Shaquille O'Neal says his low-carb, high-protein diet is helping him lose weight and build an 8-pack as he approaches 50

• Shaquille O'Neal has been retired from the NBA since 2011, but still takes his fitness seriously.
• O'Neal follows a low-carb, high-protein diet that emphasizes fish, chicken, and meat loaf.

Shaquille O'Neal may be 10 years removed from his NBA career, but he's still taking his diet and fitness as seriously as ever.

The 49-year-old NBA Hall-of-Famer told Men's Health he follows a high-protein, low-carb diet to stay in shape as he gets older, and shared the food he eats in a day.

O'Neal makes protein the centerpiece of each meal, as he previously said he started to only eat protein, fruits, and vegetables earlier this year to lose weight, and he is able to see his abs for the first time in 15 years.

Now, as O'Neal approaches 50, he said his goal is continue to feel good showing off his body.

"My goal is, at 50, to take my shirt off one time, show the ladies how fine I am, and put it back on," he told Men's Health.

O'Neal uses a similar protein smoothie recipe to Tom Brady

O'Neal said his protein smoothie is a simple recipe that contains blueberries, bananas, and peanut butter.

His recipe is similar to Tom Brady's favorite smoothie recipe, which also includes blueberries and bananas, but uses almond butter instead of peanut butter and has whey protein and walnuts for a total of 34 grams of protein.

O'Neal's recipe has less protein content than Brady's, as one scoop of peanut butter only has about eight grams of protein while blueberries and bananas have less than one gram of protein per 100-gram serving.

Still, O'Neal is getting a lot of fiber, potassium, anti-antioxidants from the blueberries and bananas in his smoothies.

O'Neal's breakfast is heavy on protein and healthy fats

While O'Neal might not be getting as much protein from his smoothies, he gets plenty from the rest of his breakfast.

O'Neal said he eats four scrambled eggs and two pieces of turkey sausage for breakfast.

Four scrambled eggs contain 27 grams of protein, 30 grams of total fat, 5.3 grams of carbs, 684 milligrams of sodium, and 404 calories.

Two turkey sausages contain about 10.6 grams of protein, 4.6 grams of total fat, less than one gram of carbs, 336 milligrams of sodium, and 88 calories.

Breakfasts that are high in protein can be helpful for weight loss, as they can help keep you fuller for longer and curbing cravings later in the day.

O'Neal favors salmon, but also eats a lot of chicken and meatloaf for lunch and dinner

O'Neal said his go-to meal for lunch and dinner is salmon. Salmon is one of the healthiest sources of protein, as it offers multiple important vitamins and nutrients in addition to a high-protein content.

A 100-gram serving of salmon has about 25 grams of protein. It can also can account for 41% of a person's recommended daily intake of protein. That serving is also rich in essential vitamins like B3, B5, B6, B12, D, and E, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, and potassium.

One serving of chicken contains 38 grams of protein, and includes essential vitamins and minerals such as B6, B12, iron, zinc, and copper.

Meatloaf is probably the least healthy of O'Neal's protein sources. The nutritional value of meatloaf depends on the recipe, but it is often made of ground, processed meat added sodium. While flour is also sometimes added to meatloaf, which adds extra carbs, it can be made leaner, by using organic ground meat and skipping the flour.