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Brendan Fraser’s Weight Loss: How “The Whale” Star Slimmed Down
Brendan Fraser’s weight loss recently has been a hot topic among fans, especially after his weight gain over the years. Read on about his transformative journey.
Recent Oscar-winning star Brendan Fraser’s weight loss story and his physical transformation over the years show how unrealistic and cruel media can be when it comes to the visual appearance of actors and other celebrities.
Once deeply adored by fans worldwide for his exceptional fitness and physical attractiveness, one of the reasons why Fraser couldn’t take up more roles in films in the past few years is because he didn’t want to go on another crash diet or workout till he breaks.
After all, to achieve the physique he did in successful movies such as George of the Jungle, Fraser had to follow an extremely strict diet and workout regime, which affected his mental health severely.
This is one of the reasons why recent weight loss has been a result of a more reasonable fitness journey for Fraser, wherein he made sure he did not punish himself by taking a more extreme path to fitness — especially not after he had already experienced its consequences once before.
However, considering how Fraser got back on his feet after having dealt with several health issues is truly inspiring, which makes it worth looking into his fitness journey over the years.
Who Is Brendan Fraser?
Known for his exemplary performances in “The Mummy” series, “George of the Jungle”, “The Quiet American”, and the recent critically-acclaimed hit, “The Whale”, Brendan Fraser is an American-Canadian actor, whom fans adore for his signature adventure-comedy films as well as other film genres. He made his Hollywood debut in the 90s with the comedy film “Encino Man”, which was quite a box-office success.
While Fraser’s works were a rage in the 90s — which was named by media back then as “Brenaissance” — they slowed down between the late 2000s and 2010s due to some health and personal problems.
Fortunately, the beloved actor managed to revive his career in the 2020s, especially with Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale”, which helped him win the Academy Award for Best Actor in the Oscars, as the first Canadian ever to win that, in addition to other prestigious laurels that the film won.
Brendan Fraser has been known for his impressive flexibility as an actor and his commitment to various roles; “The Whale” is a testament to the same as Fraser had to put on a lot of weight (in addition to wearing a 300-pound fat suit) to play the role of an obese man in the film.
Brendan Fraser’s Health over the Years:
Perhaps due to his unwavering flexibility in the roles he played throughout his career, be it playing a ripped and mostly shirtless personation of Tarzan in “George of the Jungle” or playing an obese gay man in “The Whale”, Fraser has faced several health issues and undergone various medical procedures over the years.
In seven years, he underwent surgery to repair his vocal cords, had a partial knee replacement, a laminectomy, and had a procedure on his back for bolting spinal cords together.
In an interview, Fraser mentioned how his knack for over-working made him feel like the horse from George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, wherein he worked and worked without asking any questions, till it broke him.
Once among the highest-paid actors in the industry, Fraser’s net worth almost dropped to half due to his health problems, personal problems, and inability to keep working at the same pace. However, a career break proved to be an excellent decision for Fraser’s well-being, leading to his much-awaited comeback.
Fraser’s weight gain over the years can be attributed to his stressful life, and we’re overjoyed that he managed to get his health back on track and feel much better in his skin.
Read More: Valerie Bertinelli’s Weight Loss: How the “Home Cooking” Star Lost 40 Pounds
How Did Brendan Fraser Slim Down?
Shortly after the release of the 2022 film, “The Whale”, Fraser lost an astonishingly significant amount of weight, which left his fans surprised and delighted!
While managing to recover from his injuries, Fraser brought about this impressive weight loss, which was observed during 2023’s Critics’ Choice Awards by fans worldwide. This transformation was only possible after significant changes in Fraser’s diet and workout routine.
Of course, while Fraser’s physical transformation in 2023 was not the same as the hunky and rugged physique with a very small body fat percentage he flaunted in “George of the Jungle” in 1997, it is commendable that he became a lot slimmer and got back in shape after the prolonged health issues he faced.
What’s more commendable is that Fraser never relied on any weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Saxenda, Rybelsus, etc. He also reportedly did not adopt any weight loss diet such as the keto diet but instead maintained a healthy, balanced diet and an active lifestyle.
Brendan Fraser’s Weight Loss Diet
When Adam Sandler asked him in an interview about how he had managed to build such a ripped physique for “George of the Jungle”, Fraser said that he was waxed, greased, and starved of carbohydrates. He also mentioned how the extreme diet had affected him so much that when he once went to the ATM to get some cash, he couldn’t remember his PIN number as his brain was misfiring.
While a low-carbohydrate diet has several benefits when it comes to weight loss, studies demonstrate several health risks associated with an extremely low carbohydrate intake, such as increased mortality, hyper LDL response, and potential cardiovascular diseases (1).
In addition, vomiting, nausea, dizziness, and decreased energy are other problems associated with this issue (2). Besides, anecdotal evidence correlates brain fog and poor mental health with such fad diets, and their long-term adoption is questionable.
There is no confirmed information on Fraser’s current weight loss diet. However, speculations suggest the following about his recent diet:
1. High Protein And Moderate Carbohydrate Intake:
Fraser may have incorporated a high-protein and moderate-to-low-carbohydrate diet in his weight loss journey. He may have consumed protein through sources like chicken, lean fish like salmon, egg whites, prawns, legumes, kidney beans, soy, cottage cheese, etc.
He may also have cut down on refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice, white flour, pizza, breakfast cereals, pastries, cookies, crackers, and desserts.
2. Inclusion of Loads of Vegetables in Every Meal:
Fraser likely also doesn’t skip vegetables and fresh fruits in his diet. They are excellent for one’s daily diet as they are rich in nutrients such as roughage, vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, carotenoids, phytochemicals, and antioxidants (3).
3. Optimal Water Intake:
It appears that Fraser didn’t take the consumption of fluids lightly in his routine and prioritized his water intake on a daily basis. After all, water helps the body stay hydrated, flushes out toxins, mobilizes the movement of feces, improves kidney functions, makes the skin healthier, regulates hunger, improves gastrointestinal function, reduces headaches, and improves heart function in addition to numerous other benefits (4).
While Fraser dropped some serious weight after the release of his film, he has claimed that he would never dare to diet like he did back in the 90s. This shows us how the actor learned to have a more realistic diet and body standards for himself, which inspires fans to steer clear of crash diets as well.
Read More: Henry Cavill's Workout Routine: Train Like Superman
Brendan Fraser’s Weight Loss Workout Routine
As a huge action actor, it is unlikely that Brendan Fraser did not incorporate some serious exercise into his daily routine. The following are speculations about his workout routine, which could have helped him lose those excess pounds and get in shape.
1. Strength Training And Weight Lifting:
Fraser likely incorporated a lot of strength and endurance training in his muscular workouts, especially consisting of moderate to heavy weights. Such exercises boost physical strength and stamina, improve posture, and increase muscle mass (5).
2. Cardiovascular Exercises:
To torch those excess calories, chances are that Fraser engaged in high-intensity cardiovascular exercises such as running on the treadmill, elliptical training, cycling, rowing, kickboxing, squat jumps, etc. While these cardio exercises are excellent for heart health, they are also very effective in weight loss, which appears to have worked out well in Fraser’s case (6).
3. Outdoor Activities:
There’s a chance that Frase didn’t limit his workout indoors. He must’ve explored outdoor activities too such as hiking, swimming, jogging, trail running, sports, etc.
What makes Brendan Fraser’s weight loss journey truly inspiring is that even numerous health problems and emotional turmoil could not stop him from getting fitter and doing improving his health for good. This is immensely inspiring and motivating as it shows how setbacks such as surgical procedures do not dictate one’s life and can be won over if a person is determined and dedicated enough. Moreover, this journey also shows how unrealistic the fitness standards can be for actors and celebrities, and how, we as the audience should stop glorifying such standards and attach more value to overall good health over appearance.
Sources:
1. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Ketogenic Diet: A Review Article
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7480775/
2. Fad Diets: Facts and Fiction
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9294402/
3. Fruit and Vegetable Intake: Benefits and Progress of Nutrition Education Interventions- Narrative Review Article
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4644575/
4. Water, Hydration and Health
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908954/
5. Increasing Lean Mass and Strength: A Comparison of High Frequency Strength Training to Lower Frequency Strength Training
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4836564/
6. Cardiovascular Effects and Benefits of Exercise
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