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Al Sharpton Offers To Help Chris Christie Keep Weight Off
By
Jen Chung
Published May 7, 2013
Modified May 7, 2013
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By
Jen Chung
Published May 7, 2013
Modified May 7, 2013
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After NJ Governor Chris Christie's announcement that he underwent lap band surgery to help him lose weight, one notable Democrat has stepped up to offer his help: The Reverend Al Sharpton.
Sharpton has lost over 120 pounds through diet and exercise. In 2005, the NY Times profiled his weight loss effort, which included a trainer ("For the longest time, the only part of the Rev. Al Sharpton's body that got any exercise was his mouth"). Today, TMZ caught up with Sharpton, who said he'd be Christie's "maintenance man."
Sharpton is a vegetarian, and explained to PETA in 2011, "I overhauled my diet after a 40-day hunger strike when I was in jail for the Vieques [military bombing practice] protest. I dabbled with weight loss ideas, wanting to keep off the pounds I lost. First, I gave up red meat, then chicken. I ran into Bill Clinton, who told me how he has more energy, needs less sleep, and can think more clearly since going vegan, and I can tell you the same thing happened to me. I also kept in mind the words of another vegetarian friend—Coretta Scott King—who always spoke of the ethical reasons to give up meat."
Tagged
al sharpton
Chris Christie
diet
exercise
weight loss
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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