Matt Damon Explains The One Diet Change That Helped Him Drop Up To 30lbs

Actor Matt Damon has shared how he transformed his body for his upcoming movie directed by Christopher Nolan, including the one major thing he decided to cut out of his diet.

At 55, Damon has been known for taking on physical roles for decades, but this latest project still required him to get into very specific shape for the screen.

Damon is set to star in Christopher Nolan’s film Odyssey as the character Odysseus, a role that pushed him to shed noticeable weight and focus closely on his overall conditioning.

During an appearance on Jason and Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast on January 7, Damon opened up about what that process actually looked like.

Jason Kelce pointed out that some early clips from the movie circulating online showed Damon looking, in his words, “pretty yoked up.”

Damon agreed, explaining that he got into very strong shape and dropped a significant amount of weight, comparing the preparation to the disciplined routines NFL players follow during the season.

Damon explained he lost as much as 30 pounds for the role New Heights/YouTube

He said that after a while, the training and discipline simply become part of everyday life, and being in the right shape for a role is just another part of doing the job well.

When it came to diet, Damon explained that he removed one specific thing, which also lined up with something he had already been discussing with his doctor.

He said: "[Nolan] said he wanted me lean but strong, and so its a weird thing, I don't want to bore the s*** out of you but I literally, just because of this other thing I did with my doctor, stopped eating gluten."

"I used to walk around at between 185 [pounds] and 200 and I did that whole movie at 167. I haven't been that light since high school."

"So it was a lot of training and a really strict diet."

Gluten is a protein commonly found in wheat, rye, barley, and many processed foods, including bread, pasta, and breakfast cereals.

Some people avoid gluten because they have celiac disease, a condition where the body’s immune response to gluten damages the lining of the small intestine, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Others choose to avoid it due to gluten intolerance, which can cause discomfort without the same immune response.

Despite Damon’s experience, medical experts have consistently pushed back on the idea that simply cutting gluten leads directly to weight loss.

Cleveland Clinic explained: "There's absolutely no evidence that simply getting rid of gluten will result in weight loss. But if you eat a gluten-free diet you may make healthier food choices because you're more aware of how to read food labels."

"Eating gluten-free often may cause you to eat more whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and lean meats. These diet changes are often healthier and lower in calories."