The Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes is in the best shape of her life—and she works hard for it. Leakes, 56, shared a picture of herself posing in Burberry workout gear, holding pink dumbbells in each hand. “Obviously I’ve lost a few pounds as of late. Going to the gym has never been my thing! I am one of those people who start stop and start stop🫢 But I have always enjoyed gym classes. I’ve already found me a nice lil Pilates class in my neighborhood. My goal is simply to tone and build muscle 💪🏾 Health is wealth! Who’s with me in the gym in 2024?” she captioned the post. Here’s how Leakes transformed her health and fitness to live her best life.
Leakes changed her diet to include more plants and fish. “I’m very tall. I’m almost 5’11 and I can carry my weight a lot different than somebody who’s shorter than me, so me losing 12 pounds makes me feel like I’ve lost like, 5,” she told Hollywood Life. “We’ve really been trying to do better and eat better and eliminate the junk. I’m not doing anything crazy like doing the elliptical or riding the bike or running. I started being a pescatarian and he was plant-based, so I started there. It did help me and I felt different. I lost a couple of pounds. I’m not a big eater. But what I started to do, was just have small portions. I feel like I eat about four times a day – four, sometimes five – just nibbling on stuff, and I feel really satisfied.”
Leakes started working out with a personal trainer, who helped teach her new healthy habits. “My trainer has taught me to eat breakfast,” she told OK!. “She said, ‘NeNe, you have to bite something in the morning to get your metabolism going.’ So I’ve learned to do that, and it works.Then I eat my lunch: lots of salads with chicken. I love to go out to eat for dinner, but I never order an entrée. The portion sizes today are very large. So I’ll order an appetizer. If she comes to my house, we walk through the neighborhood with weights. If I go to her studio, I take a group class or do one-on-one training.”
Leakes tries to avoid eating too much at night. “My biggest problem has always been and will always be that I work all day and forget to eat and then I eat late at night with some cocktails,” she told E! News. “And I don’t eat breakfast! Lately, I’ve been trying to be good and eat something small for breakfast to kick start my metabolism and I’m eating smaller dinners earlier in the evening.”
Leakes says learning portion control was a game-changer. “We all know what our weaknesses are and what we overindulge in so it’s all about being mindful about what we eat and PORTION CONTROL,” she told E! News. “That’s the key…because hunni, we like to eat! And having to deprive myself of anything is a no-no for a girl like me! Summer fun and sun is right around the corner so that’s a great motivator for me!”
Leakes still snacks on her favorite indulgence, potato chips, but eats far less. “I love to snack on stuff because I like chips,” she told Hollywood Life. “So If I’d want it so bad, I could eat a little bit and then I’d throw it in the trash can. I always say to myself, ‘I’m not going through the trash can to get it out and eat it,’ so I’d bite it and then I’d throw it in the trash. So I could just satisfy myself a little bit.”