The NBA legend reveals that, like many during the COVID-19 pandemic, he gained some weight. Once weighing 325 pounds, he found that number going up and eventually reaching 415.

During an interview with Men’s Health magazine, Shaq says his major goal was to reach 350 within three months – just in time for his 50th birthday.

“Fitness goal is just to have a flat belly. Right now I got a 4.9 pack. I’ll probably bring it to an 8 pack by March,” O’Neal told the publication.

Aside from the gym, Shaq says he had to change many of his eating habits, which came after he went for a doctor’s visit.

“The doctor used that three-letter word that you never want to hear. He said ‘Do you want to die?’” O’Neal said, noting he struggles with sleep apnea, a condition where one’s breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep.

“It causes a whole bunch of other problems,” he added. “So now I sleep with a C-PAP machine.”

Last month, Shaq admitted his new diet is the hardest one he’s ever been on and went into detail about his love for sandwiches. He also says that the sudden loss of fellow NBA star and former teammate Kobe Bryant and his sister Ayesha Harrison-Jex last year made him indulge in eating more than normal.

“When all of that was going on last year, I couldn’t sleep,” O’Neal told Men’s Health. “So, I’d wake up at 3 in the morning and make a sandwich, 5 in the morning make a sandwich. But I was starting to look old and I didn’t want to. So I said to myself, “I want to take my shirt off on Instagram one last time.”