I remember when Ciara first came on the scene and how much people talked about her body back then. To my eyes, little has really changed. Yes, she’s gone through two pregnancies and worked to “get her body back” both times, but the muscle memory is real with Ciara. She’s always been so athletic-looking, which basically the kind of curves-to-muscle ratio that most women want for themselves. But to hear Ciara tell it, she was 20 pounds heavier in her early days as a singer and she had to learn, over time, how to take better care of her body. Some highlights from this People Magazine interview:
Her early days: “When I first started in my career, I weighed 20 lbs. more than I weigh now. That was the first time I got introduced to eating five small meals a day to impact my workout.”
Eating small meals: The “Level Up” singer, who brought her personal trainer, Decker Davis, to the Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festival in Santa Monica on July 20, says that eating small meals still works for her today, nearly 15 years later. “When you’re eating small meals, your body starts to function like a well-oiled machine. You’re using the restroom regularly so your body is really on clock.”
Her secret is drinking a lot of water: “I literally drink a gallon and a half a day. It’s amazing how you can work out hard all day, but if you don’t eat right you won’t see the results you want to see and if you don’t drink that water you won’t get the results as fast as you want to get them.”
Her current workout: “It’s a combination of plyometrics (jump training), cardiovascular work, and also weight lifting all in one kind of thing. It’s a full on circuit that allows me to hit every target area.” She admits that her workouts get more “intense” when husband Wilson joins in: “It’s … what I like to call ‘good love competition.’ We motivate each other and it’s really fun.”
I think of all the diets celebrities talk about, I could probably get down with “five small meals a day.” I’m not great at food-withholding and I’m terrible at food elimination or any kind of strict diet. But eating smaller portions five times a day? I could probably do that. For a time. I do prefer to just eat light throughout the day and then have “one big meal” (usually an early dinner) though. What else? Ciara is right about water. People always say “blah blah you should drink a lot of water” but you really do notice a difference with your skin, your body and your workouts when you’re properly hydrated.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Right. She is just blessed with a certain body type. *shrugs* Good for her if she eats healthy though!
She is just a stunning woman. Sigh.
Wow she sounds incredibly reasonable lol, what a refreshing interview about diet from a celebrity. It’s a healthy way of eating!
If I drank that much water I would live in the bathroom. I wonder if she worked up to it? I do my best with water but there’s a threshold where I end up peeing every 15 minutes if I go to far. Frustrating.
omg me too! i try drinking the recommended amount but then i’m peeing all freaking day which is very annoying.
the peeing thing does slow down as your body adjusts, so it’s a temporary inconvenience. i do struggle when traveling though. no one wants to stop once an hour when driving, and i notice quickly that i’m tired, cranky, etc. when i curtail my water drinking so as not to be a nuisance.
I can not drink anywhere near that much water; I can’t run to the bathroom every 15 minutes.
there was a very good podcast, I forgot which, where someone went and talked about “expert recommendations” for water and they actually completely debunked the whole idea that we need a set amount every day? it’s going to vary based on exercise, food choices, and the weather where you live. Also, you do get get water through food (think fruits, vegetables, soups, yogurts ) – ever seen dehydrated fruit! – and then in addition to food, people do get hydration through drinking coffee, tea, water, etc. – but there’s no point in forcing yourself to drink a certain amount beyond what you’re thirsty for because each person will vary and also, by sticking to a certain amount of water (like a gallon and a half!) then you’re possibly peeing away water soluble vitamins.
Tldr: it’s good to drink the amount of water that works for you; no reason to force yourself to drink more than what you’re thirsty for and it can actually be harmful.
My doctor told me years ago drink when you’re thirsty. I think part of the whole thing about drinking a lot of water is ppl believe doing that staves off hunger. I’ve never found this to be the case LOL 🙂
drinking water is so important for me. The more I drink, the better I feel. I feel more alert, my skin looks better, I have more energy, etc. And, the more I drink water, the less I eat. I don’t drink water in place of eating, but for example on my office days, I always get really twitchy and want lots of snacks, so I drink some water instead, and if a half hour later I still want a snack, I”ll get one. But usually the act of getting up, filling up my water bottle, and drinking it helps me to refocus and I don’t need the snack.
Plus when I say “snack” I mean snickers.
Five small meals a day is precisely what my doctors and nutritionist recommended, also a food journal. Those five small meals should all include some form of protein. Keeping the journal helps to be sure you get what your body needs each day and signals you when to cut back on something.
This is basically what I do. I had gastric bypass about 15 yrs. ago. I lost about 150 lbs… gained some back, and recently lost more, bringing my total to 190 lb. loss. I eat “normally” (and yes, have my “cheat” treats), but found, over time, as I learned to make better choices, I eat WAY more healthily (snack of choice is a plat of sugar plum tomatoes: pop ’em in like popcorn lol). I get *really hungry every 3 hrs or so, so I eat a smallish snack (usually a bit of protein and some veggies, or a small handful of lightly salted almonds). I also fill up and carry around my trenta (sp?)
30 oz. sized plastic cup I get from Starbucks, fill it with Arrowhead Spring Water, and I drink at least 4 of those every day. Helps keep me filled up, too, so even when I don’t *want* to drink, I drink! lol. Of course, I can’t be far from a bathroom (small bladder, to boot, too!), but it’s an easy trade off for health 😊 So far, I’ve kept the weight off for the last 15 yrs.
This is just what works for me.
Thanks very much for this information. Keep up the hard work and congratulations. That’s impressive. I realized I was getting depressed and eating everything. I was beside myself and just making it so much worse with every bite of junk. Replaced with water and watermelon and I can wear my clothes again. Good thing because I can’t afford any at the moment. These comments are refreshing.
Thank you, N! Congrats to you, too! It’s not easy, but something we have to do, as only we can do it for ourselves! Hugs! 😊
so… for better weight management/loss, are we meant to eat five small meals a day or fast for the majority of the day and only eat one meal?
If you’re eating only one meal a day, you’re shutting down your metabolism
that’s what i thought too, but then people keep talking about the whole “intermittent fasting” thing!
There’s no such thing as “shutting down your metabolism”. That only happens when you’re dead. It’s about calories in / out. It does not matter at which time of day or how many meals you eat. It’s important to hit your macros and nutrients. But you could also lose weight on only eating pizza and chocolate as long as they don’t exceed your calories. The diet that works best for you is the one you can enjoy and maintain! It’s a very individual thing.
@ Helen
Intermittent fasting can just be not eating after a certain time at night. If you consume your calories in a 10 hour period during the day, you’re intermittent fasting. I, for example, don’t eat after 8 PM, so I get all my calories in between about 8:30 AM and 6 PM. But in that period, I do the multiple small meals thing. I have a light breakfast, and instead of lunch I eat 3 small meals about every 2-3 hours throughout the day. Then I have dinner around 6. After dinner, I don’t eat again until the following morning, that’s my “fast.” Some people will take intermittent fasting really far and only eat in like a 4-6 hour window in the day, but my doctor told me a 12 hour “night fast” counts as intermittent fasting.
algernon, thank you for the clear and thoughtful explanation, makes perfect sense!!
Nice to hear sensible “diet” advice but she has genetics on her side which helps! I’m a snacker who loses control at dinner (right after my workouts!) so I’m trying to be more conscious of what I’m snacking on late in the evening because I feel so heavy/bloated late at night…
I eat 5 meals a day and my stomach works like a clock – it tells me when to get up and eat. Before this method I could go 7 hours without eating (and I put on like 10 kilos because of this)
Very reasonable and pretty damn normal. It’s not rocket science and doesn’t need to be complicated. If she’s working out hard she needs the fuel.
I struggle too much with water. Man, talk about something awful to swallow and that makes me pee all day.
It’s kind of refreshing to hear of a celebrity that has a reasonable approach to nutrition and exercise.
She is gorgeous. I don’t know about the 5 small meals advice, but I can agree on drinking the water. I’ve been drinking 3 liters a day and have noticed a difference.
She is sensible.
It must be nice to have the TIME to eat five small meals a day.