What’s the secret to Romelu Lukaku’s rapid weight loss

All this year, the striker of the Italian club Internazionale and top scorer of the Belgian national team struggled with extra kilograms. Sudden weight gain has affected the well-being of the player on the field. And after all, the style of his game requires him to be physically strong, high starting and distance speed, and the extra weight is very much in the way. Romelu decided to pull himself together and start losing weight, and, according to him, it helped him to reach a new level physically and mentally. What are the features of his diet and whether everyone can take advantage of them, we find out in this article.

Background

Before the Italian club Romelu was a player of the English soccer club Manchester United, where he began to weigh more than 100 kg. And although the weight of the player was not the main reason for leaving “Manchester”, team captain Gary Neville was outraged by the physical form of Lukaku, and the omission of doctors and nutritionists working with the team, called unprofessional. Nutritionists assured that everything was under control and the weight of the footballer increased due to muscle mass gain, not fat.

The player was recommended to eat fish and vegetables, but it did not bring any results. Lukaku did change a lot in just one year (from 2018 to 2019), but that didn’t stop him from reaching the semi-finals at the World Cup and scoring four goals there. But the situation at the club was heating up, and when Lukaku was released to play on the wing, he decided to leave the club. He felt that he was not worthy of being an extreme midfielder and giving assists, because his style of play is aimed at the goal.

Romelu Lukaku

Slimming process

When Romelu started working with Inter, everyone was dumbfounded by his weight of 104 kg and put the Belgian on a strict diet. The first thing was a ban on alcohol, fried food and mozzarella. The main diet consisted of chicken or turkey and salad. Also in the Italian club he underwent individual training, which was invented for him by coach Antonio Conte. The reason for the player’s weight gain was due to digestive problems and not to increase muscle mass as Manchester United claimed.

“When I joined Inter, we analyzed my body and a lot of things have changed. I eat a lot of salad and fish, which I really like. It makes me feel good, I take vitamins. For lunch I eat salad, a lot of chicken breast. I have this lifestyle and I feel better on the field, I’m faster. I like sweet potatoes and black rice, I don’t eat pasta. I’ve reached another level physically and mentally.

Before Euro 2016, Lukaku gained back 100 pounds in two weeks. It helped him add speed and keep his power, but he wasn’t done there.

At this year’s Euros, Romelu arrived at 94 kg and has already managed to score three goals.

Who is suitable for such a diet?

Of course, not everyone! Firstly, it is worth considering the amount of physical exertion of the athlete and the state of his body, such a form is clearly not everyone. Secondly, it should be understood that an ordinary person, going on a strict diet, can break down and harm the unprepared body. Nutriciologist Mila Mikityuk told what to pay attention to when switching to this type of diet and what consequences it may have.

Mila Mikityuk

nutritionist

Drying is not suitable for many people, because the body is not used to consuming only proteins and carbohydrates from vegetables, for him it is a state of war. When after such a diet a person returns to the usual diet, the body will not spend incoming fats and carbohydrates for energy, but will store them. And then there will be a rapid weight gain. Therefore, this diet is created primarily for professional athletes and fitness trainers. Moreover, this diet is very harmful because of its monotony. The body will not receive the proper amount of vitamins, minerals and BJU, because of which the condition of the skin, hair and nails will be disturbed, as well as psychological health will deteriorate. If a person does not know that he has, for example, gout, then eating turkey will greatly harm him, so such features should also be clarified with specialists.