Actor Lamorne Morris, known for portraying Winston Bishop on Fox‘s New Girl, has undergone an impressive physical transformation, reducing his body fat percentage from 30 to 13 percent and shedding more than 40 pounds in just four months. The dramatic change followed his role in FX‘s Fargo, where he deliberately gained weight to play North Dakota deputy sheriff Witt Farr.
“For Fargo I put on weight. The image I had in my mind [for the role of Witt Farr] was Carl Winslow from Family Matters,” Morris told Men’s Health. “I was snacking a lot. Plus, the food scene in Calgary is mwah, so I was enjoying every minute of it. When I got back I realized: here we go again. I’m out of shape.”
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The weight loss was brought about by multiple factors, including his recent experience as a father. “It’s not fun chasing your kid around when you’re out of breath all the time,” Morris explained. The actor also cited the 2023 loss of his father, who struggled with diabetes and alcohol issues, as a wake-up call. “When he died, it was a big wake up call to get my life together. I want to be around for my daughter. I want to be around for my friends and family.”
Morris’s journey included significant dietary changes under the guidance of Los Angeles nutritionist David Allen. “Well, it starts in the kitchen,” Morris told the publication. “We cut a lot of stuff—carbs as much as I could, sugar completely for a very, very long time.” The sugar withdrawal proved particularly challenging: “I felt like Chris Rock in New Jack City. I was like ‘Help me, I’m gonna die.’ I’m waking up in cold sweats. I’m not exaggerating when I say I had dreams about Snickers—I really did.”
The actor’s fitness regimen involves three to four weekly sessions with trainer Eddie Baruta at Ultimate Performance Fitness. “With him it usually starts with a lot of banter back and forth. We talk a lot of shit. We start with some stretching before jumping into traditional strength training. There’s not a lot of gimmicky stuff. It’s stuff anyone can do: bench presses, push ups, dumbbell presses, etc.” Morris noted that his trainer keeps him accountable through daily check-ins: “Every morning I get a text from him, asking me, ‘What do you look like? Send me a picture.’”
At 40, Morris proudly states, “I’m in better shape now then I was in high school, which is weird.” However, he’s candid about his feelings toward exercise: “Those people that say, ‘I love going to gym?’ F— that. I do not. But, I’m 40 and I wanted to make sure that I stay healthy for the rest of my life. My goal was to be in the best shape of my life at the oldest age I’ve been.”
The actor has developed practical strategies for maintaining his healthy lifestyle, including a clever approach to social drinking. “My trick with alcohol is, if you ever want to go out, have one drink. But make that drink the most expensive one … Get a shot of that because you’re not going to be wanting to buy those all night. And, just sip that shot all night. People think you’re partying, just dropping dollars.”
Morris’s success has led to new opportunities, including a role as Garrett Morris in the film SNL 1975, which required further weight adjustment. “When I got that call, I might have been 185 pounds. And so, I knew that I had to lose weight to play this character. But it was too small for me—I told Eddie I got skinny for this character, and now I want to bulk up. Obviously keep the definition, though.”
The actor also hinted at potential involvement in superhero franchises, teasing, “Let’s just say I will be going to one of those locations that you just named [DC or Marvel]. I’m not going to say anything…I’m just saying I’ve knocked on their doors for long enough.”
