Christian Bale wowed critics with his skeleton like figure in the portrayal of Trevor Reznik in the movie "The Machinist." What many people don't realize is that this incredible weight loss was a strategic move that helped Bale pack on one hundred pounds of muscle in five months for his next role as Batman.
In preparing for the role of Trevor Reznik, Bale made it a goal of losing 60-80 pounds of weight in four months. He made this possible by eating less than 700 calories a day. Here is what a crazy day in Bale's diet might look like:
Breakfast
-Small non-fat latte
-cigarettes
Lunch
-can of tuna
-more cigarettes
-cup of black coffee
Dinner
-apple
-and more cigarettes
-multi-vitamin
As you can see, this is clearly a crash diet. By eating next to nothing while drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes,(which stimulate the metabolism), Bale put his body into survival mode.
When the body enters survival mode a number changes take place. Your body must adjust to the lack of calories as best as it can. It does this by:
1. Lowering natural energy
You may notice that it takes a lot more effort to get off your butt and exercise.
2. Increased sleep
In an effort to conserve calories your body may request more sleep.
3. Increased appetite
Sometimes hunger pangs get so strong you may find yourself binging.
4. Increased natural growth-hormone levels
In order to keep your bones and muscles strong your body increases natural hormone levels to make the best use out of the food you eat (or lack of).
When these changes happen, your body does everything it can to hold on to its weight. If you were to give your body excess calories in this state you would most certainly pack on weight. Incorporate weight training, and you got the perfect recipe for increased muscle mass. This is exactly how Bale attained the physique he needed for the role as batman.
An important note:
It is important that you accomplish the feat of "Survival Mode" in the safest way possible. Make sure to add a multi-vitamin to your diet. And don't be afraid to drink some juice if your energy levels get too low. I suggest pineapple juice, it has a great level of vitamin C as well as potassium and Iron.
I would also do a survival mode cycle for no longer than six weeks, followed by a month of intense weight training with high calorie levels.
Good luck,
let me know how it works
Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1067223/how_christian_bale_pack...