FOR nearly two decades, New Jersey-based dad Brad
Kroenig has been one of America’s top male models, walking on runways
for designers like Chanel and Versace while fronting fashion campaigns
for brands such as Fendi, Hermès and Tommy Hilfiger.
The 38-year-old also has the quasi-Zoolander lifestyle
to match. He and his wife, Nicole, and sons Hudson, 9, and Jameson, 5,
have just returned from a three-week vacation with family friend Karl
Lagerfeld at his villa in Saint-Tropez.
“Karl shot me for a V Man spread years ago in Biarritz,” Kroenig says. “And now he’s both of my kids’ godfather.”
Yet even Kroenig — who, at 6 feet 1, clocked in at 180 pounds at his heaviest — felt there was room for improvement. He started feeling moody, sluggish and exhausted by his coffee-and-cardio-fuelled regimen, the New York Post reports.
“I started to see that I was not in my usual great shape,” he says.
RADICAL DIET
And so, in June 2016, he embarked upon a diet that was radical, at least for members of the fashion tribe. No, his weight-loss plan didn’t involve periodic fasting or extreme juicing. Rather, Kroenig started eating carbs — cups and cups of them each day.
Now, more than a year in, his tummy is flatter, his face fresher and he’s lost an impressive 20 pounds while maintaining lean muscle mass.
“I’m almost 40,” he says proudly, “and in the best physical and mental shape of my life,” he told nypost.com.
Kroenig concedes that most folks find consuming starch and losing fat a contradiction in terms. In fact, he used to be one of them.
“I spent most of my modelling career avoiding carbs, doing CrossFit and relying on energy pills to keep me going,” he says.
“The program initially sounded too good to be true. I thought I would begin and immediately balloon up to 300 pounds.”
HOW HE DID IT
Kroenig’s new pro-carb eating plan was devised by Nate Miyaki, a San Francisco-based author, certified personal trainer and sports nutritionist, whose latest book is “The 6-Pack Checklist.”
Miyaki takes what he describes as an “informed and efficient approach” to diet and exercise. The focus, he says, is on “strength training and targeted micronutrient intakes” that finely calibrate total protein, carb and fat consumption.
To promote initial fat loss, Miyaki calculated Kroenig’s daily calorie intake by multiplying his target body weight number by 10 to 15 calories for a total of 1,500 calories a day. Carbs were slashed and protein boosted to maintain Kroenig’s lean muscle mass.
Six weeks after Kroenig started the diet, he upped his daily carb intake by 50 grams every three weeks to his current daily intake of 325 grams.
“As Brad’s lean-muscle-to-body-fat ratio, insulin sensitivity and conditioning improved, and the volume and intensity of his training program increased,” says Miyaki, “we were actually able to increase his carbohydrate intake by quite a bit.”
Kroenig’s current maintenance diet allows him 2,400 calories a day: precisely measured portions of grains, simply grilled meats and steamed vegetables for lunch and dinner — along with three hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, plus some black coffee and the occasional piece of fruit thrown in.
Sometimes he’ll swap the usual basmati rice for sweet potatoes, but he almost never cheats. “Maybe some pizza or cake for my kid’s birthday,” he says, “but, really, that’s all.”
All told, Kroenig eats six to seven cups of rice a day spread mainly between lunch and dinner. “This is what keeps me full,” says Kroenig.
The key, he says, is opting for quality carbs, such as basmati rice and sweet potatoes, over the refined carbs typically found in snacks or diet foods.
WORKING OUT
For exercise, Miyaki worked with Kroenig to devise a strength-based plan that replaces endless cardio with thrice-weekly workouts. Each routine is 38 minutes long and easily replicated either at home (with weights) or with resistance bands when travelling.
“No one believes I work out for less than two hours each week to stay this ripped,” he says.
He supplements that by regularly walking or hiking with his boys, who’ve adopted the basic tenets of Kroenig’s eating plan — with more kid-friendly items such as fruit. (He says once a week they’re allowed “cheat days,” which can include “pizza, ice cream or dessert from a trendy new restaurant.”)
Miyaki describes his overall method as both “practical and sustainable” — though not without its challenges. “You have to put in some [initial] work breaking bad habits,” he says. “But if you approach it correctly from the beginning, it’s easier than most physique transformations.”
Meanwhile, Kroenig says he’s no longer obsessing over every calorie or sit-up. He’s also found a new sense of confidence and vigour as well as an increase in blue-chip fashion work, including a pair of prestigious September-issue campaigns for Polo Ralph Lauren and Chanel.
“I feel like a rebel eating so many carbs,” says Kroenig. “It’s like I was brainwashed for 15 years by the fitness world [about] how bad carbs are.”
Still, he admits it can be hard to stick to his program day after day, meal after meal. But the pay-off of a hot bod and clear mind is well worth the effort.
“Karl said I’ve never looked better,” he says, “and this is really the biggest compliment of all.”
BRAD’S DAILY DIET
BREAKFAST: 3 hard-boiled eggs, ½ cup of rice, black coffee
LUNCH: About 230g of lean protein, 1 cup of steamed basmati rice and unlimited steamed vegetables
DINNER: About 230g ounces of lean protein, 5 cups of steamed basmati rice and unlimited steamed vegetables
This article was republished from the New York Post with permission.
“Karl shot me for a V Man spread years ago in Biarritz,” Kroenig says. “And now he’s both of my kids’ godfather.”
Yet even Kroenig — who, at 6 feet 1, clocked in at 180 pounds at his heaviest — felt there was room for improvement. He started feeling moody, sluggish and exhausted by his coffee-and-cardio-fuelled regimen, the New York Post reports.
“I started to see that I was not in my usual great shape,” he says.
RADICAL DIET
And so, in June 2016, he embarked upon a diet that was radical, at least for members of the fashion tribe. No, his weight-loss plan didn’t involve periodic fasting or extreme juicing. Rather, Kroenig started eating carbs — cups and cups of them each day.
Now, more than a year in, his tummy is flatter, his face fresher and he’s lost an impressive 20 pounds while maintaining lean muscle mass.
“I’m almost 40,” he says proudly, “and in the best physical and mental shape of my life,” he told nypost.com.
Kroenig concedes that most folks find consuming starch and losing fat a contradiction in terms. In fact, he used to be one of them.
“I spent most of my modelling career avoiding carbs, doing CrossFit and relying on energy pills to keep me going,” he says.
“The program initially sounded too good to be true. I thought I would begin and immediately balloon up to 300 pounds.”
HOW HE DID IT
Kroenig’s new pro-carb eating plan was devised by Nate Miyaki, a San Francisco-based author, certified personal trainer and sports nutritionist, whose latest book is “The 6-Pack Checklist.”
Miyaki takes what he describes as an “informed and efficient approach” to diet and exercise. The focus, he says, is on “strength training and targeted micronutrient intakes” that finely calibrate total protein, carb and fat consumption.
To promote initial fat loss, Miyaki calculated Kroenig’s daily calorie intake by multiplying his target body weight number by 10 to 15 calories for a total of 1,500 calories a day. Carbs were slashed and protein boosted to maintain Kroenig’s lean muscle mass.
Six weeks after Kroenig started the diet, he upped his daily carb intake by 50 grams every three weeks to his current daily intake of 325 grams.
“As Brad’s lean-muscle-to-body-fat ratio, insulin sensitivity and conditioning improved, and the volume and intensity of his training program increased,” says Miyaki, “we were actually able to increase his carbohydrate intake by quite a bit.”
Kroenig’s current maintenance diet allows him 2,400 calories a day: precisely measured portions of grains, simply grilled meats and steamed vegetables for lunch and dinner — along with three hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, plus some black coffee and the occasional piece of fruit thrown in.
Sometimes he’ll swap the usual basmati rice for sweet potatoes, but he almost never cheats. “Maybe some pizza or cake for my kid’s birthday,” he says, “but, really, that’s all.”
All told, Kroenig eats six to seven cups of rice a day spread mainly between lunch and dinner. “This is what keeps me full,” says Kroenig.
The key, he says, is opting for quality carbs, such as basmati rice and sweet potatoes, over the refined carbs typically found in snacks or diet foods.
WORKING OUT
For exercise, Miyaki worked with Kroenig to devise a strength-based plan that replaces endless cardio with thrice-weekly workouts. Each routine is 38 minutes long and easily replicated either at home (with weights) or with resistance bands when travelling.
“No one believes I work out for less than two hours each week to stay this ripped,” he says.
He supplements that by regularly walking or hiking with his boys, who’ve adopted the basic tenets of Kroenig’s eating plan — with more kid-friendly items such as fruit. (He says once a week they’re allowed “cheat days,” which can include “pizza, ice cream or dessert from a trendy new restaurant.”)
Miyaki describes his overall method as both “practical and sustainable” — though not without its challenges. “You have to put in some [initial] work breaking bad habits,” he says. “But if you approach it correctly from the beginning, it’s easier than most physique transformations.”
Meanwhile, Kroenig says he’s no longer obsessing over every calorie or sit-up. He’s also found a new sense of confidence and vigour as well as an increase in blue-chip fashion work, including a pair of prestigious September-issue campaigns for Polo Ralph Lauren and Chanel.
“I feel like a rebel eating so many carbs,” says Kroenig. “It’s like I was brainwashed for 15 years by the fitness world [about] how bad carbs are.”
Still, he admits it can be hard to stick to his program day after day, meal after meal. But the pay-off of a hot bod and clear mind is well worth the effort.
“Karl said I’ve never looked better,” he says, “and this is really the biggest compliment of all.”
BRAD’S DAILY DIET
BREAKFAST: 3 hard-boiled eggs, ½ cup of rice, black coffee
LUNCH: About 230g of lean protein, 1 cup of steamed basmati rice and unlimited steamed vegetables
DINNER: About 230g ounces of lean protein, 5 cups of steamed basmati rice and unlimited steamed vegetables
This article was republished from the New York Post with permission.
