Chicago native, LisaRaye McCoy, has never been one to shy away from a challenge. After all, she went from model to actress to producer to business owner.
She's been busy with TV shows, appearances as well as relaunching of the jeans line, PZI jeans. “I also have a pain relief bomb called Zin, that’s in Rite Aid right now," explains LisaRaye McCoy. "I have LR Home Styles, which is my furniture and mattress [business]. So I have things that I’m also building the brand of. I’ve taken a back seat. That’s why you see me guest-starring here and there, instead of having my own series.”
But Lisa Raye, now 55, has embarked on a new challenge: her health, in more ways than one.
LisaRaye's transformation goes into the spiritual realm as well. The actress shared that she got baptized in her home (pictured on page 2) which gave her a newfound desire to give and rededicate her life to something bigger than herself.
As you may remember, LisaRaye McCoy was also a celebrity who came out years ago stating she decided to be celibate for her own reasons. Clean body, inside and out. Way to go Lisa!
LisaRaye's healthier lifestyle includes undergoing a very drastic body transformation.
"You’re only as good as your support team," LisaRaye says. "There are so many temptations out there and I’m a foodie.
READ THIS: Eat Healthy and Stay Fit For Life
I’ve had those quick things of fasting and other supplements and other workout routines that I’ve tried over the years and I was like, let's try a whole together package: having the product, having the supplement, having vitamins, having a workout routine, being able to balance healthy eating with that and so, for the first time, I’m actually putting that combination together and making it one."
"I tend to go up and down [in weight], but that’s not good for my body, LisaRaye McCoy explains. "The more I educate myself about the weight loss process, the more I figure out what works for me. Which means staying at a size that works for TV and for me.”
LisaRaye also added that while she's on the set of a show or movie, she usually has "absolutely no time to work out."
"I’ve lost muscle mass just sitting around filming and having my whole life revolve around the show."
READ THIS: 3 Easy Wall Workouts For Toned Legs & Thighs
But, this is how LisaRaye found her solution. Her solution involves letting go of a lot of dead weight--physically and mentally.
The Players Club star shared how she had to let go of her ex-husband, Michael Misick, the former prime minister of Turks and Caicos.
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Ebony reports that McCoy didn’t hold back on an episode of Uncensored, saying actor Duane Martin, Tisha Campbell's now ex-husband, whom she considered a friend and “brother,” was the cause of the breakup of her marriage to Turks and Caicos Prime Minister Michael Misick.
On Working Out:
"I work out three days a week for an hour. I do lunges for my butt, you know? I like the way my thighs look, too. They look nice"
On Her Abs:
LisaRaye goes light on the crunches. "I don't like that hard six-pack look." She prefers a softer look.
"If you want to see a change in you, you have to put in the hard work. And it is work," she advises. "Just because you may not have any money to pay for a trainer doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
After that, you start forming an appreciation for it in a way that excites you."
Recently, McCoy got into the fight against COVID-19 and got tested.
On her social media, McCoy showed fans the long q-tips which were used to take swabs from her nostrils.
Before the swabs were taken, McCoy expected the worst as she mentioned that people have talked about having q-tips up their nostrils and far into their skull areas.
In the end, the test turned out simple, and McCoy breathed a sigh of relief.
"First, I had been up alllll nite hyperventilating over getting this test due to some opinions," she wrote on her Instagram.
"BUT this test was alright, worth it and needed. Lord thank you AND the nurses and my negative results. #StressedForNothing #Corvid19 #IwasScared #LifeRocks #LisaRaye #BLM #Actress"
So what's next for LisaRaye?
She stars in a new comedy series, All the Way Black on BET+, which is currently streaming on the service.
All the Way Black focuses on color commentary of iconic moments in black pop culture from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.
“She was written so well till she came naturally,” she said about the part. “When I got on the set, I wanted to give her a kind of– I didn’t want her to be a mean b**ch. It wasn’t about that.
You can be stern and direct without being this. You know what I mean. And so when I say she’s grown with it, she’s just so matter-of-fact about what she’s telling you.
Till your like, ‘Did she just get me together and I didn’t know she did.’ I like the element of surprise with that. The character has been very good, I love her.”
The veteran actress also shared that, although it's not guaranteed, she would love to come back on the show next season and reprise her role.
“ I can't wait till next season," she shared with theGrio.com. "Now, I don't know, everybody, you know, kind of leaving and left, and trying to die off and all of that,” she explained.
“I won't give it away because, you know, you got to make the powers that be really have the power of the pen.”