- Vince Wilfork told Insider that he has lost about 80 pounds since retiring from the NFL in 2017.
- According to Wilfork, the biggest change to his diet isn’t the food he’s eating, but rather the portion size.
- Broccoli, hydration, and discipline were all important parts of Wilfork’s weight loss journey.
During his 13 seasons in the NFL, Vince Wilfork has dominated defense.
Weighing in at 325 pounds, Wilfork served as an anchor for the Patriots’ defense, pushing the ball into the opposition’s backfield.
However, after retiring, Wilfork’s body changed. Wilfork looks aggressively slimmer now because he no longer has to carry the weight needed to push back a 300-pound aggressive lineman.
“The only change in my diet is how much I actually eat,” Wilfork told Insider while promoting his new show on the Food Network. ‘s appetite isn’t what it used to be.”
Vince Wilfork warms up before a game against the New England Patriots
AP Photo/Steven Sene
Wilfork estimates he has lost over 80 pounds since his playing days. According to him, both hydration and long hours in the Houston sun have been key to his transformation.
“My son’s Little League baseball team practiced three or four times a week,” Wilfork said. “So I was in the Houston heat all the time and drank gallons and gallons of water. That’s how I dropped it. It just kept going down.”
“Because I get home at eight o’clock at night, eat a salad or something small, and go to bed.”
Wilfork’s transformation has not gone unnoticed. According to Wilfork, a run-in with his former head coach Bill Belichick temporarily turned into a recruiting mission to get the newly fit Wilfork back on the shoulder pads.
“Bill was Bill. He was working out on the treadmill. I was like, ‘I want to go see the coach,'” Wilfork told reporters.NBC Sports Boston. He was working out on the treadmill and I walked in and he said, ‘What the hell—?’ What??’
“And I’m trying to talk to him, and his only thing is [could] I was like, “Oh my god, you look good!” You still look playable,” Wilfork said. He couldn’t stop telling me how good looking I was and all. “
During his time in the NFL, Wilfork had a special diet plan to stay fit. With a family history of diabetes, he was always careful about what he ate.
“In New England, they used to cook food just for me,” Wilfork told Insider. And I used to eat broccoli every day.My veg.I used to make steak, but I don’t eat spinach—but I drink it.They shake me with spinach. I was always taking nutrients because they gave me.
Vince Wilfork will be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2022.
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer
Now retired, Wilfork doesn’t have a Patriots nutrition staff to prepare meals for him, but he still continues to eat a similar diet.
“It’s all about discipline,” Wilfork explained. “My whole career, my whole life, I’ve been disciplined, so it’s never been a problem for me. Because I love broccoli. I love broccoli. I love collard greens.” And I love cabbage..”
That said, Wilfork made some changes to his vegetable intake.
“Well, spinach, I’m not overdoing it anymore,” said Wilfork.
“I eat exactly the same, but less.”
