People are already accustomed to photographs of those who managed to lose a large number of kilograms in a short period of time, but few people trust such stories. But when a famous person manages to lose weight, it causes admiration and inspires him to do similar feats of his own. In particular, many are interested in the diet of Christian Bale, an actor who knows how to play with his weight, increasing and decreasing it to the desired parameters in record time.
about the author
Christian Charles Philip BaleChristian Bale (born in 1974 in the UK) is a British-American film actor who has acted in various genres - from arthouse to Hollywood blockbusters. Known as a performer of roles in the trilogy about Batman, in the films “The Fighter”, “The Machinist”, “American Psycho”, “Rescue Dawn”, “Equilibrium”, “Terminator”, etc. He is (does not eat meat, but eats fish, milk and eggs).
For filming, he often had to gain and then lose weight, and in a very short time. The transformations of his body cannot but surprise:
- 2004, for the film “The Machinist” (the role of Trevor Reznik) - minus 28 kg in 4 months (from 83 to 55);
- 2004, for “Batman”, the first part of the trilogy (the main role of a superhero) - plus 45 kg in 5 months (from 55 to 100), but it was too much, and the actor had to lose 14 kg in 2 months (from 100 to 86);
- 2006, for the film “Saving Dawn” (the role of Dieter Dengler) - minus 24 kg (from 85 to 61);
- 2008, for “Batman. The Dark Knight" - plus 22 kg (from 61 to 83);
- 2010, for the film “The Fighter” (the role of Dicky Eklund) - minus 17 kg (from 83 to 66);
- 2012, for the film “The Dark Knight Rises” - plus 24 kg (from 66 to 90);
- 2013, for the crime thriller “From the Hell” - minus 24 kg (from 90 to 66);
- 2013, for the tragicomedy “American Hustle” (the role of Irving Rosenfeld) - plus 26 kg (from 66 to 92);
- 2017, for the film “The Prompter” (the role of Dick Cheyne) - plus 30 kg.
With such constant and rapid transformations of his body, Christian Bale endures endless filming, as he is one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. It is not surprising that everyone wants to know the secret of his diet, and he does not make it a secret, revealing it in interviews and numerous videos.
Basic principles of the diet
Christian Bale has two diets. He uses one for weight loss, the other for weight gain.
Low calorie
One of the toughest food systems that exists.
- The daily calorie intake is reduced to 250 kcal and does not exceed 400 kcal.
- A monotonous menu that does not change from day to day until the desired results are achieved.
- Products: black coffee without sugar, apples, canned tuna in its own juice (without added oil), clean drinking water.
- It is mandatory to take a carefully selected vitamin and mineral complex.
- Plus the diet includes daily intense training.
- No strength exercises, only cardio, stretching, isometric gymnastics, aerobics, long distances.
Doctors warn that the diet, if followed for a long time, is dangerous to health and can lead to exhaustion, anorexia, mental disorders and other complications. These are not empty words: while on such a diet, the actor repeatedly lost consciousness during filming, forgot his role, and could not concentrate on the game. There were situations when he had to rest in order to recover to continue working. However, day after day he still ate only tuna with apples and exercised regularly.
High calorie
The complete opposite of the low-calorie diet is Christian Bale's high-carbohydrate diet, which he uses when the director urgently requires him to gain weight for a new role.
- The daily calorie intake increases to 2500-3000 kcal.
- The menu is varied and relatively balanced: the emphasis is on proteins (for building muscle mass, at least 250 g per day) and (for energy, 300 g per day).
- Main products: eggs, fish, milk as sources of proteins; cereals, pasta, fruits and vegetables as carbohydrates.
- To gain weight for the last film, he even allowed himself fast food.
- Meals - every 2-3 hours.
- Regular intense training complements the diet.
- Strength exercises are added to cardio loads to build muscle mass, and preference is given to working with hardware.
Training program
Not a single day of rest. After a day of cardio exercise, repeat the entire scheme from the very beginning.
The undoubted advantage of both diets is their effectiveness. The actor showed by his own example how you can lose 30 kg in just 4 months, and then get it back just as quickly. But at the same time, we must not forget about their obvious drawback - a health hazard. You need to understand that a star of such magnitude can afford personal nutritionists, trainers and doctors who regularly monitor his health and help him rehabilitate after such a “roller coaster” with weight.
Christian Bale's body transformations: “The Machinist, 2004” (55 kg); "Batman, 2005" (86 kg); “American Hustle, 2013” (92 kg) Many Bale fans have tried his weight loss diet. In most cases, such attempts ended in failure. The rest were hospitalized with stomach and mental disorders. Without constant supervision from specialists, it is categorically not recommended to practice such a system of nutrition and training on your own.
Sample menu
For weight loss
The 1-day menu for Christian Bale's low-calorie diet does not suffer any changes. You will have to stay on this diet until you achieve the desired result. Study and be surprised how much willpower a person must have in order to sit on canned tuna for 3 months.
For weight gain
The menu for 1 day for a high-carbohydrate diet can be changed in accordance with your taste preferences. The main thing is to maintain the BJU ratio, focusing on proteins and carbohydrates.
Christian Bale is a Hollywood actor, known to many not only as Batman, but also as a person who knows how to control his own weight. The transformations of his body look incredible: looking at photographs of him in different roles, it seems that these are completely different people. He demonstrated by his own example that his diets and training systems are workable schemes, but it’s unlikely that anyone will dare to repeat the star’s records.
Do you want to know how star actresses lose weight? About this in our article: "".
Born into an artistic family. His mother was a ballerina, and both grandfathers were actors. And, of course, his artistic nature could not help but awaken in the boy.
Christian Bale's weight transformations. The photo in the center shows the result of losing almost 30 kg. The third photo is from the movie “Batman” (click to enlarge).
From childhood, the boy was surrounded by creative, strong-willed, success-oriented people. He joined the stage very early and began acting in films. In order to play a role well, actors have to fully get used to the role and meet the requirements set by directors and screenwriters.
So Christian Bale more than once had to literally reshape his figure, gaining weight or, conversely, getting rid of extra pounds. So before the film “The Machinist” the actor needed to lose a lot of weight.
Christian Bale's Cruel Diet
As Christian Bale himself says, for this he had to not eat and move a lot. According to the script, Trevor Resnik was exhausted from insomnia, having not slept for more than a year. In order to get into the role, Christian went on a strict diet. The daily calorie content of his diet was gradually reduced to 300-400 kilocalories.
For four months he only drank, ate canned tuna and fresh apples. In addition, he took a complex of vitamins and drank a lot of water. When the actor was hungry, he tried to distract himself with something else, for example, by reading books. The actor tried to spend his free time at home, avoiding communication with other people.
Bale's training
He supplemented his diet with grueling workouts - he ran until his muscles weakened and he simply could not move his legs. Poor health and weakness were constant companions of such a diet. Sometimes because of this we even had to change the shooting time.
Consequences
After The Machinist was filmed, Christian Bale even had to undergo treatment. Treatment consisted of a system of proper nutrition and rest. In addition, it was necessary to get rid of toxins that had accumulated in the body during fasting.
Christian Bale accomplished something of a feat in order to play the acting role. To do this, you need to have a very significant incentive and have an iron will and desire to achieve the goal.
The consequences of such weight loss may affect the actor’s health in the future. After all, prolonged fasting affects the general immune system, causing hormonal imbalance and persistent health problems. Sharp changes in weight from 83 kg to 55 kg, and vice versa, can cause disturbances in the functioning of the heart, which may simply not withstand such drastic changes.
And vice versa
It’s funny, but for his next film, “Batman,” Bale had to quickly regain his fighting weight, which he did with honor (bringing it to 90+ kg). As it turned out, the actor overdid it because he no longer fit into the Batman suit. So he had to lose weight again. True, not by 30 kg, but only by 10...
Christian Charles Philip Bale - born in Wales on January 30, 1974. Christian was the fourth child in the family, he had 3 older sisters, so he had a hard time growing up. Due to their parents' job changes, they constantly moved and managed to live in England, the USA, and Portugal. The actor acted from an early age, first in advertising, and from the age of 13 in films.
In 2011 he received an Oscar in the category “Best Supporting Actor” for the film “The Fighter”. On January 29, 2000, the actor married former model Sandra “Sibi” Blazhi and the couple had a daughter, Emmaline, on March 27, 2005, and a son, Joseph, in August 2014. But one of the most amazing things about Christian is his preparation for a role and what he is capable of, like losing 30 kg for a role and gaining about 45 kg the following year.
- Height: 183 cm.
- Weight: from 55-90 kg depending on the film.
- Regular Weight: 80 kg
- Foot size: 44
WORKOUT
First day:
Second day:
The third day:
Fourth day:
- Active recreation, which involves cardio exercise to increase blood flow in the muscles and speed up recovery: swimming, elliptical, team sports and more. In total, no more than an hour on this day.
Fifth day:
- Superset of pull-ups and pull-downs - 4 sets of 12 repetitions of each exercise. Designed for warm-up, light to medium weights are used.
- Lifting the barbell from the floor to the chest - 4 sets of 10, 10, 8 and 6 repetitions. The lowest point of movement is the barbell on the floor; upper – to chest levels; The first part of the movement is similar to a deadlift, then the barbell rises higher. Light and medium weights are used.
- Lifting the barbell with pushing up - 4 sets of 10, 10, 8 and 6 repetitions.
Sixth day:
- Sprint – a race of 10 meters in 5 sets, 30 meters in 5 sets, 40 meters in 5 sets. Rest between sets – 1 minute, between distances – 2 minutes.
- Jump squats – 4 sets of 10, 10, 8 and 6 reps. Squats with a sharp jump up from the bottom point of the movement, at the top point the legs are torn off the ground. To reduce the risk of injury, only perform with a backpack loaded with weight and not with a barbell.
- Lunges – 4 sets of 10 reps.
Seventh day:
- Superset of Smith rack bench press and dumbbell flyes – 3 sets of 12 reps of each exercise. Designed for warm-up, light weight.
- Smith's Explosive Rack Bench Press - 4 sets of 10, 10, 8 and 6 reps. Bench press with barbell thrown up. Performed under the mandatory supervision of the insurer. See description below.
- “Ricochet” – each approach lasts 2 minutes, then 30 seconds. rest; total – 30 minutes. There are 2 squares measuring 30x30 cm on the floor. You need to jump from one corner to another as quickly as possible, constantly changing the direction of the jump.
During the filming of the film “The Machinist,” Christian weighed 55 kg; he achieved this by consuming 250 kcal per day, a cup of coffee, an apple, a can of tuna, vitamins, that’s all, and the norm should be 10 times more, 2500. For his role in the film “Batman” “Christian Bale had to gain “a little”; according to the actor, from 55 he increased his weight to almost 100 kg, when the director saw him he was shocked and told him to lose the excess weight. As Batman, he already weighed 86 kg and he managed this thanks to 4500 kcal per day. He consumed 350 grams of protein, 500 grams of carbohydrates and 70-80 grams of fat. It’s surprising that Bale is a vegetarian and doesn’t eat meat. He got his protein from fish, eggs, dairy products and protein shakes, and Christian ate every 2-3 hours.
Christian Bale is a serious dramatic actor, and his role in The Machinist is proof of this. However, the first thing you will notice in this film is not Christian’s performance, but his impossible thinness. According to the script, Bale's character does not sleep or eat for a year. To play this role, the actor had to lose 28 kilograms in 4 months. As Christian Bale himself says: “I wanted to lose more weight, but they stopped me in time.”
After an interview with the film actor, one gets the impression that he managed to lose weight mainly through self-discipline. If there were any difficulties, they were mostly of a psychological nature. Christian lost weight on his own, focusing only on his own well-being. Many friends were worried that he was ill. But the actor claims that he felt good. He felt calm and even peace. Christian calls the desire to prove to himself that he is capable of much for the sake of an interesting role, the desire to gain new impressions, one of the main incentives in the fight against his own body.
Here, in fact, is Christian Bale’s recipe for weight loss:
1. Don't eat.
The actor claims that after he understood the task, he gradually reduced his food intake to 300-400 kilocalories per day. On the doctor's recommendation, I took vitamin complexes. I drank a lot of water to numb the feeling.
2. Run.
The actor ran as long as he had the strength to do so. Then they got it only in front of the camera. There are scenes in the film where Bale's character is running. Christian himself calls them his least favorite. Of course... He spent most of his time lying down.
3. Get distracted.
Whenever he was hungry, Christian Bale read books. This helped him not to think about food.
4. Don't go anywhere.
The actor preferred solitude to any company, because communication involves more than just talking. Typically, people eat and drink during meetings, so Christian spent time at home.
After filming the film The Machinist, the actor had to prepare for filming in the film Batman Begins. In a month and a half he gained 45 kilograms. After such feats, Christian seems like a magician who controls his weight with the help of a simple: “According to my will, at my command...”. But if everything is so simple, why do millions of men and women around the world suffer from excess body weight? But because what Christian Bale did is very harmful to the body.
Prolonged use leads to the body beginning to eat its own muscles. This is a reasonable decision from a physiological point of view - muscles consume most of the energy. The body begins to consume fat when the bulk of the muscles atrophy. Adipose tissue is the body's reserve for the rainiest day, and the body uses it last.
During fasting, fats and amino acids from muscles are not able to break down to the level of simple products. The body becomes filled with toxins, a phenomenon called “ketosis.” The skin of a starving person emits a pungent odor of acetone due to the accumulation of acetoacetic acid in the body.
Another disadvantage of fasting is atherosclerosis. The body draws fat from its reserves, but in order to transport them to the liver for processing, proteins are needed, which are in short supply. As a result, fat simply settles on the walls of blood vessels.
Changes occur in the hormonal and water-salt balance, the functioning of the immune system, musculoskeletal system, and eyes is disrupted. Over time, these changes become irreversible. Even very fat people should not lose more than 1 kilogram per week.
And finally, the most serious, but not the last negative effect. Fasting causes the left ventricle of the heart to shrink. The ratio of its area to the size of the mitral valve is disrupted. This means that people who lose about 40% of their body weight in less than six months have a twice the risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
No matter how infectious the example of Christian Bale is, it is not worth following. Bale lost weight again for his role in The Fighter, albeit not as radically. Rumor has it that Brad Pitt turned down this role precisely because he did not want to risk his health.
British actor Christian Bale was born on January 30. He is one of the most outstanding actors of our time, thanks not only to his talent, but also to the extreme dedication with which he takes on every role. One proof of this is his transformations for the film - in particular, weight transformations. Perhaps few actors have overcome such weight fluctuations in their careers as Christian Bale.
News Sellers (1992)
Seventeen-year-old Christian appeared in his usual image in the musical “News Sellers.” His character, wearing a scarf around his neck, sang and danced so professionally that Bale was nominated for a Young Actor Award for this role.
Velvet Goldmine (1998)
One of the most subtle and graceful transformations in Christian's career. This film about glam rock shows the artist as a fully grown man. A man who sometimes uses shadows, but still does courageous things.
American Psycho (2000)
For the role of a maniac and murderer, Bale had to gain some muscle mass. He spent four months creating these sculptural forms, working out in the gym for three hours, six times a week.
Machinist (2004)
For the role of Trevor Resnick in the film The Machinist, Bale lost 28.5 kg. This is one of his most famous roles. The actor had to get rid of his athletic form and lose 26 kg in just four months. His diet consisted of water, coffee and one apple a day. For his role in this film, Christian Bale received the award for best actor at the Catalan Film Festival in Sitges.
The actor was faced with the task of gaining weight in a short period in order to portray the indestructible Batman in all his glory. Bale switched to a high-carbohydrate diet and returned to three-hour workouts. I gained 27 kg before the film and another 18 kg during filming. He was awarded the MTV Award as “Best Hero”.
Already a weight-control pro, Bale easily lost 24kg for the role of the hero who is forced to endure hardships in order to survive. Stunning makeup, depicting the last stage of exhaustion, made his image extremely realistic.
A new loop in the weight change rollercoaster. To successfully fight the uprising of the machines, the film needed an actor who had sufficient muscle mass. Bale followed them back to the gym.
To play the cocaine-addicted former boxer, Bale had to do intense cardio exercises to lose weight and portray a credible drug addict. For this role, he received an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor, and was generally praised by critics.
Christian Bale's body can change as much as he wants, unlike Batman, who must always look athletic and muscular. It was for his role in the third part of the trilogy that Bale gained muscle again.
Goodbye muscles, welcome bones. The actor once again needed to lose significant weight for the role of a tortured and persecuted factory worker.
For the sake of his role in the crime comedy American Hustle, where he played the role of swindler Irving Rosenfeld, Bale ate the wrong foods, mainly cheeseburgers, and gained 20 kg. For this role, Christian was nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor.
Since, strictly speaking, no one knows exactly how much Moses weighed, Christian Bale simply returned to his usual weight and will appear in the Ridley Scott film.
