Sen. Ted Cruz and his wife, Heidi. (Ted Cruz)
"When I graduated from college I was 135 — skinny as a rail," Cruz continued, joking that some say he is "twice the man I used to be."
"Dropping 30 pounds is something that would be good to do, so I’m going to work on diet and exercise," Cruz said.
Cruz told Fox News Digital he is focusing on a ketogenic diet to start.
"I’m cutting out carbs and focusing on eating meat and cheese and vegetables," he said. "Keto can be tough to do, but it can produce real effects."
Cruz’s second New Year’s resolution is to stick to "dry January," meaning no alcoholic beverages for the month of January.
"I’ve long enjoyed red wine with dinner, and you can have fun at dinners and laugh a lot, but at the same time, wine is filled with calories, and if you’re trying to drop 30 pounds, pouring grape juice into your midsection is not exactly conducive to that objective."
Cruz said he’s replaced that red wine with sparkling water with lime, vitamin water and more.
"You know, drinks that taste good and that I enjoy," he said.
FILE - Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)
"Its going well," he said.
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As for the diet, he said he has been "keeping to it," and is going to be working more exercise into his routine.
"I already play basketball twice a week," he said. "I’m going to be working in daily pushups."
As for other priorities for the new year, Cruz said he and his wife are focused on their daughters.
"Our girls are 15 and 17 — one is a senior in high school and one is a freshman. They are teenagers getting ready to go off to school," he said. "You reflect on the limited number of days they’re going to be home much longer."
He added: "When they leave for school, I’ll go into their bedrooms and just cry. I love my girls."
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"The days that the girls are home and not out in the world are rapidly dwindling, and that makes you want to make sure you’re carving out time right now," he said. "Because the time right now, today, will never be back tomorrow."
As for a potential 2028 presidential run, Cruz told Fox News Digital that his "focus right now is representing 31 million Texans, and it is an incredible privilege to serve them and represent the great state of Texas in the U.S. Senate."
"That is my priority right now and my sole focus," Cruz said.
Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ted-cruzs-2026-game-plan-lose-weight-skip-drinks-read-bible-daily