CELEBRITY MEN REVEAL How They LOST WEIGHT

Jet, May 10, 1999

Losing weight is never an easy task. The battle of the bulge can take years, even a lifetime, for some people to conquer.

Celebrity men such as BeBe Winans, Bishop T.D. Jakes and Gerald Levert know this to be true. After spending years in the spotlight where they were recognized in their respective fields for being large on talent and in stature, each decided to take hold of his life and has successfully lost weight.

Gospel singer BeBe Winans weighed 250 pounds five years ago. Today, after embracing what he calls a "life-changing lifestyle," which consists of eating right and exercising, the soul-stirring vocalist now tips the scale at a buffed 200 pounds.

Winans told JET that he was motivated to lose weight in 1994 when he stepped out of a hotel shower, looked into a mirror and wondered to himself, "Who are these people getting out of this shower?"

"It looked like four people and I knew it was just me ... I was very good at finding clothes to cover up, but, that day, I just really saw myself. I wasn't pleased."

The road to weight loss, maintained Winans, wasn't easy.

"My trainer told me that if it took me 30-something years to gain the weight, don't give myself two months to lose it," he recalls.

Shedding those unwanted pounds for Winans meant a strict and disciplined combination of watching his diet and exercising.

"It's a lifestyle. You've got to work at it. I love Kentucky Fried Chicken. We're good friends," laughs Winans. "But I visit every now and then. I love chicken, but I grill it. I desire grilled chicken instead of fried chicken. I'm trained now."

Within six months after working out and changing his eating habits, Winans observed that he lost 40 to 50 pounds.

"The heavier you are, the more quickly you'll see results. I took it one pound at a time. I started on down the scale," reflects Winans. "When I crossed 200 and went to 190-something, I couldn't believe it. Then I went down to 183. Then I started building mass. That's how my trainer wanted it. I did a lot of cardio but not heavy weights until I lost a certain amount of weight. My trainer taught me not to look and live by the scale as much as it is to live by inches."

Staying in tip-top shape and keeping the weight off means working out every morning, Monday through Saturday, he says.

Concludes Winans, "I knew that when I made up my mind to lose weight, I would keep it off. It's a challenge each and every day. You must possess determination and some vanity. I lost weight because I wanted to feel better about myself and have confidence knowing that I have to stand in front of people and perform."

Soulful crooner Gerald Levert won an enormous female following with his passionate lyrics and "sexy" hefty frame. So, he shocked many of his adoring fans recently when he trimmed 60 pounds from his 280-pound body.

"Some fans were mad that I lost weight. Some were like, `Why did you lose weight? We liked you big,'" chuckles Levert to JET.

Pleasing his fans is something he definitely aims to do, but Levert reveals that he had to lose weight because he had health concerns.

"It was a double-edged sword with high blood pressure running on my father's side and diabetes running on my mother's side," he contends. "I knew that if I didn't take care of myself and lose weight, it would be just a matter of time before I would have health problems."

After working with the group LSG, which featured Levert along with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill, he "stayed out of sight for a minute" so that he could concentrate on losing weight.

He adhered to a strict diet of vegetables, fruits and beef for three months, in addition to working out.

Explains Levert, "I worked out at my own pace. I just stayed away from everybody for four or five months. I didn't come out. I just really concentrated on losing weight."

Continues Levert, "You have to take time for yourself and work on your goal. Don't do it where it beats you up and where you're uncomfortable with it. Sometimes you can get with a trainer and it makes you uncomfortable. It can be very stressful. Get a plan and do it at your own pace."

While Levert is proud that his waist size has gone from a 44 to a 36, he still admits that he wants to lose a bit more weight. "I don't ever want to be skinny, skinny, skinny. I just want to keep it tight. I want to keep it firm."

Renowned pastor and best-selling inspirational author Bishop T.D. Jakes said that he was "338 pounds and still going" before he began to lose weight in 1996. The celebrated speaker, to date, has lost nearly 100 pounds!

In his book, Lay Aside The Weight: Take Control Of It Before It Takes Control Of You (Albury Publishing), Bishop Jakes writes, "beyond any cosmetic reasons for losing weight, there is one reason that extends beyond all other reasons: Life."

Likening his weight battle with the Bible story of David and Goliath, Bishop Jakes cited that he had to slay the giant of weight in his life.

He notes that he approached the battle, "Win, lose, sink or swim, there is one thing that is certain. We are going to fight."