The Roseanne star showed off his weight loss in 2018. According to his personal trainer, John Goodman lost more than 150 pounds. And he did it by following a Mediterranean diet and cutting down on red meat. And of course, a lot of exercise.
He also made one of the most important changes to his lifestyle. And that is portion control. Goodman started paying more attention to how many calories he consumed. Let’s see how the celebrity actor achieved his goal.
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Past struggles
John Goodman has had struggles with weight for most of his life. And throughout his acting career, jokes about his weight followed his appearance. These jokes served as part of his comedy and aura as an actor. But the problem grew bigger. The jokes further complicated his relationship with weight loss.
For many years, John tried to lose weight but without any success. In an interview in 2011, he said that whenever he could shed some pounds, he would gain it all back shortly afterward. And that year he approached 400 pounds. He decided to find a sustainable diet that would leave to a regular healthy lifestyle.
Why the Mediterranean diet?
In 2011, John Goodman in consultation with his personal trainer choose the Mediterranean diet as his go-to move. Why? Well, because there are many reasons for it. For starters, the Mediterranean diet is a high-fat diet. The diet also improves your gut microbiome, and it is not a diet per se. Think of it as a celebration of food. And most importantly, the diet has anti-inflammatory properties.
Besides trying a new “diet”, John also had to quit alcohol. By 2018, he lost more than 100 pounds. And he could easily follow it. This diet has olive oil as one of the main ingredients. Diets high in healthy fats make it easier for people to follow. One important reason, when you consume foods with healthy fats, you feel fuller. And you are less likely to snack on empty calories afterward.
The diet also has anti-inflammatory properties and improves digestion. The Mediterranean diet improves good bacteria in the gut, aiding digestion and boosting your metabolism. You practically consume clean and whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
Most foods part of the Mediterranean diet, including tomatoes, olive oil, green leafy vegetables, nuts, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, and fatty fish have anti-inflammatory properties.
How he did it?
John embarked on a massive weight loss journey. And he had help going forward. He worked with a personal trainer.
Besides following the Mediterranean Diet, John also tried portion control. He put more focus on how many calories he consumes. Before that, John says, “I was just shoving everything into my mouth. But I don’t want to be an example to anybody when the weight comes thundering back on. Now, I have more control over how many calories I consume”.
Back in 2015 and 2016, he already started showing signs of losing weight. But at the time, he still had fears that he will get back the weight. In fact, John says, “I was convinced it would come back. I often gain back all the weight I have lost”.
But this time, he had a wake-up call from his personal trainer and longtime friend, Mackie Shilstone. Mackie took him to a cemetery in New Orleans, asking him to dig his own grave, point out that he already had one foot in the grave. And while it sounds creepy, that wake-up call changed John’s life.
His trainer put him on a year-long plan, eating mostly plant-based foods and reducing the intake of red meat.
John also took up boxing as a cardio exercise. This helped him burn some calories and steam. Also, boxing served as a great way to “burn” negative energy and anything that bothered him.
What about surgeries?
Many fans have asked whether John Goodman underwent any surgery to attain his weight loss goals. But that is one question John hates to answer. He admits to battling with yo-yo dieting, but he says he would have never tried surgery.
Instead, he shares his secret of portion control and exercise. Most importantly, he cut off alcohol. Nowadays, John works six days a week with his trainer.
John is very open with his personal struggles with alcohol and overeating. But there is nothing that suggests he underwent surgery to help with weight loss. Yes, some celebrities consider a gastric bypass or any similar surgery for weight loss. But John tried to lose weight the natural way. And he chose one of the best diets to do it.
As we said before, the Mediterranean diet is more than a diet. It is a lifestyle change that will make your life healthier and happier.
