Joe Torre's Weight Loss Journey
Most know about Joe Torre from his Yankees days when he managed them to four World Series, but he was also a catcher who even won an MVP for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1971. Before 1970, Torre was already a good player, having been a five-time All-Star, but he took steps to become even greater by losing some excess weight.
He went on the Stillman Diet, which focused on low carbs and high proteins, losing 20 pounds. The diet involved drinking water and avoiding condiments. Joe was only on the Stillman diet for two weeks in 1970 but kept up the healthier habits by avoiding soft drinks afterward. He lost so much weight that he had to use the batboy's uniform pants because his original pants no longer fit. Joe felt his hands and swing were faster. He would hit a then career-high .325 that season and then have his best season the following year in 1971, hitting .363, 24 home runs, and 137 RBIs.
- 228 lb -> 208 lb
- 20 lbs
- Mar 1970
- 1 month
- Total calorie deficit
- 70,000
Quotes
When I got off the diet, I basically stopped drinking soft drinks and things I felt were not good for me. I kept losing weight...It really spurred me to become the hitter I became.
Joe Torre
I would have my diet printed out and I’d autograph the bottom of it and send it back to the people who asked,...It was a big change for me. I never dreamed I’d lose that kind of weight and feel that good.
Joe Torre
References
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Joe Torre looks back on his 1971 MVP season 50 years later and the diet that made it possible
Nowadays, Torre estimates he lost about 20 pounds, so he weighed about 208 when the season began. He looked different enough that opponents noticed while watching him from their dugouts. And Torre was so skinny that he had to borrow the batboy’s uniform pants by the end of spring training in 1970 because the ones he’d been measured for at the start of camp were ballooning around his waist.
NY Daily News
