Dave Bautista, 55, says his 75-pound weight-loss journey comes from “training hard” and restricting his calorie intake.
The actor and former WWE star spoke about his recent physical transformation during an appearance on an episode of the “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” podcast, which was released on Tuesday.
Bautista shared that he had gotten “uncomfortably big” for his role in the 2023 thriller film “Knock at the Cabin,” where he weighed around 315 pounds.
“When I was younger, I was carrying lots and lots of muscle. This I had to put on you know, between films,” he said. “I had a very short period of time to put the suede on. I packed it on with french fries and pancakes.”
When filming was over, Bautista shared that it took him “forever” to lose the “uncomfortable amount of weight” he had put on. In July, the actor credited Brazilian jiu-jitsu for helping him lose about 50 pounds.
As he was shedding the weight, he realized how much better he felt and how much better he looked on camera next to other actors.
Even though he’s 6’4″ and 240 pounds now, Bautista is aware there are concerns over his weight loss because “people have seen me so much bigger over the years, they think I’m anorexic.”
“It’s weird because people think, like for me, people say, ‘God, you’re skinny.’ I even saw online some people are worried about my health,” Bautista continued.
That said, the actor says he still has plans to lose a few more pounds.
“I’m basically killing myself to be this trim. I mean I’m training hard, not only training hard, but my calories are pretty restricted,” Bautista said, adding that he eats about 2,500 calories a day.
According to the calorie calculator on the Mayo Clinic website, a person of his height, weight, and age should consume at least 2,600 calories a day, even if they lead an inactive lifestyle.
Bautista says there’s only a small window of time in his day when he eats.
“I haven’t eaten yet, it’s like almost 1 o’clock, and then I typically don’t eat like 3 to 4 hours before I go to bed,” he said during the interview.
He added that he’s “not starving or anything” but “just not eating much.”
While weight loss happens during a calorie deficit — where a person burns more calories than they consume — calorie counting may not be for everyone.
Instead, it might be more helpful to track food portions, Dr. Bob Posner, a physician specializing in weight loss and emotional eating, told Business Insider previously. For instance, people can aim to eat three to four servings of protein a day, three small portions of fats, and two portions each of carbs and fruit.
A representative for Bautista did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, sent outside business hours.
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