Tamra Judge from “The Real Housewives of Orange County” has given up booze for bodybuilding, though hanging out with her castmates while sober is challenging.Isabella Vosmikova/BravoTamra Judge is known as the wine-swilling, s - - t-stirring star of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” But when Season 11 premieres Monday, expect a new woman. She’s now a super-toned competitive bodybuilder who’s traded her pinot grigio for protein shakes. The 48-year-old Judge shares her daily diet with The Post’s DANA SCHUSTER.
I get up at 5 a.m. and do an hour of cardio on an empty stomach. I don’t like to feel full when I exercise.
After my workout, I’ll have oatmeal sweetened with some raspberries or blueberries — fresh, not frozen — four egg whites, and a cup of Starbucks coffee from my handy Keurig. I learned a long time ago from my nutritionist, if you eat egg whites and oatmeal, it’s sustainable energy that keeps you feeling full.
After I take my kids to school, I’ll lift weights for 90 minutes and then have an AdvoCare, an amino-acid dietary supplement, to help with muscle recovery.
For lunch, I’ll have chicken or ground turkey — sauteed with tomato and bell peppers and seasoned with pepper — with some vegetables. My husband, Eddie Judge, and I prepare a week’s worth of lunches every Sunday night, portioning them out in little individual containers. Eddie will have a sweet potato or brown rice, too, but I had blood work done, and it turns out I have a hard time processing carbs and it goes straight to fat, so I usually steer clear. The meal preps are the way to go, especially being as busy as I am with filming and the kids. This way I won’t forget to eat. Though I have to admit, I ate so much ground turkey while training for my first competition that I can now barely look at it.
We usually eat dinner around 7 p.m. I make chicken, turkey or fish and a vegetable. I heat up some baguettes in the oven every night for Eddie and the kids. They are obsessed with dipping it into olive oil, but none for me.
I allow myself one cheat day a week when I can have a little piece of chocolate, and I recently started eating brown rice on occasion. I’ll notice a difference in my body after. Like, ugh, my stomach doesn’t feel as flat!
To be honest, my diet didn’t really change much when I started training to be a weightlifter. I’ve always been a healthy eater. Even when filming “Real Housewives” out at restaurants, I always ask, “Can I get a chicken breast and veggies. No sauce.” And 99 percent of the time they say yes.
The one thing I did give up, though, is alcohol. I’ll admit, it was really hard not to drink while filming with the group! A few times I just broke down and indulged in a cocktail or two, but most of the time I stayed sober. You get a little bit of liquid courage when you drink, and being around other people when they’re drunk and you’re not . . . well, we’ll put it this way, you’ll probably see a little bit of eye rolling from me on-air this season. On the plus side, I remembered all the fights much more clearly.
