"How John Goodman lost 100 pounds"

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bluebunny27
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"How John Goodman lost 100 pounds"

Post by bluebunny27 » Fri Jul 23, 2010 1:27 am

Good article here ! Menshealth.com
I'll always remember him in THE BIG LEBOWSKI, hangin' with THE DUDE, Jeffrey Lebowski. ;-)

http://bit.ly/cglD4U

"How John Goodman lost 100 pounds."

"I'm glad we got you on board for this, and I appreciate you talking to us. I guess the logical place to start is that for most of your life you were overweight. What was the turning point for you? When was your wake-up call?

It's been constant. It's always been in the back of my mind. It just ate at me the whole time. That may be part of the reason I shoved food in my mouth so much. That satisfaction. But what clicked was three years ago I did a Santa Clause movie. I looked at it and I was really unhappy about the way I looked. For years, at Christmas-time I'd get fed up and make a resolution, and I'd lose 60 pounds, 65 pounds. And then I was off to the races again in the summer. I'd just eat whatever I want, and the big key was drinking. I'm an alcoholic.

So I went to a man named Mackie Shilstone in New Orleans, who is our own fitness guru. He trains Serena Williams. He's trained many boxers. He brought Ozzy Smith back--gave him a few more years in his career.

I set up a program with him, medically, first.

This was three years ago, before the Santa Clause movie?

[That] was what triggered me going to Mackie. I was living in New Orleans, and I thought, I might as well try this guy because he's the best, and we worked out a good program. I lost about 70 pounds and went to Germany to do a movie, and I was still drinking. I was working out during this time. My knees are shot. I've got arthritic knees and I need to replace both of them. So I get on an elliptical machine and a recumbent bike. I was working out, but I was still drinking and everything that goes along with that, which is the food and everything else. Right after I got back from Germany, I got sober.

And that was the final key you needed to complete this--

Yeah. I had to clear out my own house first. It was built on a bad foundation.

Can you tell me a little about this trainer? Is he a character?

Not at all. He's a pretty solid guy, probably the smallest football player who ever played for Tulane. God, he might be 5'8". Maybe 100--hell, I'm not good at guessing weight. Or I'd be in a carnival. Hell, I am in a carnival anyway. But, man, he's just a walking encyclopedia. I don't know why he doesn't have a doctorate because he's up on everything to do with medical advancements, vitamins, nutrition. He's got it all. It's like talking to a computer when you talk to him.

So he does all the work for you and he just kicks your ass?

Hah. He doesn't do it, but he's got a system there in New Orleans in association with East Jefferson Hospital, where we have doctors at our disposal, a nutritionist and trainers. So he hooked me up with a trainer and this time I did a lot of cardio at home. Forty minutes of cardio in the morning and 40 in the afternoon.

What kind of cardio?

I can only do the elliptical and the recumbent bike. I used to walk a lot. But the knees kicked in. It's just poison. I paid for it. I loved to walk, but...

So all cardio?

This time we mixed in strength training with resistance bands. They're great for me because I can contract and release slower, and that builds up better muscle for me. And a key thing was boxing twice a week. I was doing a job in New Orleans twice a week called Treme. I was only working a couple days a week. I wanted to treat this other thing (exercise) like a job--to get healthy.

I trained with a man named Axel Murillo for boxing, and what we do is like 12 [rounds]. Right now I'm built up to 2 minutes and 15 seconds of throwing punches and a minute of rest. And that's a round. But doing that twice a week I think really helped me with the twisting, the turning and the throwing, and it gets my heart up to about 140.

Read on to find out what John Goodman eats to keep the pounds off...

It's interesting that not only did you have to lose this weight, but it seems like you can repair the damage that had been done from years of being overweight.

Yeah. It's a life of rehab. But it's a labor of love. And I think the key to the cardio was finding the rate my heart should be at to burn the most fat--which for me is 106 to 116--and staying there as long as possible.

Do you like it, or is this grueling?

I do. I'm still a sucker for highs, and I get those endorphins. It's just a feeling of well-being. I'm where I'm supposed to be. I'm doing what I should be doing. I feel good. I'm hopefully extending my life. Before, I didn't care.

Can you explain a little about the relationship you had between stress and these food and alcohol binges?

Alcohol is alcohol. I'm an alcoholic. I would drink no matter what. That's just part of being an alcoholic--you find any excuse. But as for the stress, I've lived a stressful life. I've made it more stressful by drinking and using drugs, and the business I have chosen is always a nail-biter. You bitch when you're not working, and when you work you bitch about the people you're working with. It was really hairy for a long time, and there was the constant threat of unemployment. For some reason I just denied what I was doing to myself. It's a miracle anyone would hire me at all, looking at me. I looked like a walking heart attack.

Why did you break those Christmas promises you made yourself every year?

It was all alcohol-related.

The alcohol would enter the picture, and food would follow?

Yeah. It took a lot of work to maintain my physique. A lot of fudgy-wudgies and krispy-krispies.

What kind of food are you eating now?

What I enjoy doing is making smoothies for myself after a workout. With some protein powder and whey powder and fruits. And I'm lactose intolerant, so I eat soy yogurt and soy milk. But also fresh vegetables, lean protein. Fourth of July I'm going to treat myself to a kosher hot dog. I'm not a real hard-on about keeping strict calorie counts. I know what's in my wheelhouse, what I can eat and what I can't. And I'm satisfied eating it. I cannot tolerate sugar. I crossed over to the diabetic side, but I can't tolerate it anyway because it creates hunger.

Do you have a total goal for this? How much weight have you lost since you started?

I'm pushing 100--I haven't weighed myself in a couple of weeks. My goal is reducing my body-fat percentage--to what's healthy--and waistline, and to see if I can get into stores where real people shop for clothes.

At your max you were about how much, would you estimate?

I would say I was hanging around 375, and when I started this time I was at 368.

John, has this always been a problem for you?

It started when I was a kid. I'd lock myself in the house and sneak food. It gave me great pleasure to eat--it's part of an alcoholism personality. And then I grew up and found football. My brother sent me to the YMCA when I was probably in 7th grade. And that helped a lot, the organized stuff and swimming. And then I kind of grew out of it. After I stopped playing football I kept eating like I was playing football. When I was playing football I couldn't gain any weight. I tried everything.

Weight to some extent is a part of your persona. Your character in The Big Lebowski is a very domineering man. I don't know if the same ferocity could have come from a skinny man. Are you at all worried about losing this weight and having people perceive you differently in the acting realm?

Hey, that's too bad. I'll scream and cry when I'm in the unemployment line, but that's really secondary. I am what I am. I can act at different weights. It's a miracle I was hired at all for a lot of these jobs.

Did you ever look to other actors around you who had similar weight issues? John Candy with his heart attack and the like--did those deaths affect your mentality?

No. I was in a world of denial--"Too bad for him." You never really think about it, but you do. It's in the back of your mind. Subconsciously you try to block it out.

So when you look in the mirror now as opposed to three years ago, what's going through your head?

I try not to look in the mirror. And I'm not that reflective--no pun intended. I am where I am now and I don't dwell on the past or pat myself on the back too much. Because this could all go away tomorrow."

Starla
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Post by Starla » Fri Jul 23, 2010 1:10 pm

Thanks for posting this - it was interesting. I think John Goodman was very honest in this interview, and I like the last sentence. That's a healthy attitude, and I hope it helps him maintain his new body. Good for him!

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Fri Jul 23, 2010 3:13 pm

He does seem like a good guy and I wish him the best (not just because I like his movies). But as with most of these hollywood weight loss stories, I don't know how much of what he's done is replicable by ordinary folks. Not to diminish his achievement -- getting sober is no small thing and no amount of money can do that for you -- but ex-football star personal trainers don't come cheap. Again, I don't say this to criticize him, clearly a lot of willpower is still involved, and hiring a world class personal trainer is a great way to spend your money if you have it. But I'd venture to say the vast majority of us here don't.

Reinhard

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July2010
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Post by July2010 » Fri Jul 23, 2010 3:37 pm

You can say that again!

"hiring a world class personal trainer is a great way to spend your money if you have it. But I'd venture to say the vast majority of us here don't.
"
AutismMom

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mimi
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Post by mimi » Fri Jul 23, 2010 10:46 pm

I am where I am now and I don't dwell on the past or pat myself on the back too much. Because this could all go away tomorrow.
Amen...I learned all too soon not to become over confident with my NoS success. Mine came toppling down on me like I house of cards - and I thought my habits were as strong as cables.
So I have picked myself up, dusted off the crumbs, and started again more times than I care to admit, but like John Goodman, I don't dwell on the past...and I keep telling myself that it's progress I'm after, not perfection.
I wish him continued success in his quest for good health.

Mimi :D
Discovered NoS: April 16, 2007
Restarted once again: July 14, 2011
Quitting is not an option...
If you start to slip, tie a knot and hang on!
Remember that good enough is... good enough.
Strive for progress, not perfection!

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Over43
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Post by Over43 » Mon Jul 26, 2010 6:25 pm

The immortal Walter Sobchak, "You know I don't roll on Shabbos!"

Great interview. At least he's able to start this process before going the route of Chris Farley and John Candy.

I agree with some of the comments about this not being represented in "real life". I imagine he has a chef, plus his trainer.

But hats off to him I hope thiis trainer extends his life like he did Ozzie Smith's career.
Bacon is the gateway meat. - Anthony Bourdain
You pale in comparison to Fox Mulder. - The Smoking Man

I made myself be hungry, then I would get hungrier. - Frank Zane Mr. Olympia '77, '78, '79

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oliviamanda
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Post by oliviamanda » Tue Jul 27, 2010 3:03 pm

I was glad to read this as I've always liked John Goodman. I think the greatest thing I can get out of this is that he was 375 lbs and he finally took an interest in himself and got himself clean and used his money to do what it took to help him become healthier.

My husband is a recovering alcoholic. He has been sober for 5 years. Before he got sober he was getting very heavy... mostly from the drinking and the fried bar foods, and the big heavy dinners to accompany the wine... and when he finally stopped drinking, the weight just started to melt off. Now we have changed our diet drastically... we don't eat meat, so automatically a lot of fried foods are cut out of our diet. We have simple, satistfying dinners. Although he does not follow No S with me (I guess he has to a little bit), I have seen a total transformation in his physique when he took control of himself and made the decision to become sober. Not everyone has a problem with alcohol, but I can totally understand how John Goodman got himself to the brink of death.
Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.--- Mark Twain

guille
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Post by guille » Wed Jul 28, 2010 10:34 am

i admire his will to change, if you dont have it . no matter how many millions you have , you wont lose one pound on the long run, the only difference i see between him and us regular people is the time, i mean with all his money and the time he can invest on his effords he will slim much faster than the avarage joe or jane, but the final result is the same, for example
this guy
http://retireddieter.com/about/
i use his example because he uses a similar diet than the no s diet, in fact many people mix eat stop eat with the no s diet, it took him more less 1 year to put down 56 pounds, if he were as heavy as goodman it would take him more than 2 years to get close to his ideal weight.

another example is me, i have more less extra 18 pounds, thats not a lot, and if i went to extreme mesures i could lose that in a month or less but i try to follow some thing that i can do for the rest of my life and find a balance, it may take me much more than 1 month to get there but ones i get there, i will stay there

in other words the only difference when you dont have all that money is that you will need to be much more patient because it will be a long run(or walk?), apart from that, the results will be the same, and 1000s of dolls cheaper :lol:

Tiggycat
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Post by Tiggycat » Sun Aug 22, 2010 4:05 pm

Good for him!

This article really made me think - alcoholism runs in both sides of my family among the men. They either don't drink at all because they know they can't stop once they start, or they drink much more than is healthy. Like John Goodman, they are not what we'd 'expect' alcoholics to be, they hold down good jobs and only drink at night and on weekends. Most of the women don't drink at all, but they all overeat and almost all are morbidly obese.

I never thought about it until read John Goodman's story that alcoholism and a drive to overeat might come from the same genetic place.

I drink but I try to keep it reasonable, and I overeat but I'm just barely in the obese category - maybe I got a little of both aspects of this genetic link!

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bluebunny27
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Post by bluebunny27 » Tue Aug 24, 2010 7:47 pm

Cutting down on the alcohol is usually a good idea when you're trying to lose weight but if it only happens once a week and you don't go nutz (Having 12 beers in one session for example !) you can still enjoy a few cold ones once in a while. It won't cause major problems if you behave the rest of the week.

I was doing that during my own journey, of course since it was only once a week it wasn't affecting me too much. On those days I would try to save a few calories anyway since I knew I was having a few drinks later, that sort of thing.


....

Side note :

http://huff.to/9v7Trl

I forgot to post about it ... but DREW CAREY also lost a lot of weight. Click the link to see the pictures, 80 pounds within 8 months ?? That's fast, man.

Cheers !

Marc ;-)

38 Years Old, 5'10" Tall
Nov. 1st. 2008 : 280 Pounds
Nov. 1st. 2009 : 190 Pounds
(1 Year : - 90 Pounds)

Current Weight : 194 Pounds

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