Sylvester Stallone Says His 'Rocky III' Diet Was 'Just Tuna Fish;' So Intense ‘I Was Forgetting My Phone Number’

The actor, who now appears on the reality show 'The Family Stallone,' told The Wall Street Journal he was drinking 25 cups of coffee a day while filming

Rocky Balboa is one of the most famous characters in movie history, but it wasn’t easy for Sylvester Stallone to get into fighting shape for the role.

“I used to drink about 25 cups [of coffee] a day when I was doing Rocky III,” the actor told The Wall Street Journal of the his fitness routine for the 1982 film, where boxer Rocky famously fought Clubber Lang (played by then-newcomer Mr. T).

“My entire breakfast would be maybe two [small] oatmeal cookies made with brown rice and 10 cups of coffee because I wanted to keep my body fat down to 2.8 percent.”

His diet was so restrictive, Stallone, 76, says it impacted his memory.

“I was forgetting my phone number. I was eating just tuna fish. My memory was shot, it was completely gone,” Stallone says of his experience making the film. “I was getting all kinds of debilitating physical effects. But it was for the cause.”

These days, Stallone says he has pulled back on the coffee intake — “I keep getting reflux, so I have to cut it down,” he says — and breakfast is a family affair, with wife Jennifer Flavin, 54, taking charge.

Related: Sylvester Stallone's 5 Kids: Everything to Know

“My wife is focused on breakfast. It’s amazing,” he tells The Wall Street Journal. “It’s avocado, four eggs, cottage cheese, three slices of watermelon and grapes.”

The pair — who reconciled last year after filing for divorce — chronicle their daily lives in their Paramount + reality show, The Family Stallone, which also features their three daughters, Sophia, 26, Sistine, 24, and Scarlet, 21, who often tease their Dad about his workout aesthetic.

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“I’ll be in headbands, I’ll be in a top hat, in cowboy hats, just to break the doldrums,” he tells The Wall Street Journal..

“I do things like that just to keep it interesting. It’s really hard to work out alone.”

Stallone admits, though, that his fitness routine these days is a far cry from his Rocky-level workout regimen.

“I’ve gone from lifting regular weights to mostly bands, cables. It’s kind of like physical therapy. So, you’re using the bar, you’re using different motions and keeping those joints moving all the time,” he says.

Related: Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin's Relationship Timeline

“I’ve had five back operations, two shoulders, three neck fusions, both knees,” he says, adding, “I’m bionic.”

It’s that sense of humor that Stallone says keeps him going.

“I try to really see life with the eye of the tiger and a real sense of humor,” he says, referencing Survivor’s famous theme song from the Rocky films.

“You don’t have to beat up on yourself. The world will beat up on you enough. Give yourself a break. It’s not easy, but without humor, this is not a fun place.”

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