Shaquille O'Neal credits old photos as inspiration to keep working toward hitting his goal weight

Shaquille O'Neal has been open about his recent weight-loss journey as the Hall of Famer works to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. During the COVID-19 pandemic, at the time of lockdowns and restrictions, O'Neal reportedly weighed in as high as 400 lbs. However, he has taken matters into his own hands since then, working to lose weight.

As of November 2022, O'Neal stated that he had come far in his journey, and currently had 4.9 pack abs, which he was working on improving. At the time, while speaking with GQ, O'Neal credited his diet with being the biggest driving factor in his weight loss.

Now, in an interview with People Magazine a year later, Shaquille O'Neal has shared an update on his weight-loss journey. As he explained, he has come a long way. However, he still believes that in order to be at his target weight, he needs to lose more pounds.

"I'm the type that likes to do crazy things to motivate me, so my motivation is being able to take my shirt off one last time and see an 8- to 12-pack. I was looking at some pictures when I was young and how chiseled I was. I really got away from that, so I'm just trying to get back to that," he said.

While his weight-loss journey isn't complete quite yet, Shaquille O'Neal stated that fans will know he has achieved his goal when he takes his shirt off and goes viral.

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Shaquille O'Neal jokes about how Charles Barkley inspired weight loss

Since retirement, Shaquille O'Neal has been an integral part of the Inside the NBA crew on TNT. He, Ernie Johnson, Kenny 'The Jet' Smith and Charles Barkley all give fans plenty of entertainment and coverage of the NBA's weekly schedule there.

One of the most common and recurring elements of the show is the lighthearted banter between Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley. The two Hall of Famers frequently make jokes at the expense of one another. However, as we've seen in the past, they also have a close friendship.

During an interview with ExtraTV, Shaquille O'Neal joked about how Charles Barkley inspired his 50-pound weight loss. He stated that he still has about 20 more pounds to go until he hits the target of his first championship weight.

"I looked at my belly and I looked at Charles Barkley's belly and they were similar."

While it's unclear how much Barkley weighs, as Shaq explained in the interview, he weighed over 400 pounds at his worst. If he's seeking his championship weight, it sounds as though O'Neal will have to make it down to somewhere between 324 and 345 pounds based on his previously listed NBA weight.