They're around food all day, and they watch what they eat
Being a chef means having to taste everything, which is a mixed blessing. There's all that good food, of course. But the downside has to do with calories. They do add up. In the course of Peter McCarthy's workday, he might taste cornmeal-fried oysters and creme brulee and more than a dozen other things in between. The chef never considered this a hardship until one day he found himself on the verge of buying size 40 pants.
"I was growing in ways I didn't want to be," recalls McCarthy, who, with his wife, Colleen, owns EVOO restaurant in Somerville.
The night he decided to run 3 miles home from the restaurant was a turning point. "I was sore for days afterward ," he admits. Still, he made himself start running several times a week. He also tried to be mindful of how much he ate. Six years later, down 50 pounds, McCarthy has managed to find the elusive balance between enjoying meals, but not eating more than he can work off.
Most chefs joined the industry because they have a finely honed appreciation for food. And while many are in the 32 percent of overweight American adults, being lean and working in the kitchen is no longer a stigma. In these fitness-conscious times, the old adage, "Never trust a skinny chef," seems as dated as the two-martini lunch.
Even cooking schools are paying attention. The New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vt., requires students to check in once a week with a fitness instructor. Recently they banned sugary drinks from the vending machines. "The big push now is to train chefs who are healthy and in shape," says Mark Molinaro, an executive chef at the school. "We work with food but we're not gorging ourselves. A heavy chef tends to be looked down on."
Some, like celebrity chef Jasper White, lose so much weight that people don't recognize him. Restaurateur Mary-Catherine Deibel has been struggling with her weight for years. The co-owner of UpStairs on the Square hosts a diet support group called Down @ Up. About 15 members weigh in and discuss their attempts to reach their diet goals, all this over a low-fat lunch prepared by chef Steve Brand. "We talk a lot about portion control, eating small amounts, and then putting the food away," says Deibel, who admits that she is constantly tempted by afternoon tea, as well as the confections, especially blondies and chocolate turtles, set out as staff snacks.
While Deibel may cave where sugar is concerned, every dieter has a particular food -- crusty bread and French butter, chocolate, or salty nuts -- that triggers overeating. But while most people are in an office, or at least not in the kitchen all day, chefs struggle to discipline themselves when they encounter their weaknesses in the normal course of work. Andrew Wilkinson, executive chef at Skipjack's, has a constant supply of chowder on hand. "It would be so easy to bang down 12 ounces. I have to look at it and tell myself no, just have a 2-ounce taste," he says. To keep himself motivated to eat reasonable portions, he weighs himself every morning on a digital scale, making adjustments if he sees his weight edging up.
A professional kitchen has all sorts of pitfalls for dieters, particularly the high-calorie delights. Avoiding all food in order to stay away from the trigger foods doesn't work either. As any nutritionist will tell you, skipping meals leads to overindulgence later. Wilkinson says, "You're too busy to eat all day, and then at the end of the night, you don't want to eat in your own restaurant -- you just want to get out of there! You end up hitting a Chinese restaurant at 1 a.m. and having a couple of beers and it can get nutso."
Jody Adams sticks to an exercise and meal plan that works well. The chef-owner of Rialto in The Charles Hotel has never been on a diet, but did slim down earlier this year during the flurry of reopening the restaurant. Now she tries to maintain a steady weight by making sure she eats lunch, usually a dish that balances protein and vegetables, because "I'm sure to eat carbs during the day." She has also learned to go for foods with "big flavors," such as pesto and tapenade, because just a little can leave her satisfied.
Taking a break to eat in the afternoon is also important, she says. Some restaurants call this family supper. At Rialto and other establishments, staff members have a meal together around 4 or 4:30 p.m., so they can be adequately fueled before the hectic night begins. McCarthy of EVOO might have pasta with a cream-laden sauce at a staff meal, but he's likely to eat a small portion with a large salad. New England Culinary teaches students to take breaks and savor a sit-down meal instead of standing at the stove all night.
Ultimately, it's all a matter of calories in and calories out. If you exercise, you're better off when it comes to fighting excess weight. Adams tries to start each day by walking her daughter to school in Brookline, then continuing around Jamaica Pond or the reservoir along Route 9. McCarthy, once fatigued by three miles, now runs 20 to 30 miles each week; he just started training for the New York City Marathon this fall. The lull between lunch and dinner has proved a boon to Skipjack's Wilkinson, who uses that time to go to the gym. Deibel of Upstairs jokes that everyone gets an aerobic workout on the restaurant's four flights of stairs, but she also tries to go to an aqua-cize class three times a week.
Deibel had some success following the Weight Watchers plan for a while, on which she lost 60 pounds. Other chefs say that being aware of what they eat, and how often they eat, works better than any structured plan. McCarthy can avoid many calories since he gave up sugary drinks and replaced them with water and club soda.
Most important, say the chefs, is keeping food in perspective. "I'm not going to be on an austere diet of lean chicken and salad greens for the rest of my life," says Deibel. "I don't want my life to be a denial of food." Still, she adds, "I do have to think about weight control."
In her line of work, you have to. 