NYC Boxing Chef Serves 10 Years of Knockout Diet

NEW YORK CITY , NY (03/31/2009)(readMedia)-- Ten years ago a gourmet chef and boxer created a diet regime that packs a real punch.

In 1999, Bill Feldman opened The Boxing Chef, a boxing studio and gourmet kitchen at 60 East 42nd Street in Manhattan. Feldman is a professional chef and boxing trainer. His roster of celebrity clients includes professional athletes, actors and even an opera singer. But a good portion of The Boxing Chef's clients are busy professionals.

"I was a chef and I boxed," said Feldman, who had previously run a boxing gym in Yonkers. "So I put it together and came into the city. I started training people in a boxing style to lose weight and I was making healthy meals."

A typical session with Feldman lasts one hour and begins with stretching, jumping rope, and trampoline work. Then the gloves go on for a punch/mitt workout. When ready, clients might throw a few punches into the big bag or even go two or three rounds on a swinging speed bag.

"By the time you're done, you're so sweaty and exhausted. You've burned between 600 and 1200 calories in one hour," Feldman said. "When you're ready to leave I give you your meal, which you can eat here or take with you."

For weight loss and physical fitness, Feldman said the meals between and after workouts are as important as the workout itself.

"You can exercise 10 hours a day, and eat fried chicken and not lose weight," he said. "Because you're eating the wrong food, and probably too much of it."

Feldman's cuisine consists of healthy gourmet food, low in starch and high in protein. Dinners have between 400 to 500 calories, and dishes include seared, broiled or baked chicken breast, Tuna Nicose, taco salad, grilled fish or steak salad with lowfat cheeses. Fifty calories may come from green beans, 3 oz of sweet potatoes, asparagus, brown rice or bok choy.

"Instead of eating 200 calories of bread and starchy stuff, I might get you eating baked chicken," Feldman said. "The chicken protein builds to muscle instead of fat. You have a lot more energy and your body can recover quicker."

Feldman's advice is to forget diet fads and focus on eating right and exercising for life. A successful weight loss program should be about portion control and putting the right kinds of food into your body.

"Fad diets just don't work. The problem is you lose weight too fast. Two months later you'll gain it all back," Feldman said. "How can you go out to dinner on a diet?"

Instead, people need to learn healthy eating habits that they can take to the restaurants. They can learn to avoid cheap white rice, and ask for pepper or garlic on veggies instead of butter.

As far as the exercise part of a healthy lifestyle goes, Feldman is unabashedly partial to boxing.

"When you throw a punch, it's a total body movement -- you use your right foot, your complete back, your shoulders, triceps, forearm, abdominals, hips, thighs and legs," Feldman said. "Boxing is an all body workout that can really reshape you."

Feldman takes orders for his food around the country and ships frozen meals by mail. He makes house visits in the New York City Metro Area for clients who can't make it to his studio. He also organizes sparing matches at a real boxing gym for advanced clients.

For information, visit: http://www.theboxingchef.com or call 212-983-2952. Reporters only may call 917-923-3562. Email: Billf@theboxingchef.com

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