Matt Preston is the first to admit that his old judging job on MasterChef wasn’t exactly kind to his waistline.
But just months since he departed the cooking program last year, Matt showed off his dramatic weight loss, after shedding several kilograms when switched networks from Channel 10 to Channel Seven, as one of the judges on Plate of Origin.
WATCH: Matt Preston has a meltdown and snaps over a ‘horrible’ tasting coffee
The former host put his new look down to “having more time on my hands” after he was ditched from Ten’s fan-favourite reality show, along with George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph last year, Matt, 58, explained: “I have dropped a bit of weight and put on a bit of muscle.
“I’ve been eating less, mainly plants but not restricting myself from anything. It is about having time, that moment when there are no more excuses.”
Matt told the publication that he’s found moderation is key, rather than limiting himself to a strict diet.
“When I’ve tried this before there has always been restrictions,” he said.
“I am an omnivore and so I am still going to have that occasional burger or the occasional pizza but I am not going to have it every week and I am not going to have pasta every night.”
While the presenter said he didn’t weighed himself, he admitted he had previously tipped the scales at 140kg.
“When you start training, you put on muscle and you drop fat so I am not sure how valuable the kilograms are,” he told the publication.
And leaving MasterChef seemed to be just the push he needed to get fit.
“This is the great thing about the gardening leave that I have been on, is actually having the time to go to the gym,” he said.
“It is all about healthy lifestyle as we know but the hardest thing is actually having the time where you can dedicate an hour to go to the gym.”
Last year, the former MasterChef judge couldn’t resist making a cheeky dig at Network Ten during an appearance on The Project.
The panel began to talk about his infamous compliment from season two of MasterChef, where he described a dish a “disgustingly delicious”.
The Project co-host Tommy Little brought up the incident, in which Matt famously dropped a plate on the ground to emphasise his praise of contestant Aaron Harvie’s dish.
“How many plates did you smash? Did they make you do take, after take, after take?” Tommy quizzed.
“It’s Channel 10. One plate,” Matt quipped.
The entire panel, featuring Tommy, Carrie Bickmore, Waleed Aly, and Pete Helliar burst out laughing, with the latter adding: “He’s going swinging on the way out, isn’t he?”
Pete’s comment was in reference to Matt’s departure from the network, after a reported pay dispute.
Matt is now the star of rival network Seven’s new cooking show Plate Of Origin, alongside former MasterChef co-star Gary Mehigan and ex-MKR judge Manu Feildel.