I was low-key abusing myself. The idea of being skinny became something that was most appealing to me. Even if you watch 'The Real,' from season 1 to season 4, I was always 100 lbs. I started to really work hard to stay petite and to not gain weight and to stay sample size.
It's always difficult, especially the U.S. Open, the last of the Grand Slams. It's always tough because you know, the season is very long. I really played a lot this year. Sometimes it's really hard to stay focused all the time because you're really tired after the whole season.
Most people lose weight during the season, but I tend to gain weight during the season.
At the beginning of the first season, you don't have that pressure to perform at 100 per cent, because it's always hard when you first start. But now, in the second season, people are expecting big things from you, so you can't really disappoint them.
Unfortunately, our sport has a weight limit, so every season, I have to lose weight. You just get tired of not eating the way you want to eat, so in the off-season, I'll binge and gain a few pounds and then have to lose them back.
LaRon Landry, a safety, is in incredible physical condition - really impressive. Also Anthony Castonzo, the left tackle - I'm very impressed with him. He really sets a great example for how to stay in shape - not only during the off-season but throughout the season, which can be a struggle because of the rhythm of the way things work.
Weight training and working on being explosive helped me gain a few yards of pace. Even when I was small, I was stocky. Even if people pushed me, I managed to stay on my feet.
I definitely think the girls look too skinny now. I'm friends with models Helena Christensen and Linda Evangelista, and I remember Linda telling me that when she was a model in the nineties, a sample size was a 6 or an 8. Now a sample dress size is a 0 or a 2. That's pretty alarming. There's a lot of pressure on the models. It's not healthy. I can't even imagine what that's like.
We try to promote the Christmas season and remind people that it is a season of peace. That's what the season's real meaning is about. No matter what religion you are, there is that point in time where we should celebrate that idea of peace and humanity.
That's where faith comes in. I've struggled more with being away from her. She keeps me strong. Being away from her means I have to stay in the Word and to stay strong throughout the season.
Having a CORE main focus is the key to being able to stay determined. Most people only set small goals and when they accomplish them... it's hard to stay on track as they are not trying to achieve anything else.
I always need a little something sweet after dinner. Although I try to stay pretty disciplined with my nutrition when I'm in season - my brother Kyle eats super clean and always gives me nutrition advice - when I want something, I have it because I feel like you can really get in trouble if you restrict yourself too much.
The fall season brings Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season. Sharing meals with family and friends are a key element of this joyful time of the year. We are faced with an abundance of food, and can easily gain extra pounds as a result.
Whether you're on TV or on the stage, you have to work hard to stay fresh, real, and full of energy. You can't settle back. You always have to stay on your toes.
I wanted to have a place and a space, and a building, in which to create a season of work I am here because the idea of a theatrical home is very appealing to me
I went from 185 lbs to 285 lbs, became a 7X Mr. Olympia, tying Arnold Schwarzenegger, and competed against the most determined and fittest athletes in the world. This took hard work, tremendous dedication, and knowing what, how, and when to train.
You try to stay as even-keel as possible; obviously, it's always more difficult when you're going through a tough season.