During a recent Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) to promote his upcoming film Jason Bourne, Matt Damon answered questions from fans ranging from his favorite actor to work with to the most challenging role he’s ever played. In revealing the toughest role, he explained that while prepping for his role in the film Courage Under Fire, he had to undergo a major body transformation, losing 51 pounds on his own. “I weigh probably 190 pounds right now, and I weighed 139 in that movie,” Damon says, adding that weight was not a natural or happy weight for him even when he was 25.
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His secret? Running 13 miles a day and eating nothing but chicken breast, which he describes as the hardest part of the process. “It’s not like I had a chef or anything—I just made it up and did what I thought I had to do,” he says. While it’s clear why chicken breast was his meat du jour—boasting low calories and high protein to help shed fat—but there are also a bevy of key vitamins and nutrients a chicken breast lacks. After this poorly balanced diet, Damon consulted with doctors and took medication to repair a damaged adrenal gland. His doctors reportedly also told him that the stress he underwent during this time could have done permanent damage to his heart or worse, even killed him.
Instead of eating too little and starving your body of key nutrients, be sure to eat small meals throughout the day to keep your body’s metabolic function up and healthy. Not sure which foods to reach for? Turns out, they’re right in front of you. Find some great options here.
