He Takes Diet and Food Seriously--but Not Too Seriously
“Now that I’m 40,” Sinbad told us, “I’m going to be in better shape than I was at 20.”
The comedian, actor and horseman isn’t messing around, either. Every day he sweats out a one-hour class of tae bo (aerobics mixed with karate and boxing) at Billy Blanks World Karate in Sherman Oaks. “It’s incredible what Billy Blanks can make you do,” Sinbad said. “I’m trying to get back really heavy with the weights because . . . man, you can’t walk when you come out of class.”
Question: Bet you can still ride your horses, though.
Answer: Oh, yeah. Those are my babies. Ever since I was 15, when a black man taught me how to ride, I just got consumed with black cowboy history.
Q: How many horses do you have?
A: Four and one fake one.
Q: A fake one?
A: Milford, he’s the one that taught us how to ride. He’s just too old now so he gets to hang out.
Q: Milford’s doing all right for himself.
A: He’s got a great life. I wish actors had a life like that. When we can’t do another movie, just put us out to movie pasture.
Q: Do you ever diet?
A: I tried that “Zone” thing. Man, please. It took over. It was like a religion, man. I said, “You know what? I don’t think God meant for us to work this hard at eating.”
Q: What’s your idea of eating right?
A: What I do is, I just try to keep it to fish, chicken and egg whites, and I mix in one whole egg. My main thing--I try to drink a lot of water and I just load up my car now with Tupperware.
Q: Tupperware?
A: Yeah, I get Tupperware things and throw a bunch of fruit in them because you know why? Working this job we’re in the car for hours, man. So you might as well carry the stuff with you, or you’re going to stop and get a candy bar.
Q: I’ve been stashing energy bars in the car, but I never thought about fruit pieces.
A: No, not no pieces. Fruit pieces ain’t happening. I need a whole piece of fruit. I don’t know about eating no fruit pieces. A plum is already small enough as it is.
Q: Let’s go back to the egg whites.
A: I’ll have like three egg whites and a whole egg to give it some color and I’ll have some wheat toast, you know, for breakfast. Then lunch and dinner--chicken or fish.
Q: That’s it? No dessert or anything?
A: Oh, like twice a week I might throw dessert down--carrot cake or whatever. Ain’t nothing specific. I mean, look, only when you get to L.A. do you get scientific with eating, man.
Q: My first hamburger out here--they tried to put bean sprouts on it. On my hamburger.
A: And if you look at the people putting that on your food, they don’t look that happy anyway. You know what? I’ve learned, as you get older, the mental and spiritual and physical go hand in hand. I mean, you got to get all three balanced out.
Q: What do you do for yourself spiritually?
A: Oh, that’s easy, man. It’s all in your head, man, and going to church and reading books and keeping yourself positive--that’s you talking to yourself. I talk to myself constantly.
Q: You talk to yourself?
A: Yes, I do. And don’t need an answer. And you know, mentally sometimes you get beat down out here so what you can do is pick up new hobbies. I love computers now.
Q: Are you serious?
A: I’ve been a tech freak since like God. I’ve been online since ’84 when there was nobody to talk to. Oh, man, I love that stuff--the convenience factor. I do all my shopping online now, even grocery shopping. They deliver it to the house.
Q: I can see that.
A: See, you use online as a positive tool. I think the biggest waste of time is just chat. People say, “Sinbad. Sinbad. I e-mailed you.” I say, “And? I ain’t going to e-mail you guys back.”
Guest Workout runs Wednesdays in Life & Style.
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Life According to Sinbad
“Sinbad’s Guide to Life (because I know everything)” (Bantam Books) hits bookstores today, which is also his dad’s 67th birthday.
What if the book doesn’t sell like hot cakes? “If it doesn’t, I’m going to blame it on somebody else,” Sinbad said.
Here’s a typical Sinbadism:
“Don’t ask me to balance my checkbook. That’s not a job for a man. Man opens an account, writes down the amount, then uses the checkbook for a telephone book--names, addresses, numbers. Meet somebody fine, rip out a deposit slip and put your phone number on it, like it’s a business card. Woman thinks, ‘Hmm, he’s got a bank account--the man must have a job.’ ”