Susan Lucci Workout and Diet

Actress
Born: 1946

Susan Lucci grew up in Garden City, New York and wanted to be a performer for as long as she could remember. As a child, she took voice and dance lessons and acted in community theatre. She was a star student, a cheerleader, got excellent grades, and wrote for the school newspaper. After graduating from Marymount College with a degree in theatre arts, she moved to New York City. At first, she only found small roles as an extra or stand-in but her big break came at the age of 23 when she landed the role of Erica Kane on the new soap opera All My Children. She played the woman everyone loved to hate for over 40 years. While she was nominated for a daytime Emmy award starting in 1978, she didn’t win it until 1999 (her 19th nomination). Lucci also acted in a few films, endorses a Pilates exercise machine on QVC along with some fitness DVDs, and has her own line of skincare, perfume and clothing. In 2011, Lucci wrote a memoir called All My Life. She has 2 children with her husband of 50 years, chef Helmut Huber. Lucci has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. She is 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 105 lbs.

Known For:

Susan Lucci’s Diet

Diet Summary

Lucci eats a sensible diet that consists of wholesome foods, and is full of fresh vegetables and fruit. Breakfast is often quick and easy, such as yogurt with seeds and fruit. She watches her carb intake with things like bread and pasta and almost never has dessert, but she won’t say no to a glass of champagne. She’s also a big fan of fish, salmon in particular, and lean meat like roast turkey. But when she is in the mood for a splurge, she doesn’t hold back and indulges with her chef husband’s blueberry pancakes. She’ll have coffee in the morning  but then switches to water after that.

Estimated Macros

  • Medium Fat 30% 30%
  • Medium Protein 35% 35%
  • Medium Carb 40% 40%

Diet Details

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Jump Start

Lucci starts her day with coffee made with whole milk and organic sugar. She’ll have 2 cups, but then she’s off caffeine for the rest of the day, and only has hot water with lemon which she says boosts her metabolism.

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Power Lunch

To keep from falling into a carb-coma after lunch, Lucci has a sandwich with slabs of beefsteak tomatoes acting as her bread, along with roast turkey, avocado, olive oil and fresh mango.

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Pilates (Will) Power

Lucci admits she wasn’t always the healthiest eater, and in her early days would never have chosen fruit or vegetables if there was something more enticing to eat, such as french fries. She says doing Pilates was what helped her kick the fry habit.

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Date Night

Lucci and her chef husband have a tradition of making dinner ‘date night.’ They’ll have a glass of champagne along with something healthy like a salad, salmon and a few more sides of veggies.

What to Eat

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Tomatoes

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Avocado

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Broccoli

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Carrots

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Mango

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Roast turkey

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Salmon

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Greek yogurt

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Hummus

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Eggs

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Organic pumpkin seeds

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Lingonberries

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Coffee

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Whole milk

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Organic sugar

What to Avoid

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Frech fries

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Cheeseburgers

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Fried food

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Artificial ingredients

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Chemical additives

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Junk food

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Refined foods

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Soft drinks

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Lucci On Salmon

‘Salmon has a lot of great properties; it’s a superfood. It’s great for your skin.’

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Lucci On Her Diet

‘Before I was working out, if somebody told me that I would actually choose fruit over french fries, I would never believe them.’

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Lucci On Cravings

‘Once I started doing Pilates, I lost my taste for things like cheeseburgers and french fries.’

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Lucci On Cheating

‘If I really want something, I’ll just have one or two bites.’

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Lucci On Champagne

‘It’s always good to have a little bubbly.’

Susan Lucci’s Workout Routine

Weekly Workout Routine

Daily Dose

Even in her 70s, Lucci still works out virtually every day. She says she takes 1 day off because it’s recommended, but she winds up doing some form of exercise because her body wants to move.

Early Bird

Lucci never misses a workout because she makes a point to exercise first thing, before the busy-ness of the day has a chance to take over.

Pilates Pro

Lucci is a big fan of Pilates and has done it for decades. She does 10 different exercises each day, doing anywhere from 30-100 reps per exercise using a machine called a Pilates Pro Chair, an updated version of the Wunda chair.

Streamlined Workout

Lucci’s routine incorporates cardio and resistance training, saving her time.

Workout Style

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A Susan Lucci Routine

It’s okay if you don’t have a Pilates Pro Chair. You can do plenty of Pilates exercises on a mat, or even on a rug.

The Hundred: Lying flat on back, lift head, neck and shoulders off the floor and look at your navel. Raise feet up as straight as you can. If this is too challenging, you can keep your feet on the floor, knees bent. Pump the arms vigorously as you breathe, inhaling for 5 and exhaling for 5, to a total count of 100 breaths.

The Roll-Up: A classic Pilates move. Start flat on your back, arms extended overhead, legs flat on floor. Inhale and pull your navel toward your spine to keep your back grounded and lift your arms as you roll up, tucking the chin toward the chest. Exhale as you reach the difficult point where your back wants to arch and your feet want to lift. Extend hands toward feet. After completing the forward fold, inhale as you roll smoothly back down, exhaling at the hard spot again. Repeat 6-8x, or more if you can.

The Saw: Sitting with legs spread a little wider than hip-width, feet flexed, extend the arms out to the side. Exhale as you turn to one side, bending forward and reaching as if you are sawing off your pinkie toe with your hand. Inhale and return to starting position, then twist to the opposite side. Do at least 4 sets/side.

The Bridge: Lying on back with feet hip width, knees bent. Keep your arms at your sides and lift your back off the floor without arching it. Tighten the glutes and hamstrings and hold for 5 breaths, then lower to starting position. Repeat 5x.

The Teaser: Begin seated with knees bent, hands on the floor if you are a beginner, or arms raised if you are more advanced. Straighten and lift one leg, keeping knees together. Slowly roll to your back with the 1 leg in the air then lift back up without using momentum. Switch legs and repeat. If you are very advanced, you can perform this exercise with both legs in the air. Repeat 5x/side.

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Lucci On Aging

‘What I’ve learned is that if you train hard, you can offset some of what you’ve got going against you. People look at me and say, “Wow, she doesn’t seem old, but she is old.” Meanwhile, the reality is if you’re strong, you’re beautiful no matter what age you are.’

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Lucci On Pilates

‘Whenever I do any kind of exercise, it’s all based around Pilates.’

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Lucci On Sticking With A Routine

‘I like to work out first thing in the morning, because then I know, no matter what happens for the rest of the day, I’ve done something good for myself.’

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Lucci On Her DWTS Routine

‘I knew I’d have to step up my program, to get an even stronger core to be dancing on the show.’

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Lucci On Her Day Of Rest

‘I try to take 1 day off, because you’re supposed to take a day off, but I’ll always do something because my body craves it.’

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Lucci On Her Next Fitness Goal

‘I want to be 5 foot 8. And I’m hoping I can get there through stretching. Right now I’m 5 foot 2 on a good day.’

Susan Lucci’s Supplements

Vitamin K

vitamin K2

Lucci keeps her supplement regimen on the down low, but women over a certain age should take especial care to get enough vitamin K2 as it helps protect against bone loss.

Get it here  

Vitamin D

vitamin D3

K2 is often combined with vitamin D3 which is needed not only for strong bones but also a healthy immune system and to regulate mood.

Get it here  

CoQ10

CoenzymeQ10

CoenzymeQ10 is an antioxidant that fights damage from free radicals, especially in heart tissue.

Get it here  

 Royal jelly

Royal jelly

Royal jelly is another antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory effects and helps maintain energy, improves digestion, and promotes healthy hair and skin.

Get it here  

turmeric

Turmeric

Turmeric is yet another powerful antioxidant that supports liver function, immunity and, thanks to its anti-inflammatory effects, can help reduce everyday aches and pains.

Get it here  

 Sea buckthorn seed oil

Sea buckthorn seed oil

Sea buckthorn seed oil contains a range of omegas, including omega-7s that you don’t hear as much about, but they help keep hair and skin moisturized.

Get it here  

Susan Lucci’s Lifestyle

Health Scare

In 2018, Lucci underwent emergency heart surgery for a major blockage that doctors told her could have ended in a fatal heart attack, but she’s doing fine today.

Running Joke

Lucci’s losing streak for Emmys became legendary, and when an actor or actress who loses several times in a row it is called ‘pulling a Susan Lucci.’

Serious Coin

Although Lucci didn’t win a shiny statue for a long time, she was well compensated for her role as the complicated vixen Erica Kane, earning over $1 million per year in the 1990s.

Skincare Secrets

Lucci says her number one rule is to never go to bed without removing her makeup. But she’s not afraid of a little touch-up here and there and openly admits to using Botox.

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Lucci On Emmys

‘It’s really an honor to be nominated. But it is much better to win.’

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Lucci On Her Long Marriage

‘I got lucky. I married young. I had an instinct that this man was going to really wear well and he has.’

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Lucci On Skincare

‘If your skin looks okay today and you take care of it, there’s a good chance it’s going to look good tomorrow.’

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Lucci On Her Marriage Philosophy

‘I think it’s like taking care of your skin…you just do a little bit every day.’

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Lucci On Aging

‘I feel as good now as I ever did in my 20s and 30s, maybe even better physically.’

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Lucci On Botox

‘My dermatologist…does a great job. Very natural.’

Recommended Products

Pilates Pro Chair

Pilates Pro Chair

Malibu Pilates Susan Lucci’s Favorite Moves DVD

Malibu Pilates Susan Lucci’s Favorite Moves DVD

All My Life

All My Life

Susan Lucci movies

Susan Lucci movies

Youthful Essence

Youthful Essence

Cle de Peau Cleansing Foam

Cle de Peau Cleansing Foam

SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum

SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum

SkinMedica Lytera

SkinMedica Lytera

La Mer The Moisturizing Soft Cream

La Mer The Moisturizing Soft Cream