Tom Kerridge, famed for cooking delicious meals on our TV screens and in Michelin-starred restaurants, has hailed one simple diet swap that ‘saved his life’ and caused him to drop an impressive 12 stone.
The celebrity chef, who weighed 30 stone when he was 40 years old, knew he had to make a change when he began fearing that his habits could cost him his life.
However, he ended up turning his whole life around and improving his health and wellbeing by giving up alcohol altogether – something that he put down to having a great deal of ‘mental strength’.
The Mirror reports that Tom would have huge drinking sessions in which he’d enjoy a Negroni cocktail followed by a whopping 15 pints. But after one particularly heavy night, he decided enough was enough, and went completely cold turkey.
Speaking on Radio 4’s Desert Island Disks, he said: “One day that was it. I have completely destroyed alcohol for myself.” After deciding to cut down on his carb intake too, he ended up losing an impressive 12 stone.
He is a huge advocate of the dopamine diet, which involves eating protein-rich foods aiming to trigger a surge of dopamine in the body – otherwise known as the ‘happy’ hormone.
It’s often triggered by eating sugary or fatty foods, but can also work with healthier options, making it better for you. Speaking to The Mirror in 2017, Tom said: “It’s impossible to lose weight and keep the weight off for good if you don’t enjoy what you’re eating.
“The cooking techniques mean there’s no compromise on flavour and you’re promised a generous plate of food! I’m hoping this will help more people to lose weight and still love what they eat.”
He made a plan for what he wanted to eat and which ones he wanted to remove from his diet, making sure to include things like vegetables, eggs and tinned beans, as well as cutting out sugar.
However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the occasional treat, such as dark chocolate. The TV star was still able to enjoy dairy products, which he called his “dopamine heroes” – such as full-fat cheese, milk, yoghurt and double cream.
Stopping drinking was Tom’s biggest challenge. “I stopped drinking all by myself,” he told The Mirror. “I knew what I wanted to do and then I got on with it. It was all about mental strength. I have an addictive personality. People ask me whether I’m an alcoholic, but I think it could have been anything, it’s just that alcohol was the thing I found. Maybe I am an alcoholic, I don’t know. Some days are really, really hard and some days are easy. Most of the time it’s not relevant in my life. I channel all that old drinking energy into work now.”
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