Anthony Hopkins Loses 75 Pounds in Two Years

Posted on Sep 21st 2010 2:00PM by Amber Greviskes

Jason Merritt, Getty Images

Anthony Hopkins focused on extreme calorie restriction and light exercise to lose 75 pounds in two years.

"'I got tired of being heavy, so I went on a really good regime of eating healthy and exercising for an hour a day," Hopkins told the Daily Mail. "I'm not a nutty, macrobiotic kind of guy, but I enjoy being alive."

His lifestyle change corresponded with his marriage to Stella Arroyare, who has helped him create a family-focused lifestyle and take better care of his health.

"My wife's no dictator, but she said I must stick to a regimen," Hopkins told the New York Post. "Now I'm a health nut. I can't get back into my wardrobe. I gave it all away to some mission. I tried tailoring the pants, but they look ridiculous."

Hopkins, who used to feast on carbohydrates like breads, cookies and other treats, now says he lives on 800 calories a day. He avoids pastas and never lets himself have seconds. Occasionally, he'll eat a sandwich, but he's careful not to indulge. He's also an exercise fanatic, power walking and working out six days a week.

Although many in the health and fitness field would praise Hopkins for his dedication to his health and weight loss, which was healthily spread out over two years, his eating habits are too restrictive.

The American Heart Association recommends that moderately active men who are older than 51 eat at least 2,200 calories per day. Like many nutritionists, we believe that it's best to approach everything in moderation. We also applaud the actor for working out as often as he does but believe that everyone needs a break and needs to change up their workout routines at times.

Perhaps, we can recommend yoga. These days, it's a growing trend among older men.

24 Comment

Tags: anthony hopkins, calories per day, carbohydrates, celebrity, lose weight, power walk, walking, weight loss

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Lisa 9-21-2010 @ 3:27PM

He looks fantastic.....just like I always remember him looking. I guess that i never saw him at his heaviest weight.

Tammy 9-21-2010 @ 5:11PM

This is good news. The same thing happened to me except that I lost 130lbs and it took me a year and a half and I am not as restrictive on my calorie intake as Mr. Hopkins is. You look better and feel better and I have become a health nut for the most part as well. Kudos to you Mr. Hopkins and keep going. I have sucessfully kept mine off for going on 4 yrs.

Norene 9-21-2010 @ 3:49PM

Congratulations to Sir Anthony for his new healthy lifestyle. He's preparing for his New Year's Eve celebration of his 73rd birthday.

Donna 9-21-2010 @ 4:02PM

He never looked overweight to me. I'm shocked.

TC 9-21-2010 @ 4:03PM

Anthony Hopkins is the greatest actor of all others.
His talent can move him into so many roles.
I see every movie he makes. I first saw him in "The Elephant Man". Love to watch him.

David 9-21-2010 @ 4:08PM

I would say his eating habits are just right for him.

Suzanne 9-21-2010 @ 4:08PM

I wonder if liver, fava beans, and a nice Chianti factored into his diet? :)

Sheila 9-21-2010 @ 7:56PM

I can't believe you are the only person that mentioned that.

Roxanne 9-21-2010 @ 4:24PM

aw he looks great!

Anne Kramer 9-21-2010 @ 4:56PM

While most of you are admiring him, I'm not. He's nuts. 800 calories a day!!! This means he'll never stop losing weight. Most people use up 1200 cclories a day, even if they do nothing. 800 calories a day sounds very unhealthy to me.

Sophia 9-21-2010 @ 5:07PM

800 Calories a day! Too fe!!! That is not even minimum nutrition for
anyone! At this rate, he will continue to lose weight and the lack of
calories could begin to affect his heart and other organs. He has lost
the weight he needed to lose. NOW...he should concentrate on more
calories and change in exercise.

Maybe this new wife is looking toward a 'shortened life span' for Sir
Anthony? I hate to even think this or even suggest it, but it wouldn't be the first time. I hope he consults his doctors!

His doctor should be the one he is listening to...Not his wife.
Eating healthy does not mean 800 calories a day ! If I were Sir
Anthony, I'd be checking with a nutritionist and following those
opinions. I would be willing to bet not a single nutritionist would
advise him to continue with 800 calories a day !

Sophia 9-21-2010 @ 5:13PM

800 Calories a day! Too few!!! That is not even minimum nutrition for
anyone! At this rate, he will continue to lose weight and the lack of
calories could begin to affect his heart and other organs. He has lost
the weight he needed to lose. NOW...he should concentrate on more
calories and change in exercise.

Maybe this new wife is looking toward a 'shortened life span' for Sir
Anthony? I hate to even think this or even suggest it, but it wouldn't
be the first time. I hope he consults his doctors!

His doctor should be the one he is listening to...Not his wife.
Eating healthy does not mean 800 calories a day ! If I were Sir
Anthony, I'd be checking with a nutritionist and following those
opinions. I would be willing to bet not a single nutritionist would
advise him to continue with 800 calories a day !

I walk at least 30 minutes a day, drink a gallon of water each day,
eat veggies, fruits, fish and some chicken. I don't eat processed
foods or red meat very often. A slow process, but it works and is not
unhealthy. Sir Anthony needs to change his calorie intake. Less than
1000 calories a day is unhealthy!

Lee 9-21-2010 @ 5:24PM

"I got tired of being heavy, so I went on a really good regime of eating healthy and exercising for an hour a day," Hopkins told the Daily Mail.

No......not a "regime".......you went on a "REGIMEN";
I can't believe how many people (TV personalities, etc.)use these two words incorrectly!

Marla 9-21-2010 @ 7:32PM

re·gime
noun
Definition of REGIME
1
a : regimen 1 b : a regular pattern of occurrence or action (as of seasonal rainfall) c : the characteristic behavior or orderly procedure of a natural phenomenon or process
2
a : mode of rule or management b : a form of government c : a government in power d : a period of rule

Sir Anthony Hopkins has a good vocabulary.

Bill 9-21-2010 @ 5:24PM

Looking good, Tony!

tiffanie 9-21-2010 @ 5:49PM

Good for him! And 2,220 calories sounds like an extreme exaggeration. I know men need more calories than women, but I run everyday and 1600-1700 calories a day more than fill me up.

EllieP 9-22-2010 @ 2:16PM

1000kcal/day for 1 week in a supervised setting is probably OK and yes, you will lose 10, maybe more pounds in that week. First, it's definately NOT 10 pounds of fat, there's a lot of water loss at first and the 4 hours of exercise daily was also probably well supervised and not overly strenuous. People put too much emphasis on the numbers on the scale and not on their body composition or even how well their cloth fit. Muscle weighs 3times as much as fat so some very low weight persons actually have a high % of body fat. We need to throw out the scales and forget the numbers! And if Anthony Hopkins keeps eating only 800kcal/day...eventually his body's metabolism will continue to slow down until his body will think it's starving and utilize every single kcal ingested. A few more kcals here and there and he's going to start gaining weight again, like anyone on this typr of extreme caloric restriction.

Tim 9-21-2010 @ 6:01PM

As a 54 YO man who works out 3X a week (for 35 years) 800 is not enough calories to live on, certainly not enough to build on. At his age a crash diet isn't healthy, it could even be dangerous.

He's a great actor, I want to see him around for years to come. As mentioned M O D E R A T I O N is best, and as Oscar Wilde said "all things in moderaton, including moderation" ;-)

Madeleine Davis 9-21-2010 @ 7:49PM

"Hannibal" must have lost his appetite, depletion of protein.
You look great.

Carla 9-21-2010 @ 7:44PM

I think he looks fantastic and kudos to him!!! Instead of being critical of his calorie intake we should encourage him. He will even it all out eventually. Right now it is probably a good feeling to maintain his weight loss!!!

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