Eat like a Superstar

Getting the look of your favorite Superstar or Diva extends beyond the weight room and into the kitchen. These diligent competitors count carbs, down protein shakes and maintain a balanced diet in order to perform at their highest level while inside the squared circle. Find out what some of the fittest men and women on the planet are eating to stay in peak physical condition and what guilty pleasures they indulge in on their “cheat days.”

Dolph Ziggler

WWE.COM: What is your diet as a WWE Superstar?

DOLPH ZIGGLER: I prefer to call it a “live-it,” more than a diet. That puts a more positive spin on things. I eat probably six meals a day. I want to enjoy them. I love food and when I’m finishing one [meal], I’m thinking about another meal.

WWE.COM: Is your diet the same all week or do you have cheat days?

ZIGGLER: (laughing) I don’t have a cheat day. All I do is eat moderately healthy. I eat a lot of Chipotle, but if you can go easy on the rice and easy on the sour cream and the fatty stuff, you can have fun and enjoy yourself.

WWE.COM: What is your favorite item that you eat that you know is not good for you?

ZIGGLER: A warm brownie with ice cream and cake. My spoon touches the ice cream scoop as it starts to melt so you get a little in each bite.

WWE.COM: Do you like to cook?

ZIGGLER: I do, but while I like lighting a grill with charcoal, I hate firing that whole thing up for one steak and one baked potato. So I eat out more than anyone I know.

WWE.COM: What is your advice for anyone looking to eat right?

ZIGGLER: No short-term loss is ever healthy. I tried to cut weight fast in high school and college and it’s such a bad move. All you have to do is know what’s good: brown rice, chicken, fish. Even steak here and there is all right. Steak and a sweet potato is such a great move for anybody. Eat mostly healthy, go easy on the carbs and you will live longer.

Summer Rae

WWE.COM: What is your diet like as a WWE Diva?

SUMMER RAE: I like to eat lots of little meals and I think that’s really important to keep my metabolism going. I’m big into juicing — I’ll juice greens and vegetables with maybe some beets and carrots. I also try to eat my body weight in protein. I don’t eat meat a whole lot throughout the day so I have to sub-out with protein shakes.

WWE.COM: Do you always stick to the same things or is there the occasional cheat day?

SUMMER: It stays pretty much the same. For me it’s about eating what you want but knowing your boundaries. I have no self-control, so if I eat chocolate, one piece isn’t going to hurt, a couple pieces aren’t going to hurt, but then I know the taste and it’s on my brain. So I just have to completely eliminate it from my diet.

WWE.COM: Level with us. What’s your favorite item that you eat that you know is not good for you?

SUMMER: Ooo, layered baked macaroni and cheese with some form of chocolate brownie-sundaes, lots of chocolate after.

WWE.COM: Do you enjoy cooking?

SUMMER: Yes I do [WWE Superstars and Divas] are not home a lot, though, so if I’m home one day and I buy groceries, it kind of goes to waste. It’s just hard because we’re never home.

WWE.COM: So what advice do you have for the WWE Universe on eating right?

SUMMER: Anyone looking to eat right, I would say take small steps. If you drink a lot of soda, have water instead, and you’ll see a big difference in a couple weeks. Or try not to eat fast food as much. If you can, go to the grocery store and save it for later. Start small and don’t set crazy goals. Once you accomplish a small goal, try to reach for the next one.

Darren Young

WWE.COM: Can you give us an idea of your diet as a Superstar?

DARREN YOUNG: My diet is very simple. I’m not a bodybuilder, I train like an athlete, I eat like an athlete. I try to have protein in every meal. I try to have veggies and a complex carb like brown rice. For breakfast, I enjoy oatmeal and protein powder with peanut butter mixed in.

WWE.COM: Does a cheat day or two work itself into the mix?

YOUNG: Even though my nickname is “Mr. No Days Off”, Wednesday is my cheat day. Wednesday is when I can eat sushi and yogurt, my favorite cheat meals.

WWE.COM: What does a meal personally prepared by Darren Young look like?

YOUNG: Ha! Actually I’m not a good cooker at all. My partner is at home in Miami, he does all the cooking. And I help him, as best I can. And that involves doing the dishes.

WWE.COM: Can you offer the fans your advice for eating right?

YOUNG: My advice for people who want to eat right is to keep it simple and stay consistent. Eating late at night is not a good thing. If you eat late at night, have protein only. The first meal of the day is very important. Eating breakfast in the morning will prevent me from not overeating throughout the day.

Zack Ryder

WWE.COM: Can you lay out your Superstar diet for us?

ZACK RYDER: Well, I always like to stay “Zacked,” but especially lately, I’ve been in a bulking phase. For someone like me who’s trying to gain weight, I need the extra calories and the carbs. I go to a supermarket and buy a huge tub of oatmeal. I’ll add oatmeal to all my protein shakes, I’m always eating it. Oatmeal, oatmeal, oatmeal. Good carbs, you know? No junk food. 

WWE.COM: Cheat days?

RYDER: Sometimes I substitute chicken for steak. But it’s always the same formula: protein and carbs. No cheat day for me. All right, if I want a cheeseburger one day, I’ll have a cheeseburger. But I know now that after I’ve had that cheeseburger, I’ve got to work even harder to burn it all off.

WWE.COM: What is your favorite cheat meal?

RYDER: My ultimate cheat meal would be chicken parm, with pasta and some baked clams, a nice bottle of red wine and a hot chick. Perfect.

WWE.COM: Does cooking play a part in your diet?

RYDER: I am the worst cook.Theworst. I make food that is edible, that’s about all you can say about it. I start my mornings when I’m home with a tub of oatmeal, two eggs and ground turkey. But it tastes horrible. Just eat out. (laughs)

WWE.COM: What is your advice for anyone trying to eat right?

RYDER: You have to first set a goal. I think goal setting is very important. Do you want to just look okay or do you want to lean out, lose weight or bulk up? Then, do some research or go to a nutritionist and find out what you have to do to reach that goal. So for me, my goal is to gain weight. So I put on carbs and calories, but not junk food. Good carbs like brown rice and sweet potatoes. I was thinking of starting a YouTube cooking show. “Chef-boy-ar-Z.”

Emma

WWE.COM: Can you explain your Diva diet?

EMMA: I follow a diet called, “if it fits your macros.” It’s basically a diet where each day I aim to hit a certain number of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and fiber. Within that I get a mix of fruits and vegetables, meats, and even sometimes little treats in moderation. As long as I hit my numbers I can basically eat what I want and get a variety of nutrients and stay healthy.

WWE.COM: Is your diet the same all week or do you have cheat days?

EMMA: I eat the same food types in the same amounts throughout the week. I don’t really have one giant cheat meal. Each day if I want something little, I’ll count it into the numbers I have to hit and I’m allowed to have that.

WWE.COM: And what is the most delicious thing you eat that you know is bad for you?

EMMA: I love ice cream. Creamy, real bad-for-you ice cream with basically a bunch of chocolate or whatever else you can stuff in there.

WWE.COM: Is cooking something you enjoy?

EMMA: I love cooking. I don’t have a lot of time for it lately, but I think that is my time to myself when I kind of relax. I like to put some music on and cook by myself for sure.

WWE.COM: What is your advice for the WWE Universe on eating right?

EMMA: I suggest you do it a healthy way. Make sure you are still getting all of your micronutrients. Eat a variety of foods and don’t limit yourself.

Goldust

WWE.COM: What’s a diet consist of for The Bizarre One?

GOLDUST: My diet as a Superstar and how I have lost so much weight is bison meat. Bison meat over salad with salsa, twice daily at home every day.  It’s very low in fat. On the road, I’ll usually have chicken Caesar salads. I’m also very gluten-free right now; I’m trying to maintain that.

WWE.COM: Is any cheating factored into your diet?

GOLDUST: After performing on SmackDown, I will generally eat what I want. Not too much, but if we’re out West it’ll be an In-N-Out Burger without the bread because I try to just do proteins.

WWE.COM: What is your favorite “bad food?”

GOLDUST: Pizza. Hamburger, sausage, pepperoni, extra cheese, extra sauce, LARGE. I’ll eat every last piece and morsel on that thing. Box is empty.

WWE.COM: Any advice for people looking to eat right?

GOLDUST: You need to eat right. That’s my advice. Don’t eat fast food. Everything on the menu, everything on all fast food menus is horrible for you.