Tom Jones, 78, dropped over two stone in 2011 by adopting the paleo diet. The It’s Not Unusual hitmaker has remained in shape after ditching unhealthy treats when he realised he could no longer fit into his suits. Taking on board the paleo diet, which is known as ‘the caveman diet’, The Voice coach Tom began to focus on fresh, raw foods instead of processed meats and carbohydrates. He said on Radio 2 in 2011: “I was putting too much weight on.
“I didn’t think I was going to and I left the working out for a bit, thought I’d keep a check on it.
“But with the Christmas puddings and cakes, before I knew it I was 230lb (16.4 stone) which was 30lb more than I should be.”
Tom added: “I couldn’t get into my suits. That’s when I thought, ’this has got to stop’.”
The pop star got help from a dietician and a US diet book named Syndrome X: The Complete Nutritional Program to Prevent and Reverse Insulin Resistance, overhauling his diet and upping his intake of fresh foods.
Tom explained: “I’d recommend it to anybody. It tells you to get back to what we used to eat when we were hunters and gatherers. Eat anything that’s natural – meat, fish, veg.”
He also quit drinking for a few months after his dietician was left shocked to discover the pop star was drinking a bottle of red wine with his dinner.
“What I didn’t tell him was I’d started off with a martini, had a cognac and a bottle of champagne too,” he added.
Tom lost 2st 7lb in just five months on the paleo diet.
The Voice coach also recently took up boxing, after a health scare forced him to cancel gigs when he was rushed to hospital in July last year.
Speaking to The Mirror, Tom said: “I’ve got a trainer who comes to see me. A lot of stretching and boxing thrown in.
“He puts the gloves on and we do a couple of rounds in the gym, which is really good. It’s a good cardiovascular workout.
“It keeps me on my toes. I do it twice a week. I get in the gym whenever – three times a week usually. I try to watch my diet too.”
Last year, Sir Tom was forced to cancel a number of concerts as he battled a bacterial infection.
At the time, updates were announced on his Twitter page which stated he had been treated in hospital.
The legendary singer and songwriter returned to the stage in August, two months after being hospitalised.
Speaking about the illness, he told The Mirror: “I was on the road and when we got to London, I was feeling weak. I wasn’t feeling so good and they said, ‘You had better get yourself checked, your blood and everything’.”
The Delilah chart-topper added: “I just didn’t feel good and they said you need antibiotics. So they gave it intravenously and that was it.
“If it had happened at another time, nobody would have taken any notice. I would have gone in for a couple of days and that would have been it. But I had to cancel shows. So that was a big deal.”