Yahoo Movies Shaquille O'Neal Says He's 20 Lbs. Away from 'Ultimate' Goal Weight: 'It's Time to Really Shred It Up'
“I don't like to talk about it. I like to show,” the retired NBA star — who’s already lost more than 40 lbs. — tells PEOPLE of his weight loss journey
When it comes to his weight loss journey, Shaquille O'Neal says he likes to speak through his actions.
The retired NBA star, 51, recently spoke to PEOPLE about how far he's come in his approach to diet and fitness, raving that he's currently down 40 lbs. and counting.
O'Neal admits that growing up as an athlete, checking the nutritional value of his meals wasn't a concern. After making it into the league, his diet often consisted of McDonald's, fried foods, and unhealthy snacks — which wasn't a bother as long as he performed well on the court.
The former Lakers player says he could eat anything he wanted, go practice for five hours, and not gain a single pound. It wasn't until he got older that he understood the importance of educating himself on how to prioritize a healthy diet.
"I wish I would've paid more attention to it. I was such a mental warrior that none of this stuff mattered to me," O'Neal tells PEOPLE. "We had this guy on our team who had 2% body fat. Coach says, 'You gotta eat healthy.' I would tell my coach, 'I'm going to go eat a couple burgers, he's going to eat a couple salads. And I'm still busting his ass on the court tomorrow.'"
He continued, "If I had paid attention, I probably could've been like Udonis Haslem and played 20 seasons, but I did it my way. And my way was a good way, but I didn't really take it seriously until I looked in the mirror six, seven years after I retired. I looked terrible. I had no definition and basically I was fat. I was really fat."
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The NBA on TNT host describes himself as a very goal-oriented person, even after retirement.
"I get a little jealous when I see these young guys on Instagram with their little six-packs and so my goal is to one day be able to do an underwear ad with my sons — 51 years old, just muscles everywhere," he quips.
In an attempt to get there, O'Neal is doing cardio at least three days a week and continuing his weight training. He's also seen progress after nailing down his diet.
"I have more energy. I feel really good. I get to do stuff that I haven't done. And it helps you discipline yourself much more," he says. "I eat about four or five times a day, but four of those meals used to be junk meals."
"So now I can wake up and say okay, meal one is a shake and then I'm going to go work out. Meal two will probably be little egg wraps. Meal three will be a salad and then meal four and five will be chicken and steak," O'Neal explains. "I still get to eat as long as I eat healthy. And you gotta cut out the little stuff. No more Cheetos, no more cupcakes, no more stuff like that. So the more and quicker you can discipline yourself, the better and quicker you'll see the results."
Related: Shaquille O'Neal Reveals 40-Lb. Weight Loss, Says His Goal Is to Do 'Underwear Ad with My Sons'
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Along the way, O'Neal also became an ambassador for Novex Biotech, attributing the brand's line of men's performance products for helping him lose weight — in addition to his lifestyle changes.
"When I got introduced to Novex Biotech, I was around 410-415 lbs. I'm into the low 370s right now, but my ultimate goal is 350-something," he says.
"So I still got 20 lbs. That's why I got with Novex Biotech. I want to put something on the market for guys my age or any guy that really, really works," O'Neal explains, referring to his launch of his "Shaq Pack" of supplements.
"I'm not one of those diet freaks right now and I'm not telling everybody you gotta be a gym rat, rah rah rah in the gym. But be active, eat as healthy as you can," he adds.
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By educating himself on what will help make him feel and look younger — teasing that he's trying to be like Benjamin Button — O'Neal admits that he stays motivated to lose more weight by being jealous of anyone who looks better than him.
"I've always had…I call it PJM, Professional Jealousy Motivation. For example, if I'm talking to you and you got more followers and all that, I can take that and help propel me into being your competition by trying to do it better than you, rather than hating," O'Neal explains. "I would study everything you would do and then add a little Shaq to it, just to try to be like you or be better than you. So I look for something that's going to make me mad, but not really mad, just going to motivate me."
"That's what competition's all about," he continues. "The crazy thing is I have my own workout stuff, but when I see these guys looking all ripped on the Gram, I be like, 'Damn, I'm going to try that.' So to me, it's just all motivation."
After taking some time off to heal from his recent hip surgery, O'Neal assures that he's getting back in his home gym and focusing on dropping his last 20 lbs.
"I only still got that one goal, just to rip it up," he tells PEOPLE. "I got a little 4.9-pack right now, but I want the world to see how proud I am. I always put out little teasers every now and then, but it's time to really shred it up now."
"I'm about to really chop it up," O'Neal adds. "Trust me on that."
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