Gregg Wallace: At 52 I'm the fittest that I've ever been
BBC Gregg Wallace talks about his passion for exercise and why he has given up beloved desserts
Instead Gregg’s main talking point may come as a surprise to many: his almost evangelical passion for health and fitness. Since losing 3st four years ago, thanks to WeightWatchers, the former greengrocer has overhauled his diet and become a big advocate of healthy living. “Fitness is at the centre of my working week,” he says. “My gym sessions are the first things that go into my diary. Getting fit has made a big difference to my energy levels and helps me physically and mentally. I’ve realised that how you feel about yourself on a day-to-day basis may be the most important thing ever.” As a result you will now find Gregg sweating it out in the gym on most days. “I do five days a week under the instruction of a trainer,” he reveals. “On the sixth day I like to swim and sometimes I even go for a swim after a workout session.” Contrary to how it may appear on the BBC show, the celebrity version of which returns to our screens tomorrow, Gregg is very aware of his food intake and uses free apps on his phone to stay on track. “I log all calories I eat and log the units of alcohol I drink,” he reveals. “I use the app MyFitnessPal, which monitors how much I eat and exercise and I try to consume no more than 1,800 calories a day.
REX Gregg with wife AnneMarie who is 22 years his junior
Gregg also uses another free app called Drink-aware which helps him stay within his weekly alcohol limit. It’s all a sharp contrast to his life four years ago. Living on a diet of fried, fatty food and far too much alcohol, Gregg’s weight was creeping towards 15st. His doctor told him his cholesterol levels were dangerously high and he was heading for a heart attack. After trying unsuccessfully to diet on his own, Gregg was approached by WeightWatchers to go on their eating plan and front one of their campaigns. He lost his first stone in just three months. “I think it is a good system and it really taught me about nutrition in a very easy way. “What I realised is that you can eat as much as you want of the right things. There’s no need to be hungry.”
He is now around a stone heavier than his initial total weight loss but Gregg is happy with that. “Weight doesn’t concern me,” he says. “What I measure now is my body fat. I’m building muscle now so I’m getting heavier. I weigh just over 13st and have less than 18 per cent body fat. I’m the fittest I’ve ever been.” Gregg’s new eating regime means that he avoids indulging his sweet tooth and only eats small mouthfuls of food when filming MasterChef. “I’ve learnt I have to earn the right to have dessert. So if I have been working hard in the gym and have calories to spare I can have one. But I don’t eat many desserts any more.” Gregg had always been fortunate not to have suffered from any major health issues. However he was shocked last autumn when he was diagnosed with diverticulitis, a digestive condition which affects the colon.
BBC Celebrity MasterChef returns to BBC One tomorrow at 8pm
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Small sacs or pockets develop in the lining of the intestine which become inflamed or infected. The complications from this can be life-threatening. “I found out I had it because I could hardly stand up straight. I had a fever and it felt like someone was kicking me in the stomach. I have to be careful. The sacs become irritated by things such as nuts, seeds and popcorn so I don’t touch them at all now.” Gregg adds:“If I feel the condition playing up, I reduce red meat and knock out alcohol and spicy food and start flushing out my system with lots of fruit and vegetables which helps.” As a host of a food programme, it comes as little surprise that he enjoys cooking at his London home which he shares with wife Anne-Marie, 31, whom he married last August. “I’m very fortunate that my wife is an amazing cook and we like to cook together when we can. That’s our fun. The last thing we cooked was some big steaks and we used far too much butter.”
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