Mark Wahlberg on Eating 10 Meals a Day for 'P&G'
Pain & Gain's plot about a group of bodybuilders who team up to commit crimes may take a different spin on the maxim "No pain, no gain," but for Mark Wahlberg, the gain of bulking up for his character in the film soon became a pain for him. At the Miami premiere for the upcoming film, Wahlberg revealed the hefty diet he had to uphold for the film.
Wahlberg has always upheld a relatively well-kept figure in his decades-long film career, but playing the role of a bodybuilder required him to push himself to another level. Normally hovering around 165 pounds, the 41-year-old actor beefed up to over 210 pounds for his role as real-life criminal Daniel Lugo.
Gaining more than 45 pounds, predominantly in muscle mass, in a short timeframe may seem like a desirable feat, but Wahlberg says that maintaining his bulked-up frame got old very quickly.
"I was...[eating] ten meals a day," he revealed of his intense training diet. "Plus, the weight gainer and all this stuff, it was fun for two weeks because the first movie I did, I had to really get thin, but after that it was like, 'No more!'"
With intense weightlifting usually comes plenty of protein intake, as the nutrient helps retain muscle mass. Wahlberg divulged that he received the bulk of his protein ingestion through eating chicken, which he soon grew tired of eating.
VIDEO: Trailer: Their 'Pain' is Your 'Gain'
"[I ate] loads of chicken; pounds of chicken," the Boston native said. "...I would eat at least two rotisserie chickens a day myself."
Now that production for the action-comedy-crime film has ceased, Wahlberg is in the process of returning back to his normal weight. He'll star in the upcoming fourth installment of the Transformers franchise, which begins production this summer.
"I'm trying to get thin again. [I'm doing] a different kind of workout. [I'm] changing my diet and my exercise," he said of shedding the weight he put on for the film. "[I'm] doing a lot more cardio."
VIDEO: 'Pain & Gain' Cast Talks Body Transformations
For more from the stars of Pain & Gain, check out the video above of the Miami premiere.
Pain & Gain is in theaters April 26.