- Lizzo said she is a “former vegan” and animal protein has helped her lose weight.
- Her trainer shared with Business Insider the training regime that’s helping her build strength.
- Corey Calliet said she never considered using weight loss drugs.
Lizzo shared that she is a “former vegan” who eats animal protein, as she got candid about her recent weight loss. Her personal trainer told Business Insider that she never considered using weight loss drugs.
In an Instagram post in September, Lizzo suggested she was flattered that people suspected she was taking weight loss medication.
“When you finally get Ozempic allegations after five months of weight training and calorie deficit,” she wrote in a video of herself lipsyncing to an audio saying: “It’s like a reward.”
Her personal trainer, Corey Calliet, told BI on October 3 that Lizzo was no longer vegan and aims to eat a high-protein diet in a calorie deficit. He added she has been working hard in the gym five days a week since May and has never been late or missed a session.
On Thursday, Lizzo shared a video titled “WHAT I EAT IN A DAY as a former vegan” after Business Insider reached out for comment in response to Calliet revealing that she eats animal products.
“After tests and research, I found that animal proteins helped me have more energy, lose weight and helped with my mental fog,” Lizzo said. “This is the diet that’s helped me reach my goals and helped me feel good in my body.”
Asked whether she had thought about using a weight loss medication, such as Wegovy (also known as Ozempic), Calliet said: “She never wanted to do it, not one time. Ozempic doesn’t get this credit. She’s really working. She’s earning that body that she wants.”
Lizzo’s representatives declined to comment when contacted by BI.
As weight loss drugs have boomed in popularity, so has speculation over which celebrities have used them.
While the stigma around weight loss interventions is decreasing, aided by high-profile celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey sharing their experiences, many people still consider the drugs “cheating,” a stance that health experts fear could prevent patients from getting the help they need.
Lizzo was already fit but wanted to get stronger
Although the singer has lost weight, fat loss wasn’t the primary goal, Calliet said.
“She came to me because she’s trying to get stronger, and a lot of people don’t realize the importance of strength, especially as we get older,” Calliet said. “The more muscle you build, the more fat you burn, the more longevity you have.”
Calliet said Lizzo mostly does high-intensity circuit-style training, emphasizing strength rather than cardio because she already had a high level of cardiovascular fitness.
“Lizzo, she’s an artist and she’s an entertainer, so I know she can move,” Calliet said. “So it was more weight training than just cardiovascular training.”
Lizzo hadn’t done much strength training before working with Calliet, he said, so they focused on proper form and movements with progressive overload, where weights and reps gradually increased.
“You don’t get rewarded with less weight when you get stronger; you get rewarded with more weight,” Calliet said.
Balancing longevity with aesthetics
Calliet said that he trains his clients — who include Michael B. Jordan and John Boyega — with health and longevity in mind, but aesthetic change comes with that.
“As the fat is burning off, the muscle is building,” Calliet said.
Calliet said his clients never do the same workout twice to keep training interesting for the mind and body. This also allows him to tailor workouts to how his clients, including Lizzo, feel.
“She may come in achy and sore, so I know I can’t do too many leg exercises. She may come in very excited, so I say, ‘OK, you know what? Let’s add,'” Calliet said. “So I never know, but I mostly break things down into three or four circuits, which consist of cardiovascular work and strength training.”
Lizzo is dedicated to training and is motivated by her results, Calliet said.
“She loves working out a lot, and also when you start seeing results and you’re feeling good — not just the results of the scale, it’s, ‘Oh, my back don’t hurt, my knees feel good, I feel loose, I can move around.’ That’s the results. That’s the things that get you excited because you don’t feel like you did before,” Calliet said.
A chef cooks Lizzo’s meals
Calliet said Lizzo has an “amazing chef” who cooks all her meals and is learning about how much food her body needs for her activity levels.
Eating a high-protein diet helps the body maintain muscle while losing fat, keeps you feeling full, and helps muscles recover after workouts.
Lizzo has always advocated self-love and body positivity, and to Calliet, losing fat and getting stronger is in line with that.
“It’s saying, ‘You know what? I’m going to love myself even more to make myself feel really good.’ So the way she’s doing it, the world is loving it,” Calliet said.
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