Shredded Chef Who Almost Died Due to Addiction Turned His Life Around Through Fitness and Nutrition

What would you pursue if you knew you could not fail? Start a business? Open restaurants in the most competitive markets in the world? Become a TV show host or build an empire? In the case of Michael Chernow, it’s all of this and more. As the co-owner of Meatball Shop and founder of Seamore’s and Kreatures of Habit, the 42-year-old is the epitome of success. 

However, his life was not always perfect and to get to the pinnacle of success that he is now at, he had to go through extreme situations. He grew up in New York City and describes life as “rough and tumble.” His mental health was not in a good place, and he had turned to alcohol and drugs for comfort. But, how did he turn his life around? 

Michael Chernow: early life and addiction

Chernow pretty much grew up around the restaurant industry and started working at the age of 12. He later graduated from French Culinary Institute with honors in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management. This was already when he was getting famous, while looking after Frank Prisinzano’s flagship restaurant, Frank.

However, even though he was in the restaurant business since childhood, the fast-paced life and extreme pressure, made him fall into the traps of alcohol and drugs. “I dove deep into the world of alcohol and drugs,” he said in an interview with Hone Health. “I was working nights, and I’d start my day at 4:30, 5:00 p.m. with a drink,” the business mogul narrated.

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After nearly a decade of addiction, at 23 years old, he decided that he had to do something about his lifestyle. He confessed, “I almost died, and I was lucky enough to get sober.” Finally, he found solace in fitness and health when a couple of his friends decided to help him.

His journey to fitness, spirituality, and nutrition

Two of his friends decided to help him and introduced him to a life of sobriety, fitness, nutrition, and spirituality. The first thing he learned was to embrace the pain and live on the edge. “You know when you walk into war, you’re going to feel better on the way out,” he explained.

Chernow participated in marathons, practiced competitive natural bodybuilding, and did trained in Muay Thai as well. “Don’t let pain or the opinions of others dissuade your drive, and you’re going get there,” he admits.

According to him, movement is medicine, and it has been 18 years since he became sober and changed his life. Now he is a contributor to the fitness world, not only through the food that he makes, but through advocacy for fitness. He started this by learning how to channel his pain in a good way through Muay Thai. “There’s a term that I coined that I learned while doing Muay Thai, that you’ve got to learn how to love the hard and the hurt,” Chernow revealed in a podcast with BroBible. Fitness was not the only thing that he changed, he also changed his diet as well.

Michael’s diet and nutrition that changed his life

After getting sober, and also during the process, the first thing the influencer did was clean out his nutrition. The meals were pretty simple, oatmeal for breakfast, chicken, and broccoli for dinner and lunch. He continued this for three long years. “It was really simple at the time, but it worked,” he says.

Finally, after finding control in his life and taking the steering wheel, he changed his diet according to his fitness goals. First, he wanted to be lean, so he avoided carbohydrates. However, after starting CrossFit, he realized that eating for performance is better than eating for aesthetics. Therefore, now he consumes more carbohydrates along with proteins to bulk up. 

Not only did he get inspired by his old friends to become the best version of himself, but now he helps others get out of addiction, and embrace the life of health and fitness. His social media is a platform that helps viewers start on their fitness journey.

Helping others through his social media

From talking about proper nutrition and exercise to also talking about mental health and forming relationships with people, his Instagram and YouTube have it all. In a latest Instagram post, he put out a snippet from a podcast where he was speaking about forming friendships and creating meaningful relationships. He stressed the fact that having good friends is intentional because good people’s good intentions can change someone’s life. 

Not only did Chernow help himself get through addiction and embrace a life of fitness, but he is also on the path of helping others to change their lives for the better. Do you follow his tips on social media? Let us know in the comments.

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