Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Interview With Richard Simmons

Aired May 13, 2003 - 11:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We're approaching the lunch hour in the East, and if you supersize your lunch, and if that is part of your daily vocabulary, well, our guest is here to straighten you out. Fitness expert Richard Simmons joins us today from Los Angeles as we focus again this hour on "Trimming the Fat."
Good to see you again, Richard. How are you?

RICHARD SIMMONS, FITNESS EXPERT: Yes, we got to trim the fat. How are you, Leon?

HARRIS: I'm doing well, thank you very much. First of all, did you happen to see the announcement that we had earlier this morning by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson...

SIMMONS: Yes. Yes.

HARRIS: ... about getting restaurants and fast food restaurants to try to address this issue. What did you think about that?

SIMMONS: People have been frying foods since Jesus was on this planet, and there is always going to be greasy, fried, salty, sugary food. It is up to the individual to walk in and say, I don't want those fries today. I have 40 pounds to lose. It is not the fault of the fast food people, and anyone who's trying to sue the fast food places needs a therapist, not an attorney. You have to make your own decisions. That's what the freedom in America is all about.

HARRIS: Yes. We have seen one of those lawsuits already tossed out at court, and a couple others that were actually filed have been dropped.

SIMMONS: No, they're not going to win. They are not going to win.

HARRIS: Well, what does win? What kind of advice would you have for folks this morning?

SIMMONS: First of all, I think the president should hire me for the President's Council on Physical Fitness. I have been doing this 31 years and no one has helped this country at all. I have traveled for 31 years trying to teach people exercise, eating healthy. We need to start in the school system. Get these kids really trained to learn how to eat. The cafeteria food has to be better. It's up to the parents. It's not just up to the school people. And maybe the Jack in the Box and McDonald's of the world should open up a little one of my exercise studios right next door. McDonald's in, McDonald's out. HARRIS: All right. There's an idea for you. All right. Let's get to the e-mails. We have got quite a few of them. Let's try to see how many we can get through this morning.

First one up is here from Meg in Ontario, Canada: "Hi, Richard. Do you have any helpful hints for curbing your appetite, or healthy and filling snacks?"

SIMMONS: Exercise can do everything for you. You know, we're not talking about exercise today. We're only talking about the food portion, but the exercise is 50 percent of it. It's the eating and the exercise. If you're having a good healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you should have very healthy snacks. But you just -- we eat for a lot of emotional problems, Leon. It's our baggage. It's our past. It's all those things. So we just have to continue to eat healthy, eat healthy snacks and exercise on a regular basis.

HARRIS: All right. Let's get to the next e-mail now. Next one is up -- not about what to eat, but about how to get motivated to do it correctly. This is from Pam in Indiana. She has got -- about 100 pounds overweight. She says, "How do I get myself motivated again?"

That is a great question there, Richard. What about that?

SIMMONS: Right now, our country is very sad. We're going through war, still 9/11, people out of work, people have no money.

How do you get motivated? By knowing your worth. Americans do not know how worthy they are. You deserve to be healthy, but a lot of times, people have, as childs been told -- as a children been told that they're no good, that they're never going to be anything else. You need to motivate by yourself by saying, I can do it. I'm worth it. I'm never going to give up because I am going to make my life and be committed to be the healthiest person I can.

HARRIS: Let's get to this next one. This is from Deborah in Toronto. This gets back to what you mentioned moments ago.

"What suggestions do you have for children to eat in the morning besides cold cereal that is healthy?"

Now, that is a great way to start kids off on a healthy lifestyle.

SIMMONS: It is so important that the parents teach the children, What about breakfast? The oatmeal, the toast, the eggs, whatever they have to have. But remember, they stop on the way to school. They eat at the school, which the food at the schools is not very good. It is up to you. If you want to have a child, then you have to teach your child how to eat healthy from the very beginning and there should be government programs out there for people who don't not have a lot of money, or are not educated about this to get some -- how do you get motivated? You get motivated by being educated.

I have had my studio, Slimmons, for 31 years, and every day, I'm on my Web page, www.RichardSimmons.com, trying to motivate people to make this commitment.

HARRIS: Let me ask you this. This next e-mail is one I really want to see you answer because so many people are trying this Atkins style diet where they eat lots of meat, and the question here coming from Susan in Louisiana is, "What is the best food? When it comes to meats, what should we eat and how should we prepare it to be healthy and -- " and I guess the filler there, "people can't just eat soups and salads to lose weight, got to have my beef."

SIMMONS: I must tell you, I am very, very, very much against the Atkins or the high protein diets because they do not work. God made six food groups, not Mr. Thompson. Mr. Thompson was boasting about how he's not eating any potatoes and rice. Isn't that great for our industry, our bread. God made six food groups. Carbs happen to be one of them. I get all the botched up jobs from surgeries, high protein diets, from people who have hurt themselves. The only way to do it is the six food groups that God made, eating the right portions, liking yourself, believing yourself, and being around positive people.

HARRIS: All right. This last one here comes from what many of us believe is the seventh food group.

SIMMONS: I'm from New Orleans.

HARRIS: All right. There you go. This is from Gus, who says "What part does alcohol consumption play in the body accumulating fat?"

SIMMONS: Gus, the calories in fat are very similar to the calories in liquor. So what you have to do is you have count that as a fat and some fruits, because everything is 3500 in, 3500 calories out. If you're drinking liquor, you're drinking pure fat. You got to watch it all. The meats, the liquor, the sweets, the salt.

Everything in the right motivation, and the right modivation (ph). Motivation is going to get you to say hey, I don't want that right now. I'm getting married. I'm going to stop eating this for a while. I have got to get in this dress. Whatever reason, you have to inspire yourself to keep going and to never give up. That's what I preached all these years, Leon.

HARRIS: Well, you did a great job preaching this morning. Sure do appreciate it to. Thanks, Richard.

SIMMONS: Thank you. Eat healthy. Eat healthy, sweat and never give up.

HARRIS: There you go. Richard Simmons in L.A. Thanks, man. Good to see you again. Take care, OK?

SIMMONS: Bye-bye.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired May 13, 2003 - 11:46   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We're approaching the lunch hour in the East, and if you supersize your lunch, and if that is part of your daily vocabulary, well, our guest is here to straighten you out. Fitness expert Richard Simmons joins us today from Los Angeles as we focus again this hour on "Trimming the Fat."
Good to see you again, Richard. How are you?

RICHARD SIMMONS, FITNESS EXPERT: Yes, we got to trim the fat. How are you, Leon?

HARRIS: I'm doing well, thank you very much. First of all, did you happen to see the announcement that we had earlier this morning by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson...

SIMMONS: Yes. Yes.

HARRIS: ... about getting restaurants and fast food restaurants to try to address this issue. What did you think about that?

SIMMONS: People have been frying foods since Jesus was on this planet, and there is always going to be greasy, fried, salty, sugary food. It is up to the individual to walk in and say, I don't want those fries today. I have 40 pounds to lose. It is not the fault of the fast food people, and anyone who's trying to sue the fast food places needs a therapist, not an attorney. You have to make your own decisions. That's what the freedom in America is all about.

HARRIS: Yes. We have seen one of those lawsuits already tossed out at court, and a couple others that were actually filed have been dropped.

SIMMONS: No, they're not going to win. They are not going to win.

HARRIS: Well, what does win? What kind of advice would you have for folks this morning?

SIMMONS: First of all, I think the president should hire me for the President's Council on Physical Fitness. I have been doing this 31 years and no one has helped this country at all. I have traveled for 31 years trying to teach people exercise, eating healthy. We need to start in the school system. Get these kids really trained to learn how to eat. The cafeteria food has to be better. It's up to the parents. It's not just up to the school people. And maybe the Jack in the Box and McDonald's of the world should open up a little one of my exercise studios right next door. McDonald's in, McDonald's out. HARRIS: All right. There's an idea for you. All right. Let's get to the e-mails. We have got quite a few of them. Let's try to see how many we can get through this morning.

First one up is here from Meg in Ontario, Canada: "Hi, Richard. Do you have any helpful hints for curbing your appetite, or healthy and filling snacks?"

SIMMONS: Exercise can do everything for you. You know, we're not talking about exercise today. We're only talking about the food portion, but the exercise is 50 percent of it. It's the eating and the exercise. If you're having a good healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you should have very healthy snacks. But you just -- we eat for a lot of emotional problems, Leon. It's our baggage. It's our past. It's all those things. So we just have to continue to eat healthy, eat healthy snacks and exercise on a regular basis.

HARRIS: All right. Let's get to the next e-mail now. Next one is up -- not about what to eat, but about how to get motivated to do it correctly. This is from Pam in Indiana. She has got -- about 100 pounds overweight. She says, "How do I get myself motivated again?"

That is a great question there, Richard. What about that?

SIMMONS: Right now, our country is very sad. We're going through war, still 9/11, people out of work, people have no money.

How do you get motivated? By knowing your worth. Americans do not know how worthy they are. You deserve to be healthy, but a lot of times, people have, as childs been told -- as a children been told that they're no good, that they're never going to be anything else. You need to motivate by yourself by saying, I can do it. I'm worth it. I'm never going to give up because I am going to make my life and be committed to be the healthiest person I can.

HARRIS: Let's get to this next one. This is from Deborah in Toronto. This gets back to what you mentioned moments ago.

"What suggestions do you have for children to eat in the morning besides cold cereal that is healthy?"

Now, that is a great way to start kids off on a healthy lifestyle.

SIMMONS: It is so important that the parents teach the children, What about breakfast? The oatmeal, the toast, the eggs, whatever they have to have. But remember, they stop on the way to school. They eat at the school, which the food at the schools is not very good. It is up to you. If you want to have a child, then you have to teach your child how to eat healthy from the very beginning and there should be government programs out there for people who don't not have a lot of money, or are not educated about this to get some -- how do you get motivated? You get motivated by being educated.

I have had my studio, Slimmons, for 31 years, and every day, I'm on my Web page, www.RichardSimmons.com, trying to motivate people to make this commitment.

HARRIS: Let me ask you this. This next e-mail is one I really want to see you answer because so many people are trying this Atkins style diet where they eat lots of meat, and the question here coming from Susan in Louisiana is, "What is the best food? When it comes to meats, what should we eat and how should we prepare it to be healthy and -- " and I guess the filler there, "people can't just eat soups and salads to lose weight, got to have my beef."

SIMMONS: I must tell you, I am very, very, very much against the Atkins or the high protein diets because they do not work. God made six food groups, not Mr. Thompson. Mr. Thompson was boasting about how he's not eating any potatoes and rice. Isn't that great for our industry, our bread. God made six food groups. Carbs happen to be one of them. I get all the botched up jobs from surgeries, high protein diets, from people who have hurt themselves. The only way to do it is the six food groups that God made, eating the right portions, liking yourself, believing yourself, and being around positive people.

HARRIS: All right. This last one here comes from what many of us believe is the seventh food group.

SIMMONS: I'm from New Orleans.

HARRIS: All right. There you go. This is from Gus, who says "What part does alcohol consumption play in the body accumulating fat?"

SIMMONS: Gus, the calories in fat are very similar to the calories in liquor. So what you have to do is you have count that as a fat and some fruits, because everything is 3500 in, 3500 calories out. If you're drinking liquor, you're drinking pure fat. You got to watch it all. The meats, the liquor, the sweets, the salt.

Everything in the right motivation, and the right modivation (ph). Motivation is going to get you to say hey, I don't want that right now. I'm getting married. I'm going to stop eating this for a while. I have got to get in this dress. Whatever reason, you have to inspire yourself to keep going and to never give up. That's what I preached all these years, Leon.

HARRIS: Well, you did a great job preaching this morning. Sure do appreciate it to. Thanks, Richard.

SIMMONS: Thank you. Eat healthy. Eat healthy, sweat and never give up.

HARRIS: There you go. Richard Simmons in L.A. Thanks, man. Good to see you again. Take care, OK?

SIMMONS: Bye-bye.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com