I’ve always liked Mary J. Blige. I realize that there are stories about her diva behavior and much more, but I feel like Mary doesn’t wallow or make excuses. Mary owns her crap. Mary covers the new issue of Shape, where she’s showing off some recent weight loss and a newly toned body. Apparently, she decided to slim down and tone up after her friend Whitney Houston passed away. Some highlights from the interview:
She’s quit drinking: “I’m off it completely once more, and now I feel stronger than ever! Whitney Houston’s death really crushed me. I saw someone so incredibly talented just diminish, and I refuse to go out like that.”
Mary at the age of 42: ‘Once I reached that goal, I wanted to be fit forever. Unfortunately, as I got older, I found it was harder to maintain. As you age, your body really wants to hold on to extra weight.’
Her workouts: The star credits her new-found lean figure to intensive cardio workouts consisting of running ‘six to eight miles a week’ along with strength training and core work. ‘The treadmill is fine, but running outdoors gives me the best results… I hate being out of shape! But I don’t exercise just to lose weight. It makes me feel better when I get that run in. I could be in the worst mood, but when I do my cardio I feel much, much better.’
She limits carbs: ‘I’m pretty diligent. I just can’t eat the way I used to,’ she reveals. A typical breakfast usually consists of oatmeal or an egg-white omelet with spinach; lunch is salad with grilled chicken or chicken sausage and brown rice or potatoes; fish and steamed vegies is often on the menu for dinner, while the hitmaker also drinks ‘probably half a gallon’ of water every day.
Learning how to swim as an adult: ‘I never swam as a kid and that always bothered me. At first, it was very hard, but once I got in the water and figured out how to breathe, it was so liberating. Now it’s helping me with every aspect of my life – personally and professionally. Conquering that fear was a huge boost to my confidence. I’m as proud of this accomplishment as I would be if I had graduated from college, which I never got to do. I had an “aha!” moment recently after a swim. I was walking by a mirror and I saw my abs, and they were crazy toned, and my arms looked unbelievable – in a good way,’ she beams. ‘I was thrilled and so proud of myself.’
I respect Mary for her attitude, because she’s never been like, say, Christina Aguilera. Aguilera gained a lot of weight and wouldn’t shut up about how much she loved her curves and she never wanted to lose weight… until she got her stomach stapled or whatever and suddenly she’s 50 pounds lighter. Mary’s always been in pretty good shape, and people really underestimate how much better you’ll feel when you give up the booze. I’ve been pretty much off the booze for several years now, and it was a big change (although I might need to go back to the occasional stiff drink because my insomnia is back). Also: it’s not like Whitney Houston’s only problem was booze. I mean, I get that Whitney’s death was a wake-up call but it’s not like Mary is sitting around, doing the kinds of drugs Whitney was doing.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
Ugh. Mary J. is one of my great childhood idols, love her voice and attitude. I always thought she was a prime example of a strong, independent woman who didn’t need to shake her ass and flash her boobs to make us notice her. She had her talent and that was enough.
I’m so disappointed now. I mean, good for her that she lost all that weight, but seriously? How embarrassing that she feels the need to pose on the cover of a magazine in her underwear. Come on, Mary. You’re way better than that!
I agree with you on most things, that she is talented, etc, except she’s not really in her underwear and her pose isn’t hyper-sexualized, she is just showing a very fit body. Good for her, if that is a reward for all of her hard work and lifestyle changes.
I agree. She’s definitely not trying to be sexy a la Miley, she’s in a swimsuit showing off her toned, awesome body. I don’t think we should judge her for that, IMO.
I completely agree, Kiddo. I adore Mary and if she feels better and healthier now, then I can only applaud her.
B*tch has always had the fiercest body, especially her arms/shoulders.
Definitely a swimsuit.
Regardless. I still get a distinct Kardashian-feel from this cover. Maybe it’s the cheesy ‘the moves that make her fit & fierce!’ caption. I don’t want to know that. I don’t want magazines to let me in on famous people’s weight loss secrets and fitness routines. That’s like page 1 in the reality starlet textbook to instant fame and I want my Mary J. to be above all that.
All of their covers are similar imo, at least she isn’t in a pool of water like most of them.
it’s a fitness magazine….hence her diet, exercise regimen and fitness secrets
Mary doesn’t own up to everything and yes I know for a fact but I’m not here to rain on her parade.
She’s posing in a swimsuit for a mag called Shape; I guess she should be in a turtle neck and Khaki pants with some combat boots on. Ladies I get it; your tired of seeing starletts having to sex it up Miley Cyrus style to be popular. That being said, can women like Mary live. We know she has talent, she’s not trying to prove that. She’s showing us how good she feels about the way she looks now and this is her way of showing it to us by posing for a fitness mag. If this was Vogue, then I would see your point. Does everyone single female in the entertainment business have to stay fully covered now to please the masses? Most men who pose on male fitness mags have their shirts off, so why can’t a woman pose in a swimsuit?
“you’re tired” is what I meant, I always do that but this time it was that damn auto fill on my android phone.
Honey, it IS a fitness magazine.
I smell a rat. a big one. Mary looks great, BUT this is so unexpected. She is a big celebrity. She is normally on BIG deal magazines or not at all. Shape has been used in the past to cover up some evidence of damaging gossip on a celebrity by it’s stable mate magazines. The celebrity gives an unexpected interview to Shape, considered the least offensive magazine in the stable such that public takes it at face value and celebrity is off the hook with the sister stable magazine.
The question is what has been uncovered about Mary?
@V4Real-I need to get you drunk and hear all this dirt you have.
Dwayne Johnson, RDJ…now Mary.
Inquiring minds wanna know, lady!!! 😉
Sorry, but when I see how those mags photoshop all the time even when they don’t need to… well… And they all look the same.
And she better get some fats in her diet or she isn’t going to feel good. People don’t maintain on those low fat diets. The nutrition is in the yolk of the egg.
I think the exercise mags (SHAPE, FITNESS, Woman’s Fitness, etc) should have the cover models in work out clothes. They can still show off their toned bodies, but I do not like the glammed up swimsuit shots (for these type of mags), it looks cheesy.
Fair enough. But I wonder if doing so would lessen sales.
I absolutely 100% agree. As if a woman needs to strip down to show how much she is worth–the more you work out and are in shape the more respected and admired you are? Not right.
She looks great! I totally get where she’s coming from…I used to be that girl that could eat anything, and never exercise and not gain a pound. Then the mid-40’s hit and the weight slowly crept on, and on until I couldn’t stand it anymore. Since May, I have been doing cardio, and eating low fat, low carb, low cal, and have lost 30 pounds!
Good for you! 🙂
way to go!
That’s great! Glad it’s paying off.
She looks fantastic. Good for her.
She looks good. I always think it’s weird, though, when people do these swimsuit photos in heels and wearing a lot of jewelery. It’s just looks a bit odd.
I love her. Great voice! Good for her that she got into better shape – it isn’t easy once you’re past 40 (I’m almost 45 so I know). And I think it’s great she learned how to swim. My mother just learned a few years ago.
I don’t really like Jennifer Hudson’s short hair and not really crazy about Jennifer Lawrence’s new short hair, but Mary J. Blige rocks short hair.
She looks great but I’ve always thought she looked good
“it’s not like she was sitting around doing the drugs” 1) you don’t know that and 2) alcoholism is hard enough to beat; it’s not like it’s “better” than a drug addiction. go mary!
Eh. I used to like her until her charity scandal. She didn’t exactly ‘own’ that.
What charity scandal?
She had a charity promising 24 girls scholarships to schools of their choice but when it came down to the wire, they were unable to pay up. It turns out the charity was flat broke, which was odd seeing as the charity managed to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for these scholarships. She blamed the banks, saying that they should’ve known better than to loan out money to her charity. Basically, it was a hot mess. I’m surprised no one here has heard about it! If you google ”mary j blige charity scandal,” you’ll find tons of articles on it.
Thanks. Will do. It sounds very disappointing. I have become very careful about which charities I donate to. Some nonprofits have all of their donations eaten up by administrative costs, salaries, events and/or mismanagement. It’s sad, but some people get into it for making income. I don’t know if that’s the case here, but I won’t just drop money in a proverbial bucket these days.
Mary used to do drugs too. She probably thought that if she continued drinking it would lead back to drugs. That’s why she is afraid of ending up like Whitney.
Yes I remember her saying in an interview that she did every kind of drug she could get her hands on and that she then eventually just stuck to drinking until her husband helped her control that. She knows about drugs even if she may not have had a crack problem like Whitney- bless her soul.
She is inspiring. I love her!!!
Impressive.
I understand the quitting drinking at her age. Once you’re past 40, it’s much harder to lose weight and alcohol is just empty calories. Good for her – she looks amazing.
Her belly looks off. I am guessing lipo and / or tummy tuck as well.
That belly button is frightful.
I was gonna say! Though, that could just be how her belly button looks. Half innie/half outie. A middlie?
Yup, ITA.
Not a fan of hers but congratulations to Mary on her great lifestyle choices especially giving up drinking. Always a very very courageous act and one that will be a challenge every day but one she can conquer.
Best of luck Mary!
Wow, she looks amazing! Didn’t think we’d ever see her on cover of Shape Magazine but then again why not. That’s almost enough to make me buy the magazine.
i appreciate her comments re: conquering fear. when you feel your personal fear is silly, unwarranted or something you should easily be able to do -moving past it becomes thrillingly liberating.
Mary J has been all about her fitness for sometime. Way before WH’s death. She, Busta Rhymes, 50 cent, and many other rappers were indicted for illegally buying HGH years ago when it was new on the scene, so I am not surprised to see her super fit.
Whaaaaaaaat?
That and the charity scandal mentioned above.
So disappointing…always loved her too…
I’m white so maybe I’m thinking about this poorly, but isn’t swimming traditionally a sport that has an under-representation of African-Americans? So an image of an athletic black woman in a swimsuit seems like some needed variety. I am so tired of media glorifying scrawny bodies attained through Photoshop and undereating, so Mary’s hard-earned abs look pretty excellent to me. She’s never been shy about discussing her alcoholism and she wouldn’t be the first alcoholic to find her way out through fitness.
“…isn’t swimming traditionally a sport that has an under-representation of African-Americans? ”
You OlyB, win the Most PC Comment Ever award. And yes, that is correct.
@Kaiser, the old nightcap to sleep is a total fallacy. Perhaps it works for you but alcohol actually disturbs sleep patterns. Have you ever tried melatonin? It works wonders for me; 2 tryptophan an hour before bed & 2 melatonin at bedtime and I sleep like a baby. And I had chronic (morbid?) insomnia for yearssss. Hope you get some rest (but we like you a little punchy around here). 😉
I hear Mary Jane works wonders too! Melatonin did nothing for me. Vitamin D and Macca help somewhat.
melatonin is a godsend. chronic insomnia here too. tried everything, then decided to go all natural. it comes in 3mg or extra strong 5mg. I take the 3mg every night and notice how restless I am when i forget. If I have trouble sleeping a few days in a row, I take the 5mg. It’s all natural, but it really does help shut off the mind to get rest and I don’t feel tired the next day. I stopped all diet soft drinks after 6pm and all caffeine after noon (only drink coffee or juice with weekend breakfast) and switched to decaf tea (prior to 6pm) water or sparkling water after 6pm which has helped also.
ITA 100% It’s why I don’t drink during the week–I know for a fact it disturbs my already-fragile sleep patterns.
Weed, on the other hand…
I take chamomile tea before bed..it’s a tranquilizer!
This one is great, it’s called Sweet Dreams from David’s Tea; http://www.davidstea.com/portal.aspx?CN=6C3C96660BD7
Eh! I remember a big sterioids thing a few years ago where a dealer to the stars got popped and his celeb clientele was revealed. I recall 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige being customers…
I like her but I don’t always buy what she’s selling.
Yep, definitely a lipo tummy.
And they photoshopped her tats away because……?
I recently gave up drinking for a couple of months as part of a diet and exercise plan and lost 16lbs. I understand that alcohol makes you hang on to weight in a way other calories don’t (it’s the cortisol, stupid!). But that photo is a testament to half-assed photoshop. If you had abs like that because of the work out she’s talking about, you’d also have arm muscles. Either they photoshopped out the arm definition or they photoshopped IN the ab definition.
Did my comment get eaten? I don’t know what happened (lol) and I had a few old-school rumors about Mary that have been traveling around for years and years. I really don’t want to go through the whole thing again so I’ll just do a summary and add a few new things I just remembered.
Rumor has it that her marriage is a big, shady abusive mess. The dude was married with two kids and his wife was pregnant with the 3rd when Mary hooked up with him. He left his pregnant wife to get with Mary. He also convinced Mary that she needed to see a doc named Dr. Sebi in Haiti who claims to be a faith healer and can cure AIDS and cancer to get her “demons” exorcised. Look it up. This one is actually true and confirmed. She’s said that she has visited Dr. Sebi for “faith healing”. Her and her husband fight constantly even at public events and were captured on camera at an awards show in a physical fight. Supposedly she likes the ladies. Maybe this is what Shape has on her and that’s why she’s posing…maybe she is afraid coming out as bisexual will not gel with her demographic. She is a hardcore drug addict (coke, crack and heroin…that kind of stuff) and has been since she first debuted way back in the early 90s. She was wrapped up in that steroid scandal and when push came to shove she did not own up to it. She was in a longterm on-off relationship with K-Ci from the singing group Jodeci throughout the 90s and the relationship was very visible but she was very pissy to anyone who dared speak to her about the relationship. It was the messiest relationship ever but on the hip-hop scene people treated those two trainwrecks like they were royalty. They had a few tracks on each other’s albums where they sung love songs to each other. A couple of times during the K-Ci/Mary days she would begin to get sort of puffy and round and the whispers of pregnancy would start. Those two stayed drugged and drunk (check out some of their live interviews if you can find them) They also fought a lot in public and if I remember properly I think there were a few domestic incidences. She has a huge gambling problem. She has defaulted on her home loans, owes money for her apartment lease rental and has not paid her taxes since 2009 so Uncle Sam, the apartment rental agency and her bank have now placed liens against her and are suing her for about $5 milliion (approx…may be more than this, I am just rounding). She stiffed her charity and now she’s blaming the bank. I’ll just give one example of her charity issue. She went on QVC and hocked her perfume with $1.00 from each bottle supposedly going to the charity. The perfume sold out and $60,000 in profits from that little sale somehow disappeared. Yeah…Mary is just Mary.