WHILE IN THE Halo video game franchise, Master Chief keeps his helmet on, the Paramount+ show broke the rules and made Pablo Schreiber the man underneath the suit. But whether he’s in his full gear or not, Master Chief has got to stay in shape. For Men’s Health, Schreiber broke down his diet to share some insight into how he stays in alien-fighting form.
First up: his diet philosophy. For Schreiber, it’s simple. “Lots and lots and lots and lots of calories,” he says. When he’s not working, he’s eating around 5,000 calories to gain weight. But that shoots up to 7,000 when he is working. That means six or seven meals a day. “Gaining size is kind of the goal,” he says.
While shooting Halo, Schreiber says production would send him meals, taking out some of the difficulty in getting in nutrients so often. They hired a place in Budapest called Cool Kitchen, started by Katinka Hozzsú, who Schreiber (and much of the world) calls “The Iron Lady of swimming.” She’s the current world record holder for the 100-meter and the 200-meter. In short, she probably knows what it takes to eat right.
Breakfast for Schreiber is all about carbs. Pancakes or apple cinnamon muffins are two staples of his meal plan. Then, he’ll have another mix of meals throughout the day generally consisting of chicken, brown rice, and vegetables like green beens or broccoli.
Then, for his third (and not final) meal, Schreiber will have fish like tilapia or salmon, along with quinoa and another vegetable. He’ll fit in a workout, then he gulps down a big smoothie. Mango, banana, and berries are his go-to, and he’ll often put in a scoop of protein powder as well.
Then finally, for his sixth meal of the day, Schreiber gets to have a healthy dessert—and Chia seed pudding is typically his favorite. “They would make so much of it, that’d I’d just be gluttonous,” he says.
But overall, Schreiber knows the key to his gains isn’t just diet. He lists off mobility and stretching, but emphasizes one thing in particular: recovery. “Sleep, I would say is probably the biggest thing of all,” he says. “Do whatever you want with your diet. You can train as much as you want, but if you don’t get enough rest, your body’s not going to recover.”
Wise words from Master Chief himself.
Milan Polk is an Editorial Assistant for Men’s Health who specializes in entertainment and lifestyle reporting, and has worked for New York Magazine’s Vulture and Chicago Tribune.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Nutrition
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below