{"id":216374,"date":"2025-10-21T21:44:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T21:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/216374\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T21:44:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T21:44:08","slug":"the-real-life-diet-of-lukas-gage-who-gets-a-new-therapist-every-6-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/216374\/","title":{"rendered":"The Real-Life Diet of Lukas Gage, Who Gets a New Therapist Every 6 Months"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the end of Lukas Gage\u2019s new memoir, I Wrote This for Attention<\/a>, the TV star\u2019s comatose grandmother\u2019s third husband asks his emotionally detached doctor dad if anyone is going to want the Ensure in the fridge after Nana dies. Meanwhile, Gage\u2019s feed was filling with ruder questions as news broke about his break-up<\/a>, posts like: \u201cWhy does anyone care about a random whore z-list actor?\u201d<\/p>\n

Known for roles on The White Lotus<\/a>, Euphoria<\/a> and You<\/a>, Gage, 30, has dealt with a unique set of stressful situations\u2014sometimes while being called a \u201cdesperate bitcyh\u201d [sic] on X. \u201cI\u2019ve even been a divorc\u00e9e with IBS<\/a>,\u201d he writes in his book.<\/p>\n

Other chapters describe: a fridge full of strawberry SlimFasts, taking ecstasy in gym class, dark moments spent doing hundreds of push-ups<\/a>, and dating \u201chimbos\u201d\u2014including one \u201cwho often had blueberries and protein<\/a> powder stuck in his teeth\u201d and gave Gage gonorrhea and chlamydia then gaslit him into believing his penis was probably just irritated by the ocean. (\u201cAll day, I went down a Reddit rabbit hole: Anyone experiencing a penis bacterial infection from swimming in the Malibu beaches today? This week? Ever?\u201d)<\/p>\n

When we connected, Lukas was Ubering from the Upper East Side to a fitting in Lower Manhattan before flying back to Los Angeles. Despite having opened his mesmeric ocean eyes only minutes prior, the actor-author answered all our questions about his muscular arms, supplement stack, psychiatric interventions, and what to do if you have cystic acne but you\u2019re in Spain filming an indie movie with Pamela Anderson (Rosebush Pruning, which Lukas tells us is coming soon).<\/p>\n

GQ: Good morning! How\u2019s it going?<\/p>\n

Lukas Gage: I can’t lie. Last night, my friend Laufey performed at Madison Square Garden. So I went out, had such a good time, and just flew out of bed a few minutes before this meeting. 9:12 was my alarm.<\/p>\n

[It\u2019s 9:15 a.m.]<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s healthy in a weird messed up way, or maybe it\u2019s not messed up. Part of taking care of myself is having fun. If I\u2019m not celebrating, what\u2019s the point? I just got up and jumped in the car. Or, first, I brushed my teeth.<\/p>\n

What are you going to have for breakfast?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m into ThisBowl right now. So I\u2019ll probably get The O.G. Bowl with salmon sashimi. Then coffee, then vitamins.<\/p>\n

Ooh what vitamins<\/a>? And that might segue nicely to your recent spokesmanship for Healthysexuals.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Exactly. PrEP [pre-exposure prophylaxis, a medication that prevents HIV] is part of my little healthy handful. First, I do omega fatty acids from DMK. They’re good for skin problems\u2014I get rosacea and dermatitis\u2014so I take, like, three. Then a triple magnesium complex and a little turmeric-ginger-oregano oil shot, oh, and apple cider vinegar\u2014which I think, technically, you’re not supposed to do because it makes you digest quicker. It’s okay. Nothing bad has happened. The vitamins hit me faster, I guess. Then, I take PrEP, which is so easy. You just take a pill and don\u2019t have to live in fear. PrEP is honestly like an anti-anxiety medication. And then I take other medications for my mental health.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve found it can take forever to find the right psychiatric drugs. Do you feel like you\u2019ve found \u201cyours\u201d?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s funny. I have a chapter in my book about when I was given the wrong cocktail. They just gave me everything under the sun and it made me totally worse. Now, I\u2019m on a micro-dose of medications that just keeps my symptoms from not being so activated, but still, I feel like a person that’s alive.<\/p>\n

There’s another part in your book where you’re at your therapist\u2019s office and\u2014actually, maybe I can read just the first few lines.<\/p>\n

Please.<\/p>\n

From Chapter 17, \u201cBig-Penis Disorder\u201d:<\/p>\n

My therapist’s office was too quiet, too beige, too calm. It had that stagnant quality that made my skin itch. I needed something to do with my hands\u2026\u201cDo you mind if I hit my vape?\u201d I asked, already bringing it to my mouth.<\/p>\n

I thought we could double-click on a few things here: skin being itchy, therapy, and, like, coping mechanisms.<\/p>\n

Therapy is like dating. I\u2014and I don’t know if this is the best thing ever\u2014but I like to change therapists. I go for, like, six months, and see what I learn from them. It stops me from trying to become whatever version I think they want me to be. When I get too close, it turns into me wanting to be their friend and wanting them to like me.<\/p>\n

Wow.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s therapy roulette. I learn things from each doctor. There’s a certain kind of therapy<\/a> I like that mixes DBT [Dialectical Behavioral Therapy] with CBT [Cognitive Behavioral Therapy]. And I dabble with another kind, where you relive trauma and work through it to train your body to not get activated when certain scenarios come up.<\/p>\n

Do you do therapy stuff to yourself? I know, with CBT, it\u2019s a lot of, like, you\u2019re supposed to keep \u201cthought records,\u201d like, stop and be like, \u201cWait, what\u2019s an alternative interpretation for this distressing idea I\u2019m thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n

I used to dread doing DBT \u201cskills,\u201d which are tactile things, like: touch ice, or play a song with the opposite emotion to your current emotion\u2014little activities to regulate your emotions. I hated it at first but those are the things I do the most when I’m in the middle of, like, a situation.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s an example of an \u201copposite emotion song\u201d you might play?<\/p>\n

Say I\u2019m going through a breakup and it\u2019s heavy and dark\u2014I\u2019m not going to listen to Radiohead at that moment. Instead, I\u2019ll try Selena Gomez.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s something cinematic and romantic about matching your emotion to a song\u2026<\/p>\n

We can get addicted to self-loathing and be masochistic about our emotions. Having things resonate is affirming but it can also keep you stuck.<\/p>\n

On the topic of listening to stuff\u2014yesterday, on Ride, the podcast, Mary Beth Barone was saying no one says \u201cYou\u2019re hot\u201d anymore. Then she said, \u201cYou know who does? Lukas Gage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh my god. Yes.<\/p>\n

Everyone agreed you\u2019re really good at saying, \u201cYou\u2019re hot\u201d to people\u2014which feels relevant to the title of your new book, I Wrote This For Attention\u2014being about public perception and seeking affirmation, et cetera.<\/p>\n

I do say \u201cyou\u2019re hot.\u201d It\u2019s a greeting to me. Mostly I mean it but sometimes I say it if I feel like someone needs to hear it. I guess there\u2019s a way to say it that can be inappropriate but I think, generally, we should bring \u201cyou\u2019re hot\u201d back.<\/p>\n

Another Ride thing: they\u2019ve been talking about \u201cthe arm ridge\u201d [a groove in some muscular men\u2019s forearms]. I\u2019ve noticed you have one.<\/p>\n

Hell yeah.<\/p>\n

How did you get yours? What\u2019s your workout routine?<\/p>\n

First of all, thank you so much for saying I have an arm ridge. I\u2019m working on getting the arm vein that Mary Beth is into.<\/p>\n

What is that?<\/p>\n

The arm vein is when you have that one single vein on your bicep that kind of goes down.<\/p>\n

Is that not from being dehydrated?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s from being dehydrated. But also, I think, cardiovascular training.<\/p>\n

Arm-wise and otherwise what\u2019s your training regimen?<\/p>\n

I go to Dogpound and Alo. I know, very L.A. I train two times a week there then Solidcore Pilates<\/a> twice a week. Those are my go-tos. I don\u2019t go heavy, though, mostly body weight stuff: pull ups, sit ups, push ups. Also, sledding, which is where you push heavy objects. I went through a Barry\u2019s phase<\/a> but I\u2019m a bad runner so Barry\u2019s hurt my knees. I\u2019ve also definitely had phases where I don\u2019t work out for, like, a year, and just walk. I still walk everyday for at least 20 minutes but that\u2019s more for mental health than physical.<\/p>\n

What about skincare routine?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a crazy person, so this is insane, but: Celluma Pro LED Light Therapy Mask<\/a>\u2014I fall asleep in it. It\u2019s incredible. It has blue light, red light<\/a>\u2014all this bacteria-fighting light. That\u2019s my shit. Then I have a couple of products I live by. One\u2019s called SIV [SIV Biome Balancing Serum], which is for perioral dermatitis and helps the skin barrier. Another is Plated\u2014it has exosomes and peptides. Their eye serum is the best of my life. I travel with Cryo-Sticks from Biologique Recherche\u2014metal spoons you keep in the freezer and rub your face with. If I don\u2019t have those, I\u2019ll put my face in an ice bucket.<\/p>\n

Do you find food affects your skin?<\/p>\n

I do. I cut out dairy. I had a bad, bad skin year last year with folliculitis and cystic acne.<\/p>\n

What do you do if you\u2019re breaking out but have to film something?<\/p>\n

I have two movies coming out where I\u2019m covered in acne. There\u2019s only so much you can do with, like, big pustules. I was freaking out. I mean, it was really the worst skin I\u2019ve ever had. I was sobbing, on antibiotics, on Accutane. One of the projects, I was playing Pam Anderson\u2019s son in this movie we did in Spain last year, and I remember, one day, the director, Karim A\u00efnouz, saw me upset in makeup\u2014I was so self-conscious\u2014he did the nicest thing he could have ever done, he was like: \u201cI love acne. Please, like, I love acne<\/a>, I love imperfections. I don\u2019t like when people look too pretty. In fact, if you\u2019re comfortable with it, can we just let this character have acne?\u201d It was such a relief to not feel like I had to hide my pimples. I remember I would come to work before hair and makeup and try to cover them up myself because I was so embarrassed.<\/p>\n

That is groundbreaking. It\u2019s so true. Nothing is actually \u201ccringe.\u201d Literally, \u201ccringing\u201d is the act of recoiling\u2014the awkwardness comes from rejecting reality. So, yeah, I guess they couldn\u2019t just, like, get rid of the acne in \u201cpost\u201d\u2014could they?<\/p>\n

For a superhero movie, they would fully be like, \u201cLet\u2019s just clean it in post.\u201d But indie productions don’t have the budget. Ultimately, I saw it and I was like\u2026I like it, I like the acne. It\u2019s kind of cute in a weird way!<\/p>\n

Totally. Has that perspective shift affected other stuff you tend to self-criticize?<\/p>\n

Yeah. I have dermatitis flares and it\u2019s annoying but ultimately I\u2019m not obsessing, being like, \u201cOh god, everyone\u2019s going to be like\u2014\u201d I just kind of surrender to it. Stressing makes it worse. And, like I said, it can be cute. Sometimes rosacea is just boyfriend-blush.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At the end of Lukas Gage\u2019s new memoir, I Wrote This for Attention, the TV star\u2019s comatose grandmother\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":216375,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[96,1991,102,42045,6636,53200,56,54,55,9011],"class_list":{"0":"post-216374","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-food","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-life-advice","12":"tag-nutrition","13":"tag-real-life-diet","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom","17":"tag-working-out"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}