Fit Chefs

When people think of overweight chefs, they may think of Paula Deen or Paul Prudhomme. There are others that may come to mind, and it makes sense. If your job is food, gaining weight is not that far-fetched of a concept. I know that when I worked at a restaurant, I gained weight. Food was readily available and there was no limit. I think that's the concept behind Food Network's "Fat Chef"

When I was looking for info on Prudhomme, I found out that in 1991, he lost 130 of the 485 pounds he was carrying in the picture here. It turns out that he did it by eating fewer calories. He actually put that weight back on and then got down to 220 pounds in 2005. "I eat everything," he said, "Just not as much of it."

Not all chefs have such a public struggle with weight. Anthony Bourdain has always been thin, but I don't know if you'd call him healthy. He smokes a lot and has a history of drugs.

Rick Bayless on the other hand appears to be really fit, not just thin. I noticed how strong he looked while watching "Mexico: One Plate at a Time" today. Even when they showed his head and shoulders, his neck hinted at the fact that he clearly works out. The photo I found online proves my suspicions.

My favorite celebrity chef weight loss story is Art Smith's. Part of it is his great personality and another is that he's in Chicago. I also love that his personal charity is fighting childhood obesity. His tips for how he lost the weight are pretty straight-forward. Basically, he ate fewer calories and exercised.

I find many stories of how people lost weight to be inspirational, but people who are constantly around food earn a special admiration from me. Their jobs require them to taste food all day and night. Each taste may be only 5-10 calories, but hundreds of those tastes add up to an entire day's allotment of food.