Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Tuna Low-Carb Diet Sped Up 40-Pound Weight Loss, Endangered Health On One Can Of Tuna Daily

Jeffrey Dean Morgan chose a tuna diet for his 40-pound weight loss goal. But in retrospect, the Grey’s Anatomy star says that he never wants to see another can of tuna after limiting himself to only one can a day on a dangerously drastic plan, reported E News.

Fans have missed Jeffrey (known as Denny Duquette on Grey’s Anatomy) since his exit from the show, but now they won’t exactly see a healthy version of him on his new show Texas Rising.

Rather than diet and exercise his way to a slow, steady weight loss or get advice from a doctor, Morgan deliberately endangered himself by starving on a single can of tuna daily. And although he admits that producers suggested he only shed 10 pounds to portray an ailing character on Texas Rising, Jeffrey kept going on his weight loss crusade.

“He had a consumption of tuberculosis,” said Morgan of the character. “And so I got there and I was probably about 175. I left and I was about 130.”

The weight loss made him feel exhausted as well as look thin, admitted Jeffrey.

“I ate a can of tuna fish a day. I did it in the most unhealthy way possible…I didn’t consult with a doctor or anything. We had said maybe we should lose, like, 10 pounds, and I just kept going and going, and by the end of the movie, I was just [moving] like a snail!”

Debuting on the History Channel, Texas Rising tells the tale of the Texas revolution against Mexico in the 1830s. Morgan’s character Erastus “Deaf” Smith is sick and frail from tuberculosis, reported the Daily Mail.

And although he now hates tuna, Jeffrey loved filming the series, which also showcases just how the Texas Rangers were formed to help battle for Texas’ independence. Others in the cast are Bill Paxton, Olivier Martinez, Kris Kristofferson, Ray Liotta and Brendan Fraser.

Riding up to 15 hours daily, Morgan enjoyed filming and loved his horse.

“It was a real love story. I fell in love with her and it was very hard for me to leave her. The highlight of my day always was, after work we would get to ride our horses a mile back to the stables or wherever at sunset with these beautiful vistas.”

And although he now admits that the tuna diet was dangerous, Jeffrey was following a long tradition of actors changing their bodies for roles.

As the Inquisitr reported, Anne Hathaway has become one of the most famous in that regard, going on a special diet for Les Miserables, and then abandoning her vegan diet for a Paleo, high-protein diet for Interstellar.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]