Weight loss might seem an unlikely topic to associate with the life of a French pastry chef and chocolatier. However, Jacques Torres, the beloved chocolatier and star of Netflix's "Nailed It!", has managed to lose 60 pounds in one year, and his dramatic transformation is inspiring fans.
The Wake-Up Call: Health Concerns
"Working in food, I understand what food is good - and what food is less good," Torres told E!. However, he acknowledged that metabolism changes with age. "But, you know, when you reach 50 and 60 years old, your metabolism doesn't work the same." While some individuals can carry extra weight and maintain good health, Torres realized this wasn't the case for him. "Some people are heavy and in very good health. But me? I was heavy, and my liver was what we call a 'fat liver.' And a fat liver is a sign that you'll have trouble later."
Concerned for his health and longevity, especially as a new parent, Torres sought advice from his doctor. He cited the birth of his son as a "good reason" to make changes.
The Diagnosis and the Plan
Torres's doctor identified sugar as a primary concern. "Knowing what I do, he thought sugar was a big cause," Torres told E! He admitted that he was consuming too much, going beyond simply tasting his creations. "Instead of tasting, like chefs usually do, I was tasting a little bit too heavily. I was eating too much."
The solution involved working with a nutritionist to modify his eating habits. "We thought, 'OK, carbs and sugar are maybe the main problem.' So, I needed a nutritionist to work with me."
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The Nutritionist's Guidance: Gradual Changes
Torres's nutritionist implemented a system of monitoring and immediate feedback. "Basically, you send pictures of everything you eat - portion size and whatever you want to put in your mouth - and she said 'yes' or 'no.' She would answer right away: 'Eat that and that, but leave that to the side,' or 'Eat two thirds of that. Don't eat everything.'"
The key to success was a gradual approach. "The good thing was she didn't cut too much too fast, and everything was gradual." For one year, he didn’t touch carbs. He would eat a little chocolate, but that was it.
The Eating Strategy: Protein, Vegetables, and Limited Carbs
Torres learned to prioritize certain food groups. You have to review the food that you have. The trick is how much and in what order. The nutritionist told me to eat protein first. Then you eat vegetables. And you leave the carbs alone. That was very hard.
Maintaining a Healthy Relationship with Chocolate
Despite the need to reduce sugar intake, Torres never completely eliminated chocolate from his diet. "I never stopped eating chocolate. Listen, it’s impossible to work in a chocolate shop and not eat chocolate." He emphasized the importance of moderation. "Everything in moderation," I’m sure you’ve heard that a lot. Sometimes I will have a croissant. But I will not have a croissant everyday. It’s the same with chocolate. With chocolate, I will not indulge. I taste what I make. I don’t think I could be a chocolate maker or pastry chef without tasting things! But tasting doesn’t mean eating a lot. Chocolate can be healthy if you eat it in moderation!
He distinguishes between tasting and indulging. Tasting is essential for his work, but it doesn't equate to consuming large quantities. He also favors dark chocolate with a high cocoa content and very little sugar. I’ll have a piece of dark chocolate with very little sugar, maybe a 75-80 percent cocoa content. Maybe a good origin, Venezuela.
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The Impact of Weight Loss: More Than Just Physical
Torres's weight loss journey has had a profound impact on his overall well-being.
Losing weight and becoming healthier definitely made a change in my overall spirits and overall health. You move faster. You’re less tired. You are a little bit happier to get up every morning, and you feel good. Running after a 3-year old - I ran four marathons in my life, but a 3-year-old makes you move.
Family: A Driving Force
Family has become the center of my life now. My wife and my kids, that’s my focus. And of course I [want to] make my company more successful. I’m going to keep being very serious about what I do and how I do it, [but] raising those little ones is very important to me and hopefully [I’ll be] there for them for many years. That’s why I became healthier. So we can be together and create memories.
Balancing Work and Life
Torres acknowledges the challenges of separating work and personal life. JT: I don’t think that in life we can partition everything and say, “Oh, this is my time, this is family time, this is work time.” Unfortunately I think that all those lines are a little bit blurred. For me, I will take my son to the park and that would be my time with him and my time at the park. If I have the family visiting me at work, then that will be family time and work time. Or if I will be by myself at work, then I will try to work as hard as I can because I also want to go home. So all of those lines can be quite blurry to me.
Innovation and Leadership
Jacques Torres: Innovation is not something that you can push. Innovation comes to you. You can maybe trigger it - seasons can do that for me; the change of temperature, the change of smell, the change of color. Traveling will certainly help with innovation. I can’t just say, “Oh, today we are going to make five new chocolates.” That’s not how it works. You have to be seeded with something. Maybe it’s flavor, maybe it’s a book, but something has to trigger that innovation. One you have that, then you must research and work on the development. Sometimes you’re lucky and the first time you try something it works. And sometimes you’re going to be at it for a few days. For me, when something is really good, then I know it, and I get excited about it, and then I want everybody to try it.
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He also emphasizes the importance of trusting his team and allowing them to learn from mistakes. If you run a business and want to be a good leader, you have to trust your team. I had a meeting recently with a young gentleman who was asking me advice. I told him that I recently hired a COO, and he drives my company now. I’m still the CEO of the company, but I left the day to day to him. That young man asked me, “That was difficult, for you to let it go?” I thought about it and said, “You know, when I was 30, when I was 40 years old, certainly it would be difficult for me to let go. It’s a lot easier as you age and understand that you’re part of a company. I have about a hundred employees, so I am basically one percent of the workforce. I also learned to let your team make some mistakes. If you stop every time that you see a mistake coming or you think one is going to happen, you don’t lead anymore. You make people unhappy and don’t want to take the initiative anymore. So let mistakes happen. I learned making a lot of mistakes and I do believe that we all learn like that.
"Nailed It!": A Hilarious Baking Competition
Torres co-stars on the hilarious baking competition show on Netflix, “Nailed It!”. On the show, amateur bakers attempt to recreate complex desserts, often with disastrous and humorous results.
Nicole Byer, an improv comedian, provides the humor.
The "Nailed It!" Experience
NB: For me, it’s like a 12-hour day because I have to do hair and makeup and then wardrobe fittings. JT: And sometimes more. One day, I remember they had us do 14 hours. So it’s long.
JT: When you look at the results, how can you be upset? Oh my God, a lot of times, things don’t look at all like a copy of what we asked them to do. So I don’t think they can really be upset. They basically all fail.
JT: We eat raw dough. We eat raw cookie. We eat massive buttercream in cakes that are still warm. We eat salt. We have to taste things that you will not put in your mouth. But you know what? That’s television.