How Gordon Ramsay Lost Over 50 Lbs. to Save His Marriage: 'I Wanted to Get in Serious Shape'

Based on Gordon Ramsay’s attitude in the kitchen, it’s no surprise that he went full throttle as soon as he decided to lose weight.

The chef, 51, who recently revealed that he lost about 56 lbs. after his wife gave him a relationship ultimatum, wanted to jump right in to training for an Ironman 70.3 race — a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run — when he started his fitness journey.

“I wanted to get in serious shape,” Ramsay told The Times.

His newly-hired trainer, Will Usher, quickly dissuaded him, saying that he would kill himself at his current weight. Instead, Usher started Ramsay on each part of a triathlon, but at lower intensities. Eventually though, they were doing long-distance swimming, rowing, running and biking workouts, plus weight lifting and core work, and Ramsay has now completed several triathlons, including the Ironman 70.3 in Staffordshire, England.

“Will’s a beast,” Ramsay said. Together, they go for 75-mile bike rides on Sunday mornings. “Does it hurt? S— yeah. I wasn’t built to cycle.”

Ramsay also changed up his eating habits, but only slightly, and said he would never hire a dietitian.

‘No milk. Just because it’s sluggish,” he said. “Almond milk with Weetabix for breakfast. Smoothie with frozen berries, yogurts. Dropping milk and cheese has made a massive difference.”

Though he’ll still eat it occasionally, and believes in treating himself with pieces of milk chocolate to “give yourself a buzz.”

And Ramsay now makes sure to drink plenty of water before he starts eating.

“It just stops you [from] eating a third more,” he said. “You feel better but eat less.”

Ramsay says his lifestyle overhaul is “hard … but the benefits are extraordinary,” and he likes himself again.

“The more I train, the more normal I am, the more I feel that I’m still unchanged. It’s just another little reminder of who I really am,” he said.