HUGH JACKMAN BROUGHT his lean and ripped physique out of retirement, suiting up to play Wolverine in the blockbuster Deadpool 3, but how exactly has the 55-year-old gone about staying in unbelievable shape?
For anyone wondering, the Aussie actor was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and revealed the high caloric intake he was consuming to build the muscle necessary to don the iconic yellow suit.
When asked about his diet, the actor explained, ‘It’s 6,000 calories, and it’s not the calories you necessarily want. Like, half a pizza is 6,000 calories. But no, this is chicken, and it’s tilapia and beans. Tilapia and beans. I don’t know why tilapia. It must be some fish that is lean, and green beans.’
Jackman previously took to Instagram early in the year to post an image of one of the tilapia meals. And it’s fair to say, the tiny portions left a lot to be desired.
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- @thehughjackman//Instagram
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- @thehughjackman//Instagram
The three photos contained portions of fish, broccoli, cottage cheese, asparagus and a slice of lemon – presumably included for some desperately needed flavour. As a rough estimate, each meal would contain:
- 130-150 calories
- 15-25 grams protein
- 3-10 grams carbohydrate
- 1-5 grams fat
To put that into context, the average man needs roughly 2500 calories a day to maintain weight, making Jackman’s meals a very light snack for most of us. After his admission that he ate 6000 calories a day, it’s fair to assume the he would have had to eat a fair few of these portions, or that he was previously in a cutting phase on a lower calorie goal. Regardless, it provides a stark difference to the Sunday roast cheat meals, complete with a pizza side he revealed he was previously eating.
This isn’t the first time Jackman would have been taking part in such a strict diet, and he likely had professional support. The high protein content of the meals and fibre from the greens, are likely selected to support satiety and keep him filled up. However, the meals seem to be very low in overall calories, carbohydrates and fats, making them an insufficient full meal to support an active lifestyle, even for those wanting to cut weight. It goes without saying that for anyone wishing to embark on a weight loss goal, this diet (or lack of) isn’t to be recreated.
Jackman recently revealed it took him six months of intense training to prepare for his return as Wolverine and the actor was seen hitting the gym with some heavy trap bar deadlifts on his Instagram.
Because of last year’s SAG-AFTRA strike, Jackman had to follow the diet for longer than originally planned. He shared, “There’s one particular scene where I really wanted to focus on how I looked. And Shawn said, ‘Where do you want to do that scene?’ And I said, ‘Let’s just put it to the end’. And then the strike came, and I was like, Oh, why did I say that?“
Despite the unappealing content of the diet, the Marvel star reveals in the end, “It’s worth it”, and judging by his return, we’re sure many fans agree.
This article appeared in Men’s Health UK
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