Photo credit: Jackson Lee / Splash News
Lady Gaga follows a healthy diet and extreme abs workout created by personal trainer Harley Pasternak. They are the two essential things that helped her attain the lean figure she currently has.
The pop star follows the 5-Factor Diet, which other notable celebs—Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, and Katy Perry—swear by.
The unique premise of the diet is to eat according to the rules of the diet for five days, and then to take two days off to eat what you want. Pasternak’s diet is low-glycemic, low in sugar, low in carbs, gluten-free, and high in fiber and protein.
Processed foods, junk foods, and anything that has more than five ingredients is only permitted on the two off days. Chicken breast, salmon, egg whites, fish, cottage cheese, and low fat milk are recommended foods.
Lady Gaga enjoys salads and fish, but on Sundays will indulge in some pasta. She enjoys fiber rich carbohydrates, like fresh fruit, vegetables, quinoa, brown rice, lentils, and beans: these foods are known to keep blood-sugar stable and provide a great source of nutritious energy.
For breakfast, the pop star might have whole wheat pancakes with skimmed milk and fresh fruit, as well as a peanut butter smoothie made with skim or almond milk, a banana, protein powder, a tablespoon of peanut butter, and some chia seeds.
She has to eat three snacks a day according to the 5-Factor Diet: she chooses salads, turkey, and coconut water.
For lunch, Lady Gaga usually has two cups of mixed berries with a chicken breast, an avocado, and some sriracha for flavor.
Dinner is often a protein, more than likely salmon or some other kind of fish, with vegetables and salad, as well as some tofu for added protein. One of the singer’s favorite dishes is a quinoa tabouli with roasted sweet potato.
Another of her favorite dishes is Swedish pancakes with raspberries. Both recipes she got from Pasternak’s 5-Factor cookbook.
She sometimes posts pics of the food she eats on Instagram, like she did of this pic back in August.
Lady Gaga’s Workout
Pasternak says that the key to getting great abs like Gaga’s is to not overdo the front of the midsection, but to focus on the back of the midsection and the corset muscle that pulls the abs in instead. If there is fat there, no one will see the work you’ve put in, so getting rid of the fat with diet and exercise is the first step.
Eating clean to stay lean is Pasternak’s philosophy—he shares it with every one of his clients. He also tells them to get in at least 10,000 steps a day. Below are two ab exercises Pasternak uses with Lady Gaga to get her abs in shape.
Pike Planks
Start in a forearm plank with palms facedown and your feet hip-width apart. Pull your stomach in and lift the hips so an inverted V is formed with your body. Lower the hips to return to the original plank.
Dolphin Extensions
Lie face down on a bench. Grip your hands on the front end of the bench for balance. Widen your legs to hip-width apart. Raise your legs up as high as you can, pause for a few seconds, and then return the legs back to the starting position.
Sources:
“5 Exercises to Help You Get Lady Gaga’s Killer Abs,” Shape web site;
http://www.shape.com/celebrities/celebrity-workouts/5-exercises-help-you-get-lady-gagas-killer-abs, last accessed September 12, 2016.
