It’s tough to see the physique under the suit and tie on the set of TNT’s Inside the NBA, but it seems Shaq has been putting in some serious work when it comes to his big-man body. A new interview – and pictures – with Men’s Health magazine has the details.
Back in playing days, O’Neal was a physical force to be reckoned with, to say the least. It’s hard to think of any other player who was able to get a physical edge on him. Even in his post-playing days, he was always a muscled-up guy, but things changed after he called it a career.
Thanks to Men’s Health for details. In the story, O’Neal talked about the things that led to weight gain over the years, and what he’s doing now to change things for the better.
The magazine asked when Shaq first realized his health was going in the wrong direction, what what he did to adjust his diet and exercise routine.
Shaq: “My sister passed away before Kobe. And then Kobe passed away and then I had 28 other people pass away. [2020] was a really bad year and I didn’t want to do anything. So, when you don’t want to do anything, but you need to stay out of trouble, there’s two things you can do: eat and Netflix.”
How about diet changes? I just started to eat better and to make better decisions,” Shaq said. “My problem is, I’ve always been a sandwich guy. Sandwich for lunch, sandwich for dinner, sandwich for snack. And when all of that was going on last year, I couldn’t sleep. So, I’d wake up at three in the morning and make a sandwich, five in the morning and make a sandwich. But I was starting to look old and I didn’t want to. So I said to myself, I want to take my shirt off on Instagram one last time.
I saw this 70-year-old guy on there, and he had muscles everywhere. So I just decided to switch it up. No more bread, no more late-night lemon Oreos, no more Entenmann’s cakes, none of that. I’ve been doing this for six months and just eating fruit, protein shakes, salads, fish, chicken and asparagus or other vegetables. Very small portions and eating that everyday has helped me lose 25-30 pounds. I started to see stuff that I haven’t seen in 20 to 30 years—like a six pack. And I haven’t had one of those since I was on the 2006 Miami Heat.”
Shaq says he’s stepping up his physical activity, too. Hitting the home gym and more. (Sidenote: Shaq recently announced a partnership with, and investment in home-based fitness company MaxPro.) O’Neal says nowadays he’s more active, and he sleeps through the night (no more after-midnight snacks and sandwiches).
As the before and after photos show, Shaq is looking a lot better now. Keep up the great work, big man! It’s a great example and inspiration to the rest of us…