Celebrity Chefs Show How to Lose Weight

Even the chefs who haven't gone cold turkey--along with other lean proteins and vegetables--have severely cut down on the foods they enjoy. Rocco DiSpirito, the chef, cookbook author and Dancing with the Stars contestant, went from 216 lb. to 176 lb. pretty quickly after being prodded by his chiropractor to do a charity triathlon despite the fact that he couldn't run a mile. His upcoming book Now Eat This: Fried Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, Brownies and 147 Other Favorite Dishes You Thought You Could Never Eat--All Under 350 Calories offers an easier approach than the one he took, which involved not only running, swimming and biking but also cutting out lots of foods and then incrementally returning them to his diet. "If everyone reading your article gave up sugar, they'd lose 10 lb. in a month. Sugar is nasty, nasty stuff," he says.(See the 10 notable diet books of 2008.)

Tyler Florence is among the chefs who told me they had massively cut down on their meat intake. Even Michael Lomonaco, the chef of the Manhattan steak joint Porter House New York who recently knocked off 10 lb., eats a lot of simply cooked proteins surrounded by vegetables. "I do a slow-roasted salmon--there's no oil, no added fats--roasted on cedarwood in an oven. It's served with big white beans, fresh tomatoes and tarragon," he says. "What a great steak house this is: the chef is telling us to eat salmon."

But Jacques Torres, the New York City--based chocolatier, still eats his chocolate. Through Weight Watchers, he knocked off 20 lb. and then another 12 lb. in September in a charity competition for chefs that was sponsored by the weight-loss program. He stocks up on 70%-cocoa chocolate bars, with the goal of always having a low-sugar option on hand. Because when a craving hits, not even a Weight Watchers--trained, insanely talented pastry chef with a refined dessert palate can get in its way. "Last Sunday I was craving so much for sweets, I went to buy a cheesecake." Even worse, he confesses, "I bought it at the supermarket. I was in Jersey."

Svelter Chefs' Secrets

For recipes that helped culinary gods lose weight, go to time.com/slimchefs