I’m not trying to downplay my role—if I wasn’t useful, I wouldn’t have clients—but I can’t stress enough that you need to want this, and you need to want it badly. There is no other way to succeed.
As I said, though, you can create a similar situation for yourself at a local gym or health club or the Y (or in your garage or basement, for that matter). Develop a relationship with the staff or with one of the trainers. Sign up for classes. Get to know the other clients (if you enjoy the social aspect). The bottom line is, you need to find a place that works for you, and works so well that you are always eager to return.
So ask yourself what you need from a gym. Does it have to be open twenty-four hours a day? (Probably not. When was the last time you worked out at 4:00 a.m.?) Do you want to work with a trainer? Does it have to be a man? Does it have to be someone you can talk to? Should you take a group exercise class or would you be happier with a dance routine? (Maybe you want to do both.) It takes time to find the right program in the right environment, and in the process you’re probably going to have to kiss a few frogs, but when you find your prince (or princess), you’ll discover that it will have been well worth it.
The workout should be fun, but it should also be serious. Khloé and I have a good time, and we joke and laugh a lot, but it’s also my job to keep her on track, to make sure she is always reaching to be the best possible version of herself. After all, at the end of the day, she’s at the gym to get strong, to get into progressively better shape.
When Khloé told me about her book, she said she believed it was important for people to start slow and to find routines that they will enjoy, because otherwise they won’t stick to them. I agree with her 100 percent. You don’t have to love your workout, but you should choose a workout that you can learn to love. At some point, you should be enjoying it so much that you actually feel bad if you miss it. That may take a while, but if you stick with it long enough to see results, those results will provide the inspiration you need to keep you on track, and that’s going to make all the difference.
Still, I have to go back to this issue of motivation. People tend to kid themselves, and I’ve heard more than my share of bullshit. “If I wasn’t so busy . . .” “If I had more money . . .” “If there was a nice gym near my house . . .” These are just excuses, and the only victim is you. Khloé doesn’t train with me because she has money; she trains with me because she is the kind of person who pushes herself, and she would push herself with or without my services. I know this to be true because she was an Equinox client long before she came to see me. And she’s got the right attitude: You’ve got to want it. If you don’t want it, nobody can want it for you.
Khloé is also smart enough to understand that becoming physically strong isn’t about a short-term fix. Lose thirty pounds in thirty days! That’s a loser’s game, and I’m not talking about the pounds.
If you’re in bad physical shape, that didn’t happen in thirty days, and you won’t be able to fix it in thirty days. You didn’t get fat from one meal, and skipping one meal isn’t going to get you back in shape.
The people who are selling you a short-term fix do not have your best interests at heart; they’re in the game for themselves. That’s life. Everybody’s got a gimmick, everybody’s got something to sell.
So be a smart consumer. Fitness, diet, health—everyone has a formula, and most of those formulas don’t work. Thirty years of bad habits are not going to get reversed in thirty days. Use your head. You have one life, so why not make the commitment to live it right, and to live it strong?
When I first met Khloé, long before the TV show, I knew right away that she was as right as rain and very smart. Khloé understands that you have to work for everything in life: health, fitness, friendship, love, money. I don’t know many people who understand that as clearly as she does, and I know even fewer who work as hard as she does.
Take that to the bank. And stop at the gym on your way back and get your workout in!
Chapter 2
Food
I was a mindless eater. I ate for comfort. I also ate out of boredom and habit. I ate when I was unhappy (which I’m sure many of you can relate to). I even ate chips because I love the crunchy sound they make. And I didn’t give much thought to what I was eating, or what I was putting inside my body, except hummus, of course, which is one of my weaknesses.
Let me give you an example of mindless eating. When Lamar and I were still together and we were both in Los Angeles, I never missed any of his basketball games. There are eighty-two games in a regular season, not to mention the play-offs, and at least half of those were at home, and during that first year you’d find me at every single one, eating nachos. For the average sports fan, going to games is a treat, and the occasional nacho platter is not going to destroy them, but I’m doing this night after night—chowing down on nachos, chicken fingers, and assorted crap and more out of habit than hunger. The games would start at seven-thirty and seldom ended before ten, and sometimes Lamar and I would go out to dinner after, either alone or with friends. It was mindless eating. I had no idea what I was doing to my body, night after night. It wasn’t until I began to work out in earnest that I became aware of what I was eating. When I became more mindful about exercise, I became more mindful about eating. I was really conscious of wanting to put the right fuels into my body—to give me energy, to make me stronger—and part of it was that I was paying more attention to my health in general. I thought to myself, This is the only body I have. Why am I treating it so badly? And what am I going to do about it?
One of the things that I did about it was make an appointment to see Dr. Philip Goglia, a nutritionist. He is hysterical and I love him, and I totally connect with his energy. I also love the way he was able to break everything down for me. He had me provide a blood sample, which he analyzed, and the first thing he told me was that I needed to stay away from carbs. I was the type of person who was always going to have trouble with carbs. I sent my brother Rob to see Dr. Goglia as well, and Rob has the same issue. It’s not that we couldn’t have carbs, but that we have to avoid them after around four p.m. Apparently our bodies are not particularly good at breaking them down. And of course he told me to stay away from processed carbohydrates and stick to whole grains.
The other thing he told me to avoid was dairy, and I love cheese. Like many of my fellow Armenians, I was always chowing down on cheese cubes, so this was a huge challenge. But the moment I cut out dairy, limiting myself only to almond milk, I felt transformed. Within a week I had more energy than I’d had in months, and I was leaping out of bed in the morning, ready to seize the day. Phil explained that dairy tends to produce phlegm and mucus, which somehow clogs up the works.
The other unexpected side effect was that I lost thirteen pounds in less than three months, just by cutting out dairy. Though of course I was still exercising.
I was so taken with Phil that I told Kim and Kanye to go see him. They did that whole blood panel, too, and—wouldn’t you know it?—Kim and Kanye are what he called Ferrari body types. Those two can process just about anything. Can you believe that? Life is so unfair!
At one point, I went on a hard-core diet for a week, at Phil’s insistence, and within five days I lost 2 percent of my body fat. But dieting in that radical manner isn’t natural or sustainable. I don’t believe in short-term fixes, so I went back to regular dairy-free mindful eating. I think most diets are torture, which is why I don’t believe in them. But, as is true with exercise, when you make a change and feel the benefits, you want to stick with it. And you know what else? If I want a piece of cake one night, I’ll have my piece of cake!
The Cleanse from Hell
I know this from personal experience. Some years ago, when Beyoncé was doing Dreamgirls, she lost thirty pounds on a cleanse diet, and I decided to try it. It was one of the most miserable experiences of my life, absolutely horrible. I was so hungry that for days on end I was an evil bitch, and yes, I lost weight—for
about a second. As soon as I abandoned that cleanse from hell, I gained the weight right back. That’s the “quick fix”: quick to go, quick to return.
I think some of those diets put your body into shock, and your mind follows shortly thereafter. I was miserable. And I get it: Sometimes you need a short-term fix, and you go for it. But my whole thing is about making changes for life. Yes, you have to cut certain things out, like soda or apple pie and ice cream, but you don’t have to be a fanatic about it. If I go to the movies and want a Coke and some popcorn, I plunge right in. I don’t believe in torturing myself. Then again, it’s an occasional indulgence. I have a friend who has to have a Coke with every meal, and it shows on her body, so clearly she’s addicted to the sugar. But if she could wean herself off the Coke—maybe limit herself to one or two cans a week—it would make a huge difference in her life, and the results might be enough to keep her on track.
To say, “I will never again have a piece of chocolate cake”—well, that’s crazy. It’s overwhelming. It feels so final. And it makes you want it that much more—the whole forbidden-fruit thing!
With that cleanse, for example, I started it just before my mother’s birthday, and when the cake showed up, I almost died. You would have thought it was a box of diamonds! And it’s funny, because I’m not that crazy about cake, but I felt so deprived that I almost wept with hunger.
The craziest thing is that I was convinced the cleanse was going to work. It was Beyoncé, for god’s sake! My hero! She’d lost thirty pounds, so of course it had to work! But I was miserable. I’d been drinking lemonade and cayenne pepper for two days, my throat was burning, I felt like shit, and I had turned into a raging bitch. Long story short, I didn’t make it through day 3.
As a result, I’ve gotten a lot smarter about fitness and weight loss, though I now know that not everyone sees it that way. I remember reading some blogs where people seemed fascinated by the fact that I had lost weight over a period of months instead of a month, as if somehow that were a bad thing. They didn’t seem to understand that fitness is a lifelong journey. It’s about trying to become a better version of yourself one step at a time. I’m not where I want to be yet, and I don’t know if I ever will be, but I know that I am healthier and in better shape than I have ever been, and that I am really enjoying the journey.
Trust me on this: Slow and steady wins the race.
Water: The Magic Elixir
One day we’re reading about the importance of water, that we need five liters a day, but a month later a contradictory story comes out saying we’re all drinking way too much water and we should cut our intake in half. Phil was unwavering on this point: You need water, and you need a lot more than you think you do. Now, when I get up in the morning, even before my first cup of coffee, I drink a huge glass of water to get things started.
My little sister Kendall is a model and naturally skinny, and she wanted to be more muscular, so she started seeing Gunnar. When she complained that things weren’t happening as fast as she hoped, I took her to see Phil. His advice? “Cut back on dairy and drink tons of water.” And guess what? A few weeks later, I saw pictures of her on Instagram from the Met ball and her abs were insane. I immediately texted her, and she wrote back, “Thanks to Gunnar and Phil and their easy suggestions!” It was as easy as that. The exercise became way more effective because she cut out dairy and drank water. Of course let’s be realistic here. Maybe she’s got a Lamborghini body.
For a while, I was so into water I was even Instagramming about it. I wanted everyone to take it seriously, to drink, drink, drink. I even found ways to make water more fun. For example, I always keep a pitcher of water in my fridge, and I add mint, cucumber, and lemon. You just need a tiny bit. It’s my own recipe for infused water, and I love it. Sometimes I’ll just put a hunk of watermelon in the pitcher. Or if you want berry water, toss in a few strawberries or blackberries and let them sit for a while. It costs nothing, and it tastes yummy. I have five infusers—they are fairly cheap on Amazon—and I have five flavored waters in my fridge at all times. I like variety, and I love the way infused water tastes.
My sister Kim was over the other day, and she’s pregnant again, and she tried the melon-flavored water and flipped. Now her fridge is full of flavored water!
The funny thing is, I used to keep iced tea and Snapple in my fridge, and I’d tell myself that they weren’t unhealthy, but I’m no longer delusional. Occasionally I’ll have an unsweetened iced tea, but the rest of those flavored sugary drinks are history. And fruit juices are a thing of the past, too. There are more than 100 calories in a single cup of orange juice, and there’s nothing even remotely nutritious about that. When people have low blood sugar, others give them a glass of orange juice to quickly increase their blood sugar, so you have to ask yourself: Why would you want to increase your blood sugar when you don’t need it? The obvious result is that an hour later you’re going to totally crash.
Sugar is hiding everywhere. Sugar is 50 percent fructose and is immediately converted to fat. Little surprise we have an obesity epidemic. The World Health Organization says we should reduce our consumption of sugar by at least 50 percent. The American Heart Association suggests a maximum of six teaspoons of sugar per day for women, nine for men, and even less for children and toddlers. When you look at the numbers, you’ll understand why fruit juices and soft drinks contribute more to obesity—especially in children—than just about anything else.
And I urge everyone to start reading labels. One can of Coke has forty grams of sugar, the equivalent of ten teaspoons. One glass of “healthy” orange juice has sixteen grams of sugar, or four teaspoons, so it’s not as healthy as you thought.
But water is magical. It’s good for your skin and hair and nails. It helps you lose weight, it feeds your muscles, and it helps maintain healthy bodily functions. Some people think it’s even a mood stabilizer, and I believe it, because I’ve seen the difference in me since I’ve been drinking adequate amounts of water. It’s all about water. Flush, flush, flush. Go ahead, have some M&M’s from time to time, live a little, but keep flushing.
If you want to take this one step further, there are some simple ways to detox. I love green tea, for example, and from time to time I will have nothing but green tea and water for an entire day. It really cleans out your system.
But you don’t have to be that extreme. For example, that infused water I keep in my fridge is often enough of a flush, but you can make it interesting by playing with the ingredients. Try mixing pink grapefruit with a tangerine, a small orange, half a cucumber (sliced), and mint leaves. Or mix unsweetened cranberry juice and real cranberries with water. Or try putting sliced apples and cinnamon sticks into your infuser. Refrigerate the infused water overnight and serve over ice cubes and you’ll never go back to flavored drinks.
The old saying that knowledge is power is certainly true about your body, and especially about the way it reacts to food. When Kim went to see Phil, she listened very closely, followed Phil’s advice, and lost a ton of weight almost effortlessly. Even if you have a Ferrari body type, the more you know about your engine, the better you can tune it.
And here’s the thing: I love Phil Goglia, and I’m lucky I can afford to spend money on diet-related blood work, but your own body has the answers you need.
You can try cutting out dairy for a week. You can eliminate carbs the next week. You can eat less protein on the third week or eat mainly protein on the week after that. Your body will know within a week how it feels about these unexpected changes. In a way, you become your own laboratory. Your body’s response will tell you exactly what it’s going to take to run smoothly and feel right.
This goes back to setting realistic goals. As with exercise, you might want to jot down some goals for the week. I’m going to eat less sugar this week, for example. And again, baby steps—one restriction at a time. After a week, try something else—no more white bread—and so on, moving steadily forward. Keep doing this and it will bec
ome a way of life. I know your journey because it has been my own.
In terms of general advice, I know for a fact that dairy isn’t very good for you. (I’m sure the National Dairy Council is going to hate me for this, but I believe it to be true for most people, and I know it’s true for me.) I know carbs are rough on many people, because they tend to make your insulin levels spike, which can create mood swings, and beyond that, because carbs are hard to process. I don’t think too much red meat is good for you, but I know plenty of devoted carnivores, and most of them seem happy and healthy, so I could be wrong. Maybe that whole Paleo-caveman thing works for them. And sugar, well—everyone knows sugar is trouble, but it’s also yummy, so the occasional dish of chocolate soufflé isn’t going to kill you.
Sometimes it seems like all the things that aren’t good for you are the best-tasting! But again, make your own choices—you shouldn’t suffer (or suffer too much, anyway). One size does not fit all! I have tried almost anything and everything when it comes to dieting. I had to figure out what worked for me and my body type. I also don’t believe in depriving yourself. M&M’s and cake and ice cream exist for a reason. Life is short. Enjoy it. But if your body isn’t going to feel and look good, you’re not going to be happy, so make a few intelligent sacrifices. It’s worth it. As soon as you start making healthy eating choices, you will feel better, and sticking to the plan will be that much easier. In fact, you’ll want to stick to it. I used to wolf down a piece of cake and feel comforted; now that same piece of cake (usually) makes me feel like shit.
Strong Looks Better Naked Page 5
