Connect with us

Entertainment

Shaquille O’Neal’s Motivation to Lose 55 Lbs Was to ‘Become PHAT’ on September 19, 2023 at 8:30 pm Us Weekly

Published

on

Shaquille O’Neal opened up about his recent weight loss journey — including the acronym he used as motivation.

“I wanted to become PHAT: pretty, hot and tempting,” O’Neal, 51, exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, September 18, while chatting about his partnership with Fantasy Lab Las Vegas. “I just had to change the way I ate. I started taking my supplements, GF-9 and just a lot of exercise and working out and it’s great. So now, when I go back to the Fantasy Labs, I can take my shirt off and I could be sexy while I’m in Vegas.”

As for his current motivation, O’Neal joked, “I want to be able to take my shirt off on Instagram more than last time … I got a four pack, but I want a 12 pack.” Currently at 350 lbs., the athlete told Us his goal is to get to 325 lbs.

Advertisement

Last month, O’Neal revealed he couldn’t walk up the stairs before adopting a new diet and losing 55 pounds. Despite his goal to become PHAT, the former NBA star told Us it is still hard to find the motivation to stay active.

Related: Celebrities’ Weight Loss and Transformations: Before and After Pictures

Advertisement
Shocking, indeed! Some celebs seek out extreme methods to shed pounds, while others transform with the aid of healthier methods. From Rosie O’Donnell’s and Jordin Sparks’ respective 50 pound weight losses to Biggest Loser winner Rachel Frederickson’s whopping 155 lighter frame, see before and after pictures of celebrities’ weight loss transformations.

“I was the world’s greatest athlete. It was easy, but now, you wake up and you got so much to do,” he explained. “My excuse is, ‘I’ll do it later,’ but when I was playing, you had to do it then. So, I just had to restart my mindset. Now when I wake up, I eat fruit, I don’t eat a meal, and then, in order for me to get a meal, I got to go work out.”

In addition to his busy schedule and workout routine, O’Neal has his hands full as Fantasy Lab Las Vegas’ official Chief Fantasy Officer. The immersive sensory experience uses technology and art to transport guests into a variety of colorful and creative exhibits.

Fantasy Lab Las Vegas

“It’s my job to curate the fun, curate the people there, help bring the fun experience and it’s a great job,” O’Neal shared. “It’s seven different rooms. It brings you through seven different mind changes. We have a scary room. We have a room that’s just going to let you just feel free. … This is a place that we would love to make it a go-to destination in Las Vegas.”

Advertisement

He continued: “It’s just going to help elevate your mind, help let your mind be free. We have great food, we have great drinks. We know Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, but if you want to enhance your fantasies, come to Fantasy [Labs].”

Related: Gabrielle! Ayesha! Jordyn! Meet the Partners of Basketball Players

Advertisement
Love off the court! Gabrielle Union, Ayesha Curry, Jordyn Woods and more stars have settled down with professional basketball players over the years. The Bring It On actress, for her part, met Dwyane Wade in 2007 at a Super Bowl party. The two called it quits in early 2013 due to conflicting schedules and long-distance […]

The experience is one that the whole family can enjoy. O’Neal, however, has yet to experience it with his own kids. “They’re working and they’re in college and they’re doing their thing,” he stated. (O’Neal shares daughter Taahirah, 27, with ex Arnetta Yardbourgh, and kids Shareef, 23, Amirah, 21, Shaqir, 20, and Me’arah, 17, with his ex-wife, Shaunie O’Neal. The basketball star is also stepfather to Shaunie’s son, Myles, 26, from a previous relationship.)

Fantasy Lab Las Vegas’ new exhibit, SHAQ’s Fantasy Lab, launches to the public in October.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi

Shaquille O’Neal opened up about his recent weight loss journey — including the acronym he used as motivation. “I wanted to become PHAT: pretty, hot and tempting,” O’Neal, 51, exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, September 18, while chatting about his partnership with Fantasy Lab Las Vegas. “I just had to change the way I 

Advertisement

​   Us Weekly Read More 

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Entertainment

Love Is Blind’s Aaliyah Talks Walking Away From Uche After Lydia Reveal  on September 23, 2023 at 3:00 pm Us Weekly

Published

on

By

Uche Okoroha was not pleased that his Love Is Blind romantic interest Aaliyah Cosby had previously cheated on a partner — while hiding his own experience with infidelity.

During the first episode of Love Is Blind season 5, Aaliyah, 29, admitted to Uche, 34, that she once cheated on a boyfriend after their sexual intimacy had become stagnant. Uche was immediately taken aback by her honesty, especially when he found out she was a “recent cheater” since the incident occurred only two years before the pod experiment.

Two episodes later, the tables turned after it was revealed that Uche previously dated Lydia Velez Gonzalez ahead of Love Is Blind production. Aaliyah revealed to Us Weekly that, in hindsight, Uche’s efforts to conceal his past were a total “red flag.”

Advertisement

“I think all of us have a past [and] history going into relationships after a certain point in life,” Aaliyah exclusively told Us ahead of the Friday, September 22, premiere of season 5. “We all have things that we’re going to have to work through with a new partner [that’s] not necessarily bringing in a bunch of baggage, but your lessons learned even some traumas and different things that you’re going to have to work through.”

Related: ‘Love Is Blind’ Couples Status Check: Who Is Still Together and Who Broke Up?

Advertisement
Since the premiere of Love Is Blind in 2020, fans have wondered how effective the concept of speed-dating without seeing the other person actually is. Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton, who got married on day 40 of the dating experiment, found their happily ever on the show. However, Lauren later admitted that finding The One […]

Aaliyah further explained that by sharing her personal experience with infidelity early on in the pods, she was “willing to do” just that. “I know with marriage, you’re navigating a lot,” the ICU travel nurse told Us. “You’re going to have to compromise and work through things. I was open to [discussing the hard truths].”

Because Love Is Blind is a “really expedited process,” Aaliyah noted that participants “have to be sure” about a proposal decision.

Aaliyah Cosby, Uche Okoroha. Monty Brinton/Netflix (2)

While Aaliyah and Uche were initially able to work through her cheating past, they couldn’t move past his former connection with Lydia. In episode four, a teary-eyed Aaliyah finds out from Lydia, 32, just how close the former couple were. Lydia detailed specific memories about Uche’s dog, his three-story home and the Tesla car he owned before revealing that they hooked up a mere three months before the experiment began.

Advertisement

Aaliyah immediately went into the pods to confront Uche about his past relationship with Lydia. “If I wanted to be in a relationship with Lydia, I would be in a relationship with Lydia,” he confessed during the episode.

Related: Love Is Blind’s Most Dramatic Moments Through the Years

Advertisement
While the premise of Netflix’s Love Is Blind is to help singles find their perfect match, the experiment hasn’t come without drama. During season 2 of the dating show, which premiered in February 2022, multiple love triangles blossomed. In one corner, Shayne Jansen connected with both Natalie Lee and Shaina Hurley, and in another, Jarrette […]

Uche ultimately planned to propose to Aaliyah, but she chose to leave Love Is Blind early instead.

“It was really just the emotional security that was really lacking for me going into the engagement,” Aaliyah recalled to Us of her decision to walk away from the reality TV show and Uche.

The first four episodes of Love Is Blind season 5 are currently streaming on Netflix. New episodes drop weekly.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi

Advertisement

Uche Okoroha was not pleased that his Love Is Blind romantic interest Aaliyah Cosby had previously cheated on a partner — while hiding his own experience with infidelity. During the first episode of Love Is Blind season 5, Aaliyah, 29, admitted to Uche, 34, that she once cheated on a boyfriend after their sexual intimacy 

​   Us Weekly Read More 

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Entertainment

BiP’s Michael Allio Went to Couples Therapy With Danielle Maltby Pre-Split on September 23, 2023 at 3:22 pm Us Weekly

Published

on

By

Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby. Courtesy of Michael Allio/Instagram; Courtesy of Danielle Maltby/Instagram

Before Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby went their separate ways, they tried hard to salvage the relationship.

“We did go to couples therapy to see if we could find common ground in the relationship and, sadly, we couldn’t do that,” Allio, 39, revealed during a lengthy Instagram Story Q&A on Friday, September 22. “She wanted me to wait [to announce the breakup] and I felt, like, because I was the one that broke it off with her I should be respectful of that. So, I kind of waited for her lead and when she started taking down posts on Instagram, I kind of followed suit.”

Advertisement

Maltby, 37, sparked split speculation earlier this month when she started deleting photos of the pair from her Instagram page. Weeks later, Allio confirmed their separation during the Thursday, September 21, episode of Jason Tartick’s “Trading Secrets” podcast.

“We broke up, it was [the] last week in June and it’s just coming up now because we wanted to take our time with this,” Allio added on Friday.

Advertisement

Related: Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby: The Way They Were

Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby have both weathered tragedy, getting a second chance at love during season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise. Allio made his Bachelor Nation debut during Katie Thurston‘s season of The Bachelorette in 2021, but he ultimately self-eliminated because he didn’t want to leave his son, James, alone at home. The Ohio […]

Allio’s Instagram remarks came hours after Maltby addressed the breakup for the first time, in which she claimed the decision was “not mutual” after there was “some perception of incompatibilities.”

Michael Allio Courtesy of Michael Allio/Instagram

Maltby then went on her “Wo Med” podcast, which also dropped on Friday, and alleged that the split occurred shortly after he supported her egg-freezing procedure.

Advertisement

“Dani did not know that I was going to [confirm the breakup] on Jason’s podcast and there’s a reason why. We broke up 13 weeks ago and over the span of that 13 weeks, we spoke multiple times about how we want to roll this out,” Allio, who shared 6-year-old son James with late wife Laura Ritter-Allio, noted in his Friday social media upload. “I suggested doing a mutual breakup post, but she did not want to do that mainly because this breakup was not mutual. She told me, ‘Go out there, say what you want to say, do what you want to do. I’ll follow suit.’”

According to Allio, Maltby even asked him to refrain from calling or speaking to her since it would make healing “that much more difficult.”

Advertisement

Related: Celebrity Splits of 2023: Stars Who Broke Up This Year

While many celeb couples have gone the distance in Hollywood, other romances haven’t stood the test of time. Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott sparked an on-again, off-again relationship in 2017, welcoming two children: daughter Stormi and a son, whose name they have yet to reveal, in February 2018 and February 2022, respectively. Us Weekly broke […]

In addition to going to couples therapy with Maltby, Allio further noted via his Stories that he’s individually worked with a therapist “for a very, very long time.”

Danielle Maltby and Michael Allio. Courtesy of Michael Allio/Instagram

“It is helping, but I do think people are very quick to assume that if I’m dating somebody and it doesn’t end in marriage that it must be because I’m not over my dead wife,” he said on Friday. “It is so rude, so arrogant and so disrespectful; have some class, people. There’s more to it than just grief. Dani and my relationship had nothing to do with grief. I welcomed her into my life. I feel more ready now than I ever have been and sometimes, at the end of the day, you’re just not compatible.”

Advertisement

He continued: “[If] there’s something that you’re looking for that doesn’t exist in that other person and it doesn’t mean you try to change that person and turn them into this perfect version for you because that’s wrong too.”

Allio and Maltby met on the Bachelor in Paradise beach during season 8, opting to continue dating in the real world after filming ended. The nurse moved to Allio’s native Cleveland — where he lives with James — earlier this year in pursuit of their relationship.

Before Michael Allio and Danielle Maltby went their separate ways, they tried hard to salvage the relationship. “We did go to couples therapy to see if we could find common ground in the relationship and, sadly, we couldn’t do that,” Allio, 39, revealed during a lengthy Instagram Story Q&A on Friday, September 22. “She wanted 

​   Us Weekly Read More 

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Pete Davidson and ‘Outer Banks’ Star Madelyn Cline Are Dating on September 23, 2023 at 3:30 pm News

Published

on

By

The romance comes nearly a month after Davidson and Chase Sui Wonders called it quits.The romance comes nearly a month after Davidson and Chase Sui Wonders called it quits. 

​   News Read More 

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending