The former Los Angeles Lakers player admits he 'didn't like the way [he] looked in the mirror' before succeeding in losing 55 pounds and having 'a little 4.9 pack.'
- Sep 2, 2023
AceShowbiz - Shaquille O'Neal's difficulty in walking has prompted him to lose weight. Upon learning that the pounds caused him to not be able to "walk up the stairs," the former NBA player set up his mind to get healthier by shedding some pounds.
The 51-year-old athlete opened up about his weight loss journey in an interview published on Thursday, August 31. Speaking to Nichelle Turner from Entertainment Tonight, he stated, "I was getting chubby and couldn't even walk up the stairs. I didn't like the way I looked in the mirror. I was like, 'I'm gonna lose 20' and then I was trying to lose 20."
The Los Angeles Lakers legend revealed to the outlet that he has lost 55 pounds. The last time he checked his weight on the scale prior to the chat, he shared that he reached 351 pounds. However, he was determined that his effort to be healthier did not stop there.
About his goals, Shaquille spilled, "I'm probably gonna get between 315 and 330." He also realized that he likes to set up "crazy goals" for himself, saying that he currently has "a little 4.9 pack" and wants to make it to "an eight pack." He further recalled that it all began after his NBA mates joked about him getting "Charles Barkley, a.k.a. fat."
During the chat, the four-time NBA champion also elaborated his weight loss journey. He stated that back in 2000, when he won his first NBA championship with the Lakers, he weighed 345 pounds. His weight increased at 375 pounds in 2001 before it got even higher at 395 pounds in 2002. A few years later, when he moved to the Miami Heat in 2004, he remembered he was getting slimmer and weighed 315 pounds in 2006.
This was not the first time Shaquille talked about his struggle to lose weight. In December 2022, he discussed the matter with Entertainment Tonight in an interview. "I got a couple people involved, it's all about eating right. I got some blood work done," the Hall of Famer said at that time.
"A friend of mine called me and said, 'You're fat,' and she gave me this guy's name. And he did some blood work," he recalled. "And you know, 'cause I was the athlete, I wasn't a salad eater. I won't pay attention to any of that. I don't care about none of that. I didn't know what the difference between a carb and a protein, at 50 years old I never knew."
"So, he was saying you can't do this, you can't do that, more vegetables, my iron's low. And once I just started changing those certain things, it dropped," he added. "Plus the supplements I'm taking, and the shakes I'm drinking, the weight just fell off. I'm not at 100 percent ninja mode yet. I'm still 75 percent."
