Shaquille O’Neal Reveals He Lost 55 Pounds During Weight Loss Journey: ‘I Couldn’t Even Climb Stairs’
Shaquille O’Neal’s weight loss journey turned out to be child’s play – and it’s not over yet.
The ex-NBA star, 51, lost 55 pounds to bring his weight down to 351 pounds and told Entertainment Tonight he was looking to hit “between 315 and 330” pounds.
“I was getting chubby and couldn’t even climb stairs,” the former Los Angeles Laker told the outlet. “I didn’t like the way I looked at myself in the mirror.”
“I was like, ‘I’m going to lose 20,’ and then I was trying to lose 20,” he said, admitting he had previously set himself some “crazy goals” that he didn’t. had never achieved.
The four-time NBA champion has overhauled his lifestyle and eating habits, joking that he currently has “a small 4.9-pack” but the goal is to get “an eight-pack” .
O’Neal, who is 7ft 1in, said in 2000 he weighed 345lbs and the following year he was 30lbs heavier.
In 2002, Shaq said he hit 395 pounds at age 30.
Impressive enough, Shaq won NBA titles with the Lakers in all three years.
O’Neal cut his weight to 315 pounds in 2004 after being traded to the Miami Heat, and quickly found himself in peak physical condition in 2006 at age 34.
His impressive career saw him play for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics from 1992 to 2011.
Before succeeding in the NBA, Shaq played at Louisiana State University for three seasons.
In December, Shaq said he had already lost 40 pounds after changing his eating habits.
“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,” the athlete recalled at the retired at the time. “He said, ‘You can do this, you can’t do that, [eat] more vegetables, [your] the iron is low.
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O’Neal noted that he was not “a salad eater” before, but now takes supplements, drinks shakes and avoids sodas.
“Once I started changing some things, it dropped,” the 50-year-old continued. “It’s all about eating well.”
He also opened up about his intention to eliminate bread from his routine, explaining, “I think I could have the Marky Wahlberg look. I want to be known as the Black Mark Wahlberg.
