Fabulous Tyra
While in New York, I accepted the dinner invitation of a college friend, Queenie Picazzo-Adams. She gave me several options but I chose Planet Thailand 212 along 24th Avenue between 5th and Avenue of the Americas since that is closest from her work at Credit Suisse. It was a Friday and we were already terribly late from a late sumptuous lunch by the Hudson River with former associate, dietitian par excellence Dinah Remigio-Barr.
Known for its bar, PT212 is a hip place with music and ambience perfect for catching up with old friends. Queenie chose a booth where we could see the kitchen and watch the chefs prepare our food. The food is not bad, but coming from Asia we’ve had better Thai food, of course. We were there before 6 p.m. so we had a great table and a good vantage point to see most of the patrons.
In between mouthfuls of phad Thai and bits of “did you know” stories, Queenie excitedly nudged me. Tyra Banks with three men just occupied the table in front of us! Though I am not completely positive, one was extra sweet to her and had the profile of her current boyfriend John Utendahl.
I used to watch The Tyra Banks Show and America’s Next Top Model with my daughters, and while they still do, I sort of drifted to other shows. Hence, I was surprised to see Tyra slim and statuesque, almost back to her Victoria Secret-modeling form. She stopped modeling in 2005 and had a farewell show with the famous lingerie brand.
Who can forget the heavier Tyra on the cover of a tabloid? One that elicited the emotional kiss-my- fat retort on her show. She said, “If I weigh 161 pounds and have cellulite on my butt, so what? I think I’m beautiful, and if you have a problem with that, so what? I was raised by women who don’t believe that being super-skinny is the epitome of beauty.”
That was Tyra in 2007, an image in fighting form I froze in my mind. Apparently, she lost 30 pounds after that and successfully maintained it. She was so pretty (like a Barbie doll) in person and looked so shy and sweet directly opposite the assertive and tough talk show host that she is. Either that or she was just trying to be inconspicuous, hiding in the dark and her chocolate brown curly locks.
Smart And Strong
Last year, the New York Times magazine had a piece entitled “Martha, Oprah, Tyra: Is She the Next Big Female Branded Self?” Entertainment Weekly crowned Tyra “America’s Next Top Mogul” and made her part of the “25 Smartest in Television.” Hollywood Reporter included her in the 100 Most Powerful Women in Entertainment. She was Glamour magazine’s Woman of the Year and ranked number one in Forbes’ Primetime TV’s Top Earning Women.
In 2003, she created, produced, and hosted the widely popular America’s Next Top Model, which eventually had reality-search franchises in other countries. In 2005, she started The Tyra Banks Show under her company Bankable Enterprises.
Tyra Lynne Banks, born Dec. 4, 1973 in California started modeling when she was in 11th grade. Within her first week in Paris as a new model, designers were so entranced by her runaway presence that she was booked for an unprecedented 25 shows, a record in the business for newcomers. Tyra was the first African-American on the cover of GQ and Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She was also the first-ever African-American chosen for the cover of Victoria’s Secret catalog.
Her doctor was responsible in making her lose weight. She was told that she needed to make exercise a consistent priority in her life. The doctor even actually wrote a prescription for her: One hour of cardio every day.
“Now I am much more diligent. I do treadmill intervals — I mix walking and running. Or I just run outside,” she told People magazine.
Tyra followed her own advice to her young viewers. She has increased her time in the gym, she is eating better and loving herself just the way she is. And all this has helped make her even more confident.
Winning Regimen
At 5 feet 11 inches, Tyra was 161 when she was photographed in a one-piece bathing suit in Australia. She has lost 30 pounds since and is maintaining it by taking plenty of fresh fruits. Her favorites are mangoes and papayas. She also indulges in salads with chicken strips or shrimp for protein. As one of Hollywood’s top earners, she hired a part-time chef who makes meals and leaves them in her home. The combination of fruits, vegetables, and protein increased her metabolism and kept hunger at bay.
It was reported that she has been experimenting with recipes from her favorite cookbook, 400 Best-Ever Soups by Anne Sheasby. For breakfast, she takes a meal of eggs and papaya slices or a bowl of whole grain cereals and fruit. This is a far cry from her old IHOP breakfasts, friends say.
Tyra has embarked on a real lifestyle change, not a diet. A frequent guest on her show observes that the buffet table now serves lean turkey sandwiches and loads of fresh-cut veggies and fruit instead of the junk and carbs it used to have.
She treats herself on weekends though with her favorite foods, which include barbecue and ice cream, allowing herself a bowl of her favorite flavor every Saturday. Friday must be part of her weekend, since they really ordered a lot of food in PT212.
As for exercise, she has learned to embrace the one-hour cardio as her daily drug. When she is highly motivated, she runs three miles every day. She also enlisted the services of Martin Snow, owner of NYC’s Trinity Boxing Club.
“She responds very well to exercise,” Snow told People. Thrice a week, Tyra engages in 90 minutes of boxing, core work, and unconventional moves like swinging a sledgehammer and running with an open parachute around her waist. “She’s not afraid to go to the park and have people look at her like she’s crazy,” he added.
More than great looks, Tyra admitted she has changed her lifestyle for health reasons. We all know what we have to do to stay healthy, but for each of us there seems to be a trigger to that lifestyle change.
For Tyra, it’s getting up in the morning struggling to pull up her jeans.
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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.
