From fasting to mindful eating – what is the secret to staying slim and healthy for a man over 40?

Our prime minister fasts for 36 hours and mindful eating is said to be how Obama has avoided a mid-life paunch. With so much conflicting advice around, Maria Lally takes a look at the mid-life men in the health spotlight right now to see if what they are doing could work for you

To fast or not to fast? How do these high profile midlife men really keep trim? (Getty)

Former prime minister Winston Churchill’s favourite breakfast was said to be a full English, served with several slices of buttered toast and a glass of wine.

Our current prime minister Rishi Sunak, on the other hand, is said to survive on water and black coffee from 5pm on a Sunday to 5am on a Tuesday: “It’s true, he doesn’t eat anything at all on a Monday,” a source recently. “He is incredibly disciplined.” 

He’s not the only one. Pictured at No 10 this week, much fanfare was made about Obama’s trim figure and how he has managed to avoid middle-age spread at the age of 62. Meanwhile, 60-year-old Jeff Bezos’s “monster workouts” are never far from the headlines too.