My Emergency 2 Week Diet For a Movie Role

After meeting with the film makers, they told me they’d be getting in touch with me after they’d made their decision.  So I just requested that they would let me know if I was cast as soon as possible so that I can start dieting. It was less than 1 month that I would be starting to film so I would need to know as soon as possible in order to be in some sort of condition and not be a total blubber butt on set.

So just two weeks out from the shooting date, the director contacted me and decided to cast me for the role and wanted me to come in a little harder while maintaining as much size as possible.  This would be a daunting task because I really didn’t expect to be cast and was caught off guard when chosen.

So the plan of attack would be simple but sort of a juggling act.  I was trying to cut body fat but at the same time maintain a good amount of size in just 2 weeks.  I got on a good supplement program and was ready to start.  On day 1 of dieting, I decided to accelerate the cardiovascular program and take it to the streets, running around the neighborhood with my wife at night.  This was approximately 1 mile one time around and sometimes I would push the kids in the stroller running once and half times around then speedwalking the rest of the way.

This really helped in bringing me down in weight.  After just the first 3 days, I had lost already 10 pounds.  Let me stop you there before you ask the question – what was I eating?  We’ll get to that later.  At this point I had to stop running because I was dropping weight too rapidly.

For my weight training regimen, I would only dedicate 3 days a week for an hour and a half and doing another 15-20 minutes of stationary treadmill.  I kept my weight training simple and well rounded.  Targeting the upper and lower body on each session, hitting major and minor body parts each time I trained while switching muscle groups on a daily basis in order to include everything on a weekly basis.

For my diet, I wanted to drop body fat immediately so I cut out all the sugars, fats, dairies and breads.  So this meant I had to eat high protein like steaks, eggs, chicken breasts.  I also kept carbs high like white rice and oatmeal.  Another thing that I did differently from my normal diet that I usually don’t do is I included fresh fruits – mainly apples.  Occasionally I would do tablespoons of peanut butter in the morning just to keep my appetite under control.

I also supplemented with protein shakes occasionally during the times when a meal was hard to reach  or when I was in a rush.  At night I would still eat heavy like spaghetti or hamburgers, but this mainly started on the second week after I had dropped 10 pounds.

My weight training I kept simple but effective.  Again it was 3 days a week and I would train heavy as well as using light weight to keep my size but also shape the muscle with the higher reps.

Towards the end of the second week, I was able to cut the body fat down and raise my body weight almost back to 200 pounds.  My cardiovascular training was non-existent as I only trained with weights, keeping my sessions at a fast pace.  On the day of the shoot, I was able to maintain a lot of muscle fullness and had cut a significant amount of body fat.

This was the shortest amount of time I’ve ever been given to get ready for anything, so it was a matter of experimentation and hoping I’d be able to produce some type of condition for the role.

Since everyone’s body responds differently to food and training, my diet and workout plans may need to be customized to fit your own needs.  It can aid if you stick to it and alter the amount of carbs and fat you intake daily.