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Robert Downey Jr. has revealed that his new lean look in Sherlock Holmes is the result of an illness he suffered while in Japan.

Downey told Rolling Stone magazine, “I was in Japan promoting Iron Man, and I went to a restaurant where I contracted a parasite and got really sick for three day.”

He added: “I started losing weight and thought to myself, ‘Hey this is a nice jump-start!’ It just gave me a nice little head-start with the first five pounds and then I kept going until I was thin. I felt as though I may float away.”

Now please don’t everyone one rush to Japan and try and contract a paradise in order to lose a few pounds after the holidays. Just hit the gym.

Gallery Info: Robert Downey Jr. pictured on December 4, 2009 practicing some Kung Fu Martial Arts while on downtime for a break between filming Due Date in Los Angeles, California.

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