Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Penn Jillette juggles dieting in new book; leaner Jeff Beacher plays hide-and-seek

Carrot Top 10th Anniversary

Glenn Pinkerton / Las Vegas News Bureau

Penn Jillette attends the 10th anniversary celebration for Carrot Top on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, at Luxor.

Penn & Teller on Broadway

Penn Jillette, right, and Teller perform in Launch slideshow »

Alex Pettyfer at Beacher’s Madhouse

Alex Pettyfer at Beacher’s Madhouse on Friday, April 12, 2014, in MGM Grand Las Vegas. Launch slideshow »

Miley Cyrus Hosts Beacher’s Madhouse

Miley Cyrus, with Jeff Beacher, hosts the opening of Beacher’s Madhouse on Friday, Dec. 27, 2013, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Launch slideshow »

In a highly coincidental development, or rather a coincidental reduction, Penn Jillette and Jeff Beacher have shed a combined 330 pounds dating to 2014.

And both of these recently svelte entertainment figures have been detailing that process across the country over the past week. Their styles of conveying that message are unalike, of course, with Jillette holding court as a jester on a nationally syndicated TV show, while Beacher has exposed the grief of losing track of his male member in an interview with the New York Post.

The title of the Beacher’s column posted Thursday by the Post: “I got so fat, I lost my penis.” And if anyone can dial up a search party for such an event, it is Beacher …

Conversely, Jillette turned up on “The Dr. Oz Show” on Tuesday afternoon. The verbose and juggling half of Penn & Teller appeared with host Dr. Mehmet Oz to promote his new book, “Presto: How I Made 100 Pounds Magically Disappear.” But the number in the book title is actually less than what Jillette has actually shed.

“You never weigh yourself at your heaviest, but I must have been upwards of 340,” Jillette said during the broadcast as Dr. Oz stared at him in astonishment. “Now I’m down to about 220 to 230, so it’s about a third of my weight. … It’s shocking even to me.”

Jillette, characteristically, has taken an unorthodox approach to his diet. In short, he prepares foods that are healthy and eats as much as he wants — then eats some more.

“I have no respect for moderation at all for anything,” Jillette said. “You should have foods that are so good for you, you can eat all you want.”

As evidence, Jillette prepared a favorite recipe of his own invention: An oversized bowl of blueberries (Jillette seems not to measure anything but his own weight) dusted with cocoa powder and cayenne pepper. For Jillette, this bowl of magic is one meal.

He offered it to the doctor with, “Eat like a man, Dr. Oz! Eat like a man! This is like a flourless Mexican chocolate cake.” Oz coughed a bit but did nod approval.

Unorthodox, sure, but a vast improvement on Jillette’s pre-diet diet, which consisted of 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day with a typical lunch of two grilled cheese sandwiches, fries and a slice of cake for dessert. For dinner, it was often a thick steak, two appetizers (deep-fried mozzarella sticks and cheese-slathered potato skins), fries and more cake.

“You need to take in a lot of calories to carry 340 pounds,” Jillette said, adding that he rationalized his size by considering his height (6-foot-7) and using the adjective “big” in place of “fat.”

“But I was wicked fat,” Jillette said, but quickly reminded, “I have been at this weight for almost two years.” Oh, and his exercise program?

“Juggling!” Jillette said. “That’s about it.”

Meantime, Beacher, whose “Beacher’s Madhouse” is to be last performed May 7 at MGM Grand (the show’s schedule at MGM diminished about as rapidly as the host’s weight), has dropped to 195 from a high of 415.

As Beacher shared in the Post piece, “I’d always been fat, but it’s something else when you’re so fat, you can’t find your penis."

That’s what happened to me. At more than 400 pounds and 5 feet 7 inches tall, I’d have to hunt around in my flab to locate it before I went to the bathroom or attempt to have sex.

“It’s not something I’m proud to admit, but it’s important to break the taboo. I’m convinced that, in common with a lot of obese men, for every 20 to 30 pounds I gained in weight, I lost an inch from my manhood.”

Beacher suffered from sleep apnea, saying he was nearly “choking” on his extra flab. In September 2014, he was encouraged by entertainment manager and friend Larry Rudolph to attend a holistic clinic in Palm Beach, Fla., which did take some 80 pounds off, but Beacher began to again add tonnage.

Finally, he submitted to gastric-sleeve surgery, which shrank the size of his stomach, and also curtailed his partying lifestyle. His weight loss includes 10 pounds of excess skin he needed to have surgically removed.

Lighter and clear-headed, it’s happy to report that the lord of the party has once again found his piece. Or peace. Or, in this instance, both.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow Kats on Instagram at Instagram.com/JohnnyKats1.

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