Christian Bale weight loss combines aggressive diet with a foolproof running technique that not only maximizes total calories burned, but it also maximizes your fat burning potential. The science is undeniable, so if you desire extreme results, simply create the same conditions that unlock the power of your body to make dramatic and rapid transformation. It’s not easy, but it works; in only four months Christian was able to lose 60 pounds or 30% of his beginning weight!
Christian Bale American Psycho
After you read the first way Christian lost weight you will agree he really was an American Psycho. But for the movie The Fighter he modified his approach to something I would recommend – a much easier approach where he felt healthy not starved.
How Did Christian Bale Lose Weight
I’m going to explain three different options and recommend the last. The first is a technique that Christian used to lose weight for the movie The Machinist. The second is a technique that Matt Damon used for the movie Courage Under Fire. The third approach is the one Christian Bales used to lose weight for The Fighter; it is a modified version using the best parts of each of the first two approaches. All three are extreme and each offers a unique benefit.
Christian Bale Weight Loss Diet
The first approach is aggressive diet only – it’s for people who are willing to go to the extremes in terms of diet but don’t want to exercise. He kept his diet extremely strict – only 275 calories a day from one apple, one can of tuna and supplements to maintain his vitamins and minerals. To manage his appetite he even started smoking. This diet is dangerous and Christian felt like he was starving himself (the images below give the same message). I think this is way too extreme and wouldn’t recommend it. Check out the pictures…
The Machinist
Christian stuck to this diet for four months to prepare for The Machinist He went from 185lbs to 122 lbs in only four months – 63 pounds or 34% of his total body weight.
[The director of The Machinist didn't ask him to diet and was completely
shocked when Bale came in to begin shooting.]
Christian Bale Machinist Pictures
[These Christian Bale Machinist Pictures show just how far he was willing to take his weight loss.]
“I was intrigued by a perverse nature of mine just to see if I can go beyond what I’ve been told is actually safe and OK and see if I could push the limits.” The crazy thing is that he was willing to go even further and planned to lose an additional 24 pounds! The producers stopped him because there are serious health risks when you get your body fat so low and live off such a small amount of nutrition.
Matt Damon Weight Loss
The second approach I am going to outline was used by Matt Damon to prepare for his role as a heroin addict in Courage Under Fire. It is different from the first approach by adding exercise and a more reasonable diet.
[Matt Damon weight loss combines a clean diet with significant exercise done twice daily. "I did it before the days of getting a nutritionist and a chef - you just got to run 13 miles a day with six and a half in the morning and six and a half at night.”]
The 13 miles created an additional daily 1300 calorie deficit allowing him to eat everyday food like chicken and veggies.
Matt Damon Weight Loss Diet
Matt’s diet consisted of eating only chicken, steamed broccoli, and plain potatoes with egg whites for variety. “If you go out to eat you have to have a conversation with the waiter and say, ‘I’m gonna be your worst nightmare. I’m gonna send the food back if I taste oil on it and I will taste the oil on it.’ You got to be that guy.” Daily consistency was Matt’s advantage to maintain weekly calorie deficits.
[Matt Damon Weight Loss Diet is tough - "You can never take a day off and, for four months, you eat nothing but chicken and egg whites and broccoli and no butter anywhere.”]
His results are impressive – in only 16 weeks he went from 155 lbs to 110 lbs. Imagine, 45 pounds from a starting point of 155, that’s a 29% drop in weight. No one was happier than Courage Under Fire director Francis Ford Coppola who became one of Matt’s biggest fans and gave him the lead in The Rainmaker.
But there’s an easier and more efficient way….
Christian Bale The Fighter Pictures
[For The Machinist Christian starved himself to maintain a daily calorie deficit of about 1600 calories. For The Fighter, he was able to eat a more reasonable diet and actually increase his daily calorie deficit to a range of 2000 to 3000 calories by adding endurance running.]
To lose weight for The Fighter, Christian added significant cardio but did it differently than Matt. Matt split his cardio up running 6.5 miles in the morning and 6.5 miles at night. Christian first established his aerobic stamina and then used long aerobic runs to maximize his fat burning. “I was just running like crazy. I could run 4 hours on and I felt really healthy.’
[These Christian Bale The Fighter Pictures show that Christian can deliver again and again – his plan works but he made it even easier this time.]
The running technique involves focused breathing and reigning in your desire to run fast. By keeping his heart rate between 65 and 75% of max he was able to fuel his exercise primarily from fat. His insight was that a faster pace would strip his muscle glycogen for energy which limits the amount of time he would be able to run. By controlling himself, he used his endless supply of fat for energy and was able to run comfortably for four hours at a time creating calorie deficits ranging from 1000 – 2000 per run. This sped up his fat loss and gave him room to eat a more balanced diet. This is the approach I would recommend.
Christian Bale weight loss has evolved to a very effective technique that works very well. Limit calories and leverage long runs for fat burning.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been a fan of both Christian Bale and Matt Damon for a long time. Both of these actors are really great at what they do and have a commitment beyond belief.
Christian Bale is a guy that really impresses me with his acting abilities and his dedication to the roles he plays but man what he did in “The Machinist” was so crazy it was scary. When I saw him in “American Psycho” his physique really inspired me to stay in top shape and it is still a reminder and motivation for me. But the more extreme weight loss approach is something else that is pretty dangerous. Then again, he did it for the art of filmmaking.
There are definitely safe and healthy approaches to weight loss as long as it is done following a healthy nutrition and exercise plan.
-Sam
Sam- Look Like An Athlete recently posted..Weighted Pull Ups- Do Them And Become The Gym Strong Man
Darren,
All three of these methods were clearly very effective. Christian Bale’s Machinist method was definitely crazy, but I actually think it’s easier to eat extremely low-calorie when you’re not running. It takes major discipline to run as much as Bale and Damon did for methods 2 and 3 and still maintain a reasonable diet.
I think this is why endurance cardio doesn’t work for weight loss for many people. Even a small amount can work up a major appetite They may run for a half hour or so per day and feel they can eat whatever they want instead of running for four hours a day while still controlling calorie intake.
Alykhan