Secrets of Slender Chefs

How do they do it? With all the svelte restaurant chefs, many people wonder how they manage to stay slim when they're around fabulous food all their working hours.

Many also wonder how to keep themselves from overindulging when preparing a feast for a holiday or party. To get the answer, WebMD asked some rather famous yet slender chefs around the country for their secrets.

Cat Cora, one of the "Iron Chefs" on the Food Network show Iron Chef America, is a self-described "sampler". She tastes food while cooking, which she says cures her of the urge to overindulge.

For Daniel Patterson, chef of Coi restaurant in San Francisco, it's a combination of a fast metabolism and an active lifestyle. Patterson's 16-hour-workdays are fueled by a substantial sandwich for lunch, and supper around 4:30 pm.

"I eat whatever I want to eat, but I eat lots of vegetables and I watch my sugar intake, not for calorie concerns but for general health reasons," says Patterson, author of the cookbook Aroma. He also exercises, playing tennis and riding a stationary bicycle.

Geno Sarmiento is chef of Son'z Maui at Swan Court at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa. He says that when he's working, he is constantly on the go, burning up plenty of calories.

"We also 'taste' every menu item rather than sitting down and having a full meal," adds Sarmiento.

An active, vegetarian lifestyle does the trick for Annie Somerville, executive chef of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco.

"I eat small portions -- lots of leafy greens, whole beans, grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables," says Somerville, author of Everyday Greens. "I don't eat processed foods, and I eat very few sweets."

Somerville also enjoys all sorts of sports, from swimming in the San Francisco bay, to rowing, and riding her bike.