Jason Statham's Stay-Lean Plan

The star of The Transporter has a unique philosophy: no carbs after lunchtime. Here are the details of the diet and exercise that keep him camera-ready

STATHAM'S FOOD PHILOSOPHY

"You need to keep lean muscle mass. So I eat as much good food as I can, nuts, fish, beans, chicken. I'd say ninety-five percent of my food is good. And then I have a little bit of a blowout. Chocolate. Occasionally. But for the rest of it, just reprogram yourself. See, once you start depriving yourself, it becomes a nuisance.

But if you go, 'I'm not going to eat that because I'm gonna lose a bit of excess body fat that's depressing me more than the fact that I'm not allowed to eat that!', it's just reprogramming your head. It's sh*t-fried food. You're not giving anything up. You're quitting something that's disastrous."

STATHAM'S DAY OF EATING

"The way to get lean quick is to cut out all the sugars and heavy starch in the afternoon. If you eat carbs, you have to eat them in the daytime so you have an opportunity to burn them off. So forget all carbs after your lunchtime meal."

Breakfast
"I normally eat fresh fruits and oats. The location kind of demands what you eat for breakfast. If you're somewhere cold and wintry, fresh fruit's not that appealing. But if you're out here in California, strawberries and fresh pineapple is definitely on my menu. In England, I'll have granola or porridge. I do eat eggs they'll be poached. I'm not an egg white fanatic. It's just too bland."

Lunch
Broaden your horizons. "I'm certainly no vegan, but there's this little place down on Sunset that I'll go to, the California Vegan, and they do a really good steamed vegetable and brown rice. You put that in your body and you feel good. Or try a nice miso soup. There's nothing better than that stuff."

Dinner
"For the evening meal, you have to eat high protein--fish, chicken, lean beef --a vegetable, or salad. Make 7 o'clock the latest you eat."

Between Meals
Eat small, high-protein snacks like nuts or peanut butter. "Drink a minimum--a minimum--of three liters of water a day. Just keep drinking water."

STATHAM'S FITNESS PHILOSOPHY

"I can't say, yeah, I run 3 times a week, lift weights twice, and go swimming once just to change it up. That doesn't apply. My workout is constantly changing. Which for me is the best thing in the world, because variety is what keeps me interested. And I think your body responds better to shocking muscles that don't get used. When you do the same routine, you don't build up any sense of reflex.

You can't acquire a new skill by doing the same old sh*t. I like to do stuff that will improve my martial arts or boxing, something that will give me a skill. If you can throw a punch like this, bang! Or like this, bang! You can develop what Bruce Lee had, that very explosive power. I'm always trying to develop explosive power, core strength, coordination, and reflexes."