See what new techniques and ingredients Richard Blais now uses in his cooking on his new upwave show `` Cook Your Ass Off , '' premiering December 1 on HLN . ( HLNTV.com ) -- `` Trying to get me to cry by looking at this ugly picture ? There are worse ones ... '' That 's how Richard Blais reacts to a photo taken 10 years ago , when Blais was almost 60 pounds overweight -- and 60 pounds heavier than he is today . `` I just really lost control of myself because I was tasting food all day long and partaking in the social aspect of our industry , '' Blais , 41 , tells HLN . The acclaimed chef -- `` Top Chef : All-Stars '' winner , the owner of Trail Blais and operator of Atlanta-based restaurants The Spence and Flip Burger Boutique -- lost all that weight and kept it off , he says , by overhauling his lifestyle . WATCH : Richard Blais , in control . Working in the restaurant industry makes it easy to overindulge , he says . Imagine working a 16- to 17-hour day , tasting food all day long , cooking , talking about food , being on your feet all day but not getting any actual exercise , and just wanting a beer after a mentally draining shift . `` You get off work , it 's one in the morning , you go out , talk shop , and you end up eating a whole pizza or ( drinking ) a whole bottle of wine , '' he says . `` You do that 60 or 70 days in a row , and I put myself in really bad shape . '' In a matter of months , Blais ballooned to about 225 pounds . Love sparks a change of heart -- and mindset . Blais says his `` Aha ! '' moment came when he could no longer recognize himself in the mirror . `` I do n't know that I could see my toes if I looked down , '' he says . But there was another factor motivating Blais to shed pounds . Her name was Jazmin . `` What kick-started my weight loss was a combination of a really joyous thing and some massive depression : I lost a restaurant , and I found the love of my life -- my wife . '' Blais gives Jazmin a lot of credit for his transformation . A competition junkie and a former personal trainer , she was ( and still is ) supportive and understanding ; she kept him motivated on his weight-loss journey . They started running together , and today , the once-hefty chef has completed several half and full marathons . `` I had to get this pretty girl . I was this chubby guy , and I literally had to run after this girl , '' Blais says . `` She 'd run two miles , I 'd be sucking wind behind her , but I eventually caught ( up to ) her and proposed to her at the end of my first race -- a 10K , the Peachtree Road Race . And we 're still together . '' For Blais , exercise took priority ; healthier eating and , eventually , cooking came a little later . He `` stopped eating and drinking so much in a social setting , '' which he says was easy for him . Eventually he started using healthy ingredients , such as raw oats , hemp seeds , goji berries , and cocoa nibs , which he now incorporates into his cooking at home and at his restaurants . HLN : 'Top Chef ' cooks up heart-healthy meals . `` Chefs are notorious for disregarding eating healthy , '' Blais says . `` When we hear things like gluten-free , we rebel against that . '' Now he says he understands the value of being aware of and embracing people 's dietary needs . `` I feel like we have a public service as chefs in restaurants to provide people not only delicious food and a great experience , but also nutrition , '' Blais says . `` When you can coax flavor out of healthy ingredients and not have to rely on some of the traditional ways of making food delicious , it makes the experience better because you walk out of that restaurant and you feel good about yourself . '' The secret to tasty & nutritious dishes . Blais says the secret to making food healthy and delicious is `` understanding base flavors '' and `` knowing what the dish you 're trying to make healthier needs : Is it fat ? Is it salt ? Is it acidity ? '' If you want to avoid using salt , Blais recommends adding spinach or celery , which have natural sodium in them . If you want the flavor of fat without the calories , go for mushrooms , he says . To make the patty for the Earth + Turf burger at Flip Burger Boutique , Blais mixes mushrooms in with the beef , for example . `` Those mushrooms actually give the burger a sense of fat , but there 's no fat in it . '' When cooking at home , Blais tries to get his two daughters , ages 5 and 3 , involved in the kitchen as much as possible . `` Kids will eat anything that they make themselves , '' he says . `` Just like if they made a picture for you , they 're proud to show that to you . When they 're in the kitchen , even if it 's just kind of fake-stirring something , they 'll eat it . That 's how you get your kids to eat brussels sprouts ! '' HLN : Easy Final Four recipes from Richard Blais . Brussels sprouts , spinach and mushroom burgers sound great in theory , but Blais says even the most strong-willed of us ca n't keep that up every day . `` I do n't stay away from eating bad food -- just balance . As a professional chef , I 'm watching how much I 'm tasting during the day . Portion control for me is a big deal , '' he tells HLN . And , of course , you ca n't skip the gym , even after you 've achieved your weight loss goals . `` It 's so hard to lose weight or to be healthy if you 're not combining eating well with moving your body , '' he says . `` I do n't think one can exist without the other . '' Blais says a variety of exercises keeps him healthy today . Besides running , he has recently started swimming and is considering training for a triathlon . He says the key to sticking with exercise is finding something that does n't feel like work . `` When I 'm cooking , I do n't feel like I have a job -- I just cook because I love to do it . When I run , I just do it because I love to do it , '' Blais says . `` So you 've got to find that fitness activity that you love so much that it does n't feel like you 're going out of your way to do a job . '' HLN : Chef Richard Blais on Super Bowl snacks . It took Blais almost a decade to get in shape ( `` It 's got to be low and slow , like a good braised osso buco '' ) , but he finally feels good in his body . Most importantly , he now feels in control again . `` It 's OK to have a cheeseburger ; it 's OK to eat food , but it 's important to have a healthy relationship with the food you eat . '' Do you have a weight-loss success story to share ? Tell us how you did it and you could be featured on CNN.com .
Trail Blais used to weigh about 225 pounds ; now he 's at two . Blais won ` Aha and operates 165 restaurants in Atlanta . Blais credits his weight loss to his wife , who is a former personal trainer .