Soap Hub Wellness Wednesday: B&B’s Sean Kanan on Lasting Change

In addition to his role as Deacon Sharpe on The Bold and the Beautiful, Sean Kanan is known for playing Mike Barnes in Karate Kid III. The actor is once more in fighting shape and is the subject of this week’s Wellness Wednesday.

Sean Kanan – Ways to Make Lasting Changes

Soap Hub: You look great these days. What are you doing that’s different?
Sean Kanan: Thank you. I’m down about 40 lbs. from the heaviest I’ve ever been.

Soap Hub: What made it work this time?
Sean Kanan: A few things. The first was real consistency. I can equate [getting in shape this time] in a lot of ways to my career. Before last year, I felt kind of stuck. That’s the time I finished writing Way of the COBRA. I wasn’t getting what I thought I should be getting in terms of tangible results. In reality, things were building to a critical mass. Then, I did two films with Bruce Willis and another film for Lifetime. The icing on the cake was Brad [Bell, executive producer/head writer] calling me back to the show. I couldn’t have scripted the year better. I equate weight loss to that. You have to keep your nose to the grindstone.

You have to do tactile things. I used to treat my body like a nightclub but now, I treat it like a temple. I cut out all alcohol. Keto didn’t work for me. You have to find what works for you. I work out with a trainer three times a week. I walk to work most of the time. It’s a lifestyle change. I don’t look at is ‘I’m losing weight’ but rather that I’ve made a paradigm shift in my life.

Soap Hub: How did finishing Way of the COBRA influence this journey?
Sean Kanan: I thought I cannot put this book out and be a hypocrite. For some reason, it’s all clicked. It hasn’t been a struggle. I don’t like having a finger poked in my chest — if I feel like I’m doing that even to myself, it becomes a ticking time bomb. I no longer feel that way. That’s what’s allowed me to sustain the consistency. I’m in a much happier situation workwise than I’ve been in the past. I feel so blessed and fortunate with all the things that have happened to me. I want to be worthy of them.

Soap Hub: What advice do you have for people who want lasting change?
Sean Kanan: Honestly, I’d tell them to pick up my book Way of the COBRA and also, to not get discouraged. Let friends and family know that you have goals so they’ll keep you accountable. When you say no to a friend or relative’s apple pie that they want you to eat, they’ll know you’re not being disrespectful.

Micro-wins are important, too. You can’t say, ‘If I eat well all week, I’m good, and if I don’t, then, I’m bad.’ Allow yourself to take the micro-wins. Those allow you to have more self-esteem. Also, you have to get on the scale. Rip the band-aid off and weigh yourself in the morning and at night.

Soap Hub: Why do you do that?
Sean Kanan: I know if I have soy sauce with sushi there will be inflammation. Americans, I think, have been bamboozled by the food industry. There’s that saying that ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.’ As a result, people eat these big breakfasts, but my feeling is you don’t really have to. Cut out soda and anything that says ‘fat-free.’

Eat non-processed foods and cook at home. If you go to a restaurant menu, even things that are ostensibly healthy, aren’t always as healthy if you make them at home. If you have the same healthy meal in a restaurant, it can have double the calories. [Chefs] will [use] a paintbrush and slap it with butter. You can do meal prep at home. People say they’re too busy but if you do it, you’ll actually end up saving time.

Soap Hub: Any final tip?
Sean Kanan: Yes. I think being organized really helps you lose weight. When you’re not always searching for your keys or your homework, then you’re not stressed out and won’t make bad eating choices.

Sean Kanan can be seen in Season 2 of the Daytime Emmy-winning series Studio City on Amazon Prime. The actor will be at Barnes & Noble at the Grove in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 19 doing a Q&A and book signing for Way of the COBRA. The Bold and the Beautiful (BB) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Los Angeles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on B&B spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.

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