The Strongest Jawbone

Al Sharpton is on a diet:

For the longest time, the only part of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s body that got any exercise was his mouth. “I had the strongest jawbone,” Mr. Sharpton said without even a hint of a smile. Instead, his right hand mimicked someone’s lips flapping up and down.

Mr. Sharpton’s jawbone is still getting a heavy workout these days, whether in politics, entertainment or on his cellphone. But finally, at 50, so is the rest of his body.

“I am her art piece,” Mr. Sharpton said with typical modesty as he introduced his private trainer, Liz Ross, at his $300-a-month gym (not including the private trainer), Reebok Sports Club/NY, on Columbus Avenue in Manhattan one recent morning.

Ms. Ross has, in fact, helped carve out a trimmer Al Sharpton.

In the first six months of his weight loss regimen, Mr. Sharpton lost 15 pounds, 5 inches off his waist and 6 percent of his body fat. A couple of months later, he’s down a total of about 30 pounds and headed toward his goal of weighing 200 pounds, which might be considered svelte for a guy who once tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds.

The “Sharpton Plan” is simple:

Set realistic goals. Exercise three times a week at the gym. Skip breakfast. Salad for lunch (maybe some chicken, too). Salad for dinner (maybe some fish).

And to keep those hunger pains away – cookies. Boxes of cookies. He prefers Aunt Gussie’s chocolate chip and almond. To be fair, the cookies are sugar free and made with organic wheat. But his trainer, Ms. Ross, clearly isn’t pleased. “They’re not carrot sticks, Al,” she said.