The chef and restaurateur also says his morning cold plunge is a crucial part of his wellness routine, calling it a “daily reset that keeps me going”
Guy Fieri is known for eating deep-fried treats around the country on his hit show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives — but says that even with his recent 30-lb. weight loss, he hasn’t had to give up his favorite foods.
“I think moderation is a real thing… I still eat what I want to eat. But I just don’t eat as much of it,” the chef and restaurateur, 56, told Men’s Health in a recent story for their May/June issue.
The Food Network star shared that he has lost weight over the last four years by reducing food portions and hiring a personal trainer who suggested intermittent fasting.
“It wasn’t as gnarly as you might think. I’m not a big breakfast fan,” he said about adjusting to intermittent fasting, a time-restricted eating plan that may help reduce calorie intake.
Fieri also began hitting the gym for rucking (walking with a weighted backpack, the Cleveland Clinic explains) and high-intensity interval training.
As he told Men’s Health, he ends his sessions with 15 minutes in a sauna and three minutes in a cold plunge.
“It’s a daily reset that keeps me going,” Fieri said of his post-workout recovery routine.
“The thing about cold plunges is that you gotta get through the first 30 seconds. When I started, I hated waiting on the timer to go off. But now I breathe and get into the right mind space. The energy it gives you. It gets me fired up. I do it every day.”
As he said in his 2022 cover story, Fieri starts his day with a 6 a.m. workout, and gave up alcohol on the weekends.
“I’ve changed my lifestyle in the last couple years — what I eat, when I eat, how I eat. I don’t want to be one of those guys that burns up through the tunnel,” Fieri said.
“I’m in better shape now than I was when I was 30. I don’t want to die young. I want to be around for my kids. I want to be around for Hunter and Ryder’s kids” he said about his two sons, aged 27 and 18 respectively, whom he shares with wife Lori.
And when it come to shooting for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, the Mayor of Flavortown said he’s not eating nearly as much as he appears to eat on-screen.
“Everybody thinks I chug down the whole cheeseburger,” he said. “I’ll try two items in a restaurant, three restaurants in a day. By the time I’ve had two bites of each food, I’m full.”
And as he reiterated to Men’s Health, “Unfortunately, in the DDD world, people like to go, ‘Oh, you’re the chef that eats the deep-fried pizza burgers with the ice cream toppings and all those huge, fried everythings.’”
“My response is ‘I don’t want to say that you don’t know what you’re talking about. But you don’t know what you’re talking about.’”
Fieri shared that he’s also started making healthier switches for his favorite indulgences, telling Men’s Health he likes to make lean turkey Bolognese with spaghetti squash.
“How can something that’s so good for you taste so great? The bit of cinnamon in that Bolognese takes this to the next level… I would have loved to have had that Bolognese with bucatini.”
He continued, “But if I have spaghetti squash instead, I know that’s 500 calories I’m not consuming. And it’s still delicious.”
