“People would think the guy would eat a truckful. Nah man.”
Tyson Fury’s nutritionist George Lockhart has revealed how ‘The Gypsy King’ sensationally lost 30 pounds in 30 days.
Fury has often battled with obesity during periods away from the ring. After agreeing to a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko back in 2016, Fury said he had “no motivation” to go ahead with the fight.
At his heaviest, writes Alex Roberts, he weighed around 150 kilograms, and also experienced severe bouts of depression.
Last year, The Gypsy King told SportsJOE: “I’m a two-time heavyweight champion of the world and I’ve never had a good body, ever.”
"The Rock is bald and he's the most famous actor in the world. The Gypsy King's bald and it doesn't bother me!"@Tyson_Fury says going bald is beautiful and something to be embraced. pic.twitter.com/VmNrRvWYHS
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) April 14, 2021
Around the same time, Fury sought the help of top sports nutritionist George Lockhart.
A former US Marine and MMA fighter, Lockhart is one of the most renowned nutritionists and weight-cutting specialists in the world of combat sport.
He counts Conor McGregor, the Diaz brothers and fellow boxer Billy Joe Saunders among his previous clientele.
Lockhart admits to being surprised by Fury’s eating habits.
“The only thing weird about Tyson is how much he eats,” he says.
“People would think the guy would eat a truckful. Nah man. He’ll be like, ‘Do I have to finish this?’ Nah man, you’re good bro.”
Lockhart says that on one occasion, 126-pound featherweight Isaac Lowe was given most of Fury’s unwanted food, and wolfed it down in 20 seconds – much to the amazement of the nutritionist.
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How Tyson Fury lost 30 pounds in 30 days
“With Tyson, it’s mainly just food awareness,” says Lockhart.
“He didn’t use to eat a whole lot of bad foods, but it [weight gain] would come from snacking and stuff.”
The last time the pair worked together, Fury managed to blitz a serious amount of body fat in a short space of time.
“The last time I went to his house, there was no fight scheduled. So it was a month. And we made it a goal to just lose as much fat as possible. We lost 30 pounds in 30 days.”
Speaking exclusively to SportsJOE, Lockhart said that in order to kickstart his weight loss programme, he had Fury follow an unconventional fasting protocol.
“He fasts once a week, every week.”
This fast lasts the whole 24 hours, according to Lockhart, who chuckles to himself when he says:
“We pick a day. We used to fast… We say ‘we’, I didn’t fast with him. But every Thursday, we’d fast.”
Lockhart asserts that Fury’s performance didn’t suffer from going without food for a full day.
“It became easier and easier for him, but he would drop body fat and everything else and the performance was good to go.”
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The problem with intermittent fasting
Some studies indicate that short-term fasting periods of between 24 and 48 hours may work via a process called autophagy.
Lockhart says: “In terms of fasting, autophagy is one of the biggest benefits. It’s the recycling and regeneration of cells.
“To do that, you need to be in a certain state, and the way we do it is having our fighters do an extended anaerobic workout to deplete carb stores, then we’ll have them fast for 24 hours followed by an aerobic workout.”
Lockhart isn’t a fan of intermittent fasting, however, stating: “I know I’m probably gonna get a lot of slack for that.”
The problem with intermittent fasting is in the way most people conduct it, he says.
“A lot of people don’t understand that fasting isn’t about depletion of calories. If you lose it when you fast, as soon as you start drinking water or eating, you’re gonna gain all the weight back.”
This unconventional approach to fasting merely laid the groundwork for Fury’s weight loss. Food held the real key.
Lockhart completely overhauled Fury’s nutrition plan. Out went snacking, fast food and an overall lack of structure. In came a totally revitalised daily diet.
“His training didn’t change at all, but I changed his nutrition. A lot of people don’t realise that you can train your butt off, but if you eat like crap, you’re not gonna lose any weight.”
Tyson Fury’s daily diet
Describing Fury’s daily diet on his current plan, Lockhart says:
“Typically, his first meal of the day… He loves Greek yoghurt. Fruits, I put flax seed, honey on top, lots of fruits and then walnuts.
“The fruits are there to fuel the brain and the Greek yoghurt I like for the [digestive] system. Just a real clean meal.
“His [Fury’s] number one go-to food is poké. He loves poké. And he likes fried rice. When I say fried rice, it ain’t fried rice. I’ve got to make it with cauliflower – it simulates fried rice.”
Fury has one salmon a day, in addition to poké, with the omega 3 fatty acids in oily fish providing vital anti-inflammatory benefits.
Tyson Fury’s go-to meal of poké, a dish comprising raw, sliced fish with rice and salad. (Photo: iStock)Tyson Fury’s favourite food
The Gypsy King’s fondness for fish does need to be reeled in at times, however.
“I’m like, ‘What is your favourite meal?’ He says, ‘I guess fish and chips.’
“I had them out in England and there is no way on God’s green Earth I can make that!”
Across the pond, takes on this British classic are even unhealthier according to Lockhart.
“I’m not saying it’s not healthy in England because you guys lightly batter it, whereas in America, it’s like… All batter. You’ll get a chicken nugget of fish.”
Fury is continuing to work with Lockhart in the run-up to the third Deontay Wilder fight.
“People saw a huge difference between the first Wilder fight and the second Wilder fight with his physique.
“This fight people are going to be shocked, man. He’s going to look amazing.”
