well as using herbs for seasoning instead of salt – and has cut out alcohol on weekdays. Despite recently launching a campaign to encourage people to consume less sugar, he said it was important not to eliminate it completely.
His wife Jools, 40, had previously defended Oliver’s weight – dismissing claims that he was starting to become a ‘tubby hubby’.
But speaking on ITV’s This Morning this week, Oliver, whose latest series Jamie’s Super Food is being shown on Channel 4, said: ‘I lost 12 kilos quite quickly and I didn’t do it through not eating. I ate a lot, more than I was used to. I pushed meat down, pushed veggie up, got more sleep and more movement.’
‘You can totally still have a biscuit. I am a food lover, apart from hydrogenated fats, I am not anti any food – including sugar.’
Last month, in an interview with Radio Times, he spoke about his new lifestyle and explained that sleep was just as important as healthy eating in contributing to his weight loss.
He claimed he got his ‘twinkle back’ after ditching late nights – often getting by on just three hours sleep – for bed at 10pm.
‘Sleep has become profoundly important,’ he said. ‘I didn’t understand the value of it.’
Daily Mail