The Real-Life Diet of Ryan Seacrest, Who Always Packs His Own Lunch Box

Brittany Loggins
·7 min read
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Ryan Seacrest travels with a lot of bags. "Too many bags," as he puts it. But when you're as busy as he is, you look for stability where you can find it. If that means carrying a lunch box or bringing your personal coffee maker with you wherever you go, that's just what it takes.

And let's be clear, the guy is busy. At 49, Seacrest has played major roles in many of the shows that have defined the last few decades of pop culture. He started out as the host of the first season of American Idol in 2002, which he still hosts today. He created Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and executive produces that show's many spinoffs. In 2024, he’s taking over for Pat Sajak as the host of the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune. And when it came to looking for a host for Dick Clark’s iconic New Year’s Rockin’ Eve special, who else were they going to call?

Ahead of the ball drop (which airs starting at 8 p.m. on ABC), GQ caught up with Seacrest to find out more about the workouts and nutrition that power all of this—and how he finds time to eat anything at all.

For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and other high performers about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.

GQ: How do you keep your energy levels up with all that you have going on?

Ryan Seacrest: There are no secrets. So I love to be on the move, I love to be active, I love to exercise, I love to work out. One of the keys for me is I pack a lunch box with me each day because I never know where I’m going to be for a meal. So I’ve got something with me to keep me moving and it's the right stuff.

What is in that lunch box?

Like last night I had a a bean burger, so it was, like, vegan. I eat a lot of plant-based things when I'm working, and fish and things like that.

When I'm off, I like to cheat. I will go for a great burger for the table. I'll go for a little bit of pizza. It's not zero tolerance, but it's certainly a balance of the good stuff when I'm hustling.

Is it always a bean burger in the lunch box or do you have other favorites?

It can be like a very finely-chopped kale salad. Like, really finely chopped salad with a healthy caesar dressing. I like vegetable rolls. I like bowls and things you can eat on-the-go—so any type of bowl.

I carry a pumpkin protein shake with almond milk with me so I can down that in between things. It's just stuff that's convenient.

Are you doing three meals a day?

I love black coffee. I love my coffee. I carry my Mr. Coffee machine with me to the hotel. I have my grinder and my own beans and I make my coffee every morning. I take that in a little purse with me everywhere I go.

That’s hilarious and a lot to carry.

It's true. And I made it this morning. It wasn't as perfect as I have made in the past but I did.

What was wrong with this morning?

I used some beans that were already ground previously—they need to be fresh.

So, coffee. Then what?

I eat for the first time in the middle of the day for lunch. And then dinner is usually 6:30—I don't like to eat too late.

What do you do if you are at a restaurant or have to break away from the lunch box for whatever reason?

At a restaurant, I’ll get a great fresh fish. I also love kombucha. I keep that with me all the time, which is a treat. It's healthy. It's good for you. But it's also a little sweetness. So I look forward to my Health-Ade Kombucha.

What are you doing if your energy drops and you need a quick pick-me-up?

If I need to get some energy, and it's gonna be a long day, I will take a walk. Sometimes I'll travel with my dog, she’s an English black lab named Georgia. She's a good traveler—a good traveling companion with me. And so sometimes when I need a breather or break, we'll just take a quick walk. That just grounds you and settles you and gives you a good reset, but I find that pets help.

When are you working out?

My workouts rotate, but I do keep them pretty strict. So when I do my schedule for the week or the month, I sit and look at what hour I can take for myself to exercise I find that if I don't do that for two days, I get out of my case and it’s hard to gear back up.

What kinds of workouts are you doing?

A lot of jumping. So I'll do weights, I'll do cardio, and I'll do jumping on boxes.

We were just shooting in Nashville for American Idol, and I just brought some things along in a suitcase that I could do in the room. I brought bands—but just as long as I do something.

Between the coffee machine and the workout equipment—how big is the suitcase?

It’s a lot of bags. Unfortunately, there are just too many bags.

What are you doing weight-wise?

What I like to do is I'll take two dumbbells, you know, whatever weight I can manage, and I'll do a curl and then I'll put those up over my head. That helps us with my abs and my obliques. And at my age, you want to try and maintain that tightness as much as possible.

In the gym they've got these little platform-type boxes, and jumping on those really helps my abs and my core, which feels good around the waistline.

I like that better than burpees, I think.

Burpees are annoying. I try to avoid annoying exercises.

So, tell me what you’re excited about in 2024—you have a lot going on.

First of all, I’m excited about getting into it. Let's get into 2024. Okay, we have the ball drop—happy New Year—then American Idol is really special this year.

We've done this. I've done this for over 20 years. But the judges took everybody to their hometowns this year, and we auditioned contestants in all their hometowns, which was extremely fun. And it gave them a chance to show off and host and show us what it was like growing up for them.

And then after I’ll start Wheel of Fortune, which I couldn't be more excited about taking over the legendary Pat Sajak.

And Vanna White is going to be there!

She and I have already started working together doing some things. She's just the most lovely, kind person. I am blessed that she's gonna stay and be on the show with me.

Originally Appeared on GQ

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