Could you do this?
What’s been the biggest challenge making The Gambler?
“As an actor, living off of liquid for three months and then nuts for another couple of months [to lose and then maintain the reduced weight for the role].
Why did you decide to lose the weight?
“I’d just come off Transformers. I’d also made Pain & Gain [in 2013] with Michael Bay. I played a bodybuilder, so he liked me being big and muscular.
“And in this, I’m playing a literature professor who’s not spending too much time worrying about exercising or eating right.
“I just felt he had to be thin and, well, either that or really overweight and schleppish, and that wouldn’t work!
“That was the easier of the two, to put on weight and just be heavyset, but it wasn’t all that appealing.”
How much weight did you lose?
“I went from 196lb (14 stone) to 135lb (nine-and-a-half stone).”
How did you feel?
“I didn’t feel that good. I didn’t have much energy. I needed to use other sources to get energy, as my character is very ‘on’ in certain scenes — especially when he’s in the classroom or in front of an audience.
“So I had natural energy drinks and things like that to give me a boost during a 12 or 13-hour day of shooting. And exercise. Jumping rope every day helped.
“I’ve been up every day at 1.30 in the morning, in the gym by 1.45, out of the gym by 3.30, have a shake, a shower, do my routine, prayer time, then head for the set.”
http://www.thestar.ie/star/mark-wahlberg-i-lived-on-liquids-and-nuts-for-new-film-the-gambler-58192/
I dont know how he didnt end up in hospital tbh. What was your most extreme diet or weight loss/weight gain? About ten years ago I bought into the TV ads and went on the Special K Diet. It consisted of a bowl for breakfast, a light lunch or dinner and another bowl later. The weight did fall off but never again. These days some exercise and sensible eating is all I need.