Mark Wahlberg Admits Movie Weight Gain With 11,000-Calorie Diet Was ‘Not Fun’: Before and After Photos

Mark Wahlberg admitted that gaining 20 pounds over the course of three weeks was not as simple, nor as enjoyable, as it may sound. 

The actor, 50, dished about the rapid transformation he underwent to play a boxer-turned-priest in the upcoming movie Stu during a video call appearance on The Tonight Show. “Unfortunately, I had to consume, for two weeks, 7,000 calories, and then for another two weeks, 11,000 calories,” Mark shared while catching up with host Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, July 15. 

When asked how he was able to change his appearance so drastically in such a short period of time, the dad of four joked, “It’s the mustache.”

Mark said that keeping up with his caloric intake was actually only fun for “about an hour,” despite previously thinking it would be a walk in the park. “It’s such a hard, physical thing to do. Losing weight, you just kind of tough it out — you just don’t eat and exercise,” the star explained, having previously dieted and trained rigorously to be “ripped” for his 2020 action-packed film Spenser Confidential. 

This time around, the Massachusetts native was on the other end of the spectrum and that proved to be just as, if not more, challenging. “Even when you’re full, I would wake up after a meal and have another meal,” he shared about the discipline it took to portray his character in the film inspired by a true story. “I was eating every three hours.” 

Mark, who turned 50 in June, also revealed that it has “absolutely” become more strenuous for him to gain and lose weight, especially when it needs to happen as soon as possible. 

“Once the metabolism starts to slow down, it gets really difficult. I was trying to get this movie made for six years, we only had 30 days to shoot it, and so I wanted to really make it happen,” he shared about his passion project. “And [I] was also crazy to have financed a lot of it myself. So, I knew I was on a ticking clock on my own dime, and you get things done pretty quickly when that’s the case.” 

Mark previously showed off his physical changes in May, first having a six-pack and massive biceps while in his character’s boxing heyday. The “after” photo unveiled his much less defined stomach. While filming on Stu has come to a wrap, the Oscar-nominated performer also has another movie hitting theatres on July 23, Joe Bell, which is also based on a true story. 

These days, Mark appears to be back to his muscular physique, and it didn’t take long. He’s a force to be reckoned with!