Roman Reigns talks struggles with appetite, diet as he recovers from leukemia

From start to finish, it’s still amazing to see what Roman Reigns has gone through over the past several months. It’s not something WWE talks openly about on television every week, but when it comes to leukemia, Reigns’ road to recovery is still very much a work in progress.

In a new interview with GQ focused on Reigns’ recent dietary changes, The Big Dog also dropped some interesting tidbits about life on the road with WWE.

“You can always help yourself if you book a better hotel. Some guys will try to save some money on the road and book a cheaper hotel. I’ll spend a little more so that I have a good restaurant. If you have a very specific order, the restaurants will usually make it. You can even get two or three meals in advance, and you’re good to go. You can put that tag on the door and have your breakfast order coming at the time you want it at.

I’ll get six to 10 eggs in the morning, and maybe a little bit of bacon or sausage. Then I train and get a protein shake, which will usually make me feel full. About an hour or so later, I’ll try to get another meal in, and that one will be pretty protein-heavy. Sometimes I’ll have one more protein shake. Late at night on the road, you can’t be picky. Your options are limited, so you just have to make that work. That is where the meal plans are nice to have.”

Reigns would also touch on how his diet has changed after his diagnosis and how it’s still a battle when his mind wants to do one thing, while his body is telling him another.

“It’s a little different for me and those with blood cancers. We are very fortunate that we have medications referred to as oral chemotherapy. So what your grandmother was probably going through is far harsher on the system and your body. But there are similar effects when taking these medications. I’ve been on the road now for almost three weeks, and just yesterday I didn’t have an appetite. I was kind of nauseous for the majority of the day. There are some days that are struggles, and some days where it curbs your appetite and you don’t want to eat because you have that nauseous feeling.

Before all this happened, I was maxing myself out and working as hard as I could. This has given me a new perspective. Sometimes you have to be smarter and pull yourself back, and that is what I’ve had to do with my diet and my training. Instead of pushing towards a goal relentlessly, I have to listen to my body, see how I’m feeling and what my energy levels are along the way.”

Will Reigns ever be back to a 100% clean bill of health? Not sure, but it feels like you can’t put anything past Reigns at this point.

Since his return to the ring, Roman Reigns has not missed a beat. Which makes the fact that his body is still adjusting to life back on the road all that more impressive.