The Real-Life Diet of David Dobrik, Who is Skipping Workouts and Eating Watermelon Sandwiches

It’s very difficult not to laugh while talking to David Dobrik. After just a few minutes of talking, the charm and sincerity that made the low-key everyman a YouTube sensation are clear. And, sincerely: He is not a gym rat. “I was supposed to work out with my trainer today, but you called so I cancelled on it,” he says. “So, thank God for that.”

He got his start on Vine, but Dobrik is best known for his YouTube vlogs, which have gone from pranks on his friends to and giving away cars and driving around L.A. with Kylie Jenner. Over the years he’s amassed almost 18 million subscribers on YouTube, spinning the aforementioned charm to a truly massive audience. However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dobrik stopped making vlogs. He’s decided to pause on his YouTube channel and take some time to experiment with other platforms and stay safe from the virus.

He talked to GQ on how he’s filling his days during the pandemic, dealing with the stress of the YouTube grind, and winding down with his favorite candle.

For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and everyone in-between about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.

GQ: What's your average day look like during the pandemic?

David Dobrik: My average day feels like it's just day and night. During the day, I'm waiting for it to become night and then at night, I'm waiting for it to become morning. It's getting so repetitive.

Usually I wake up around 10 or 11. I work with my roommate and we'll get on some Zoom calls. And then usually they'll go out and go on a run or they'll go work in the backyard and I'll make some sort of excuse where I have to shower, or I have to do some more important things [laughs]. But there have been a lot of days in a row where I've used some excuses to skip that part of the day.

Actually, I was supposed to work out with my trainer today, but you called so I cancelled on it. So, thank God for that.

Happy I could do that for you.

Next month, you know, I'll work with the trainer next month. There's gonna be lots of months in the future. I'm not the best at working out. I absolutely hate working out. I should say that: I hate lifting weights. I hate doing sit ups. I just don’t understand activities where there's no clear goal or game involved. I love, love playing basketball and soccer. I love sports for a purpose and there's a winner or a loser in that moment. There's something about lifting weights that I find it's so boring. I just end up getting so angry by the end of it.

That's so funny to me, part of me has been dying during this whole thing because I can't lift weights. I'm like: I’m gonna go to the gym and I have this super structured program that I'm following. It's all about certain numbers I need to be hitting.

Why do you do it? Are you seeing serious body changes? Is it like, the second you see a little change in your body you're addicted to it now? How does that work?

I enjoy the numbers aspect of it. I love watching like the strength gains you can make—being like last month I couldn't lift this but now I can.

What you've done is you've built a game into what you're doing. So you go and you're competing against yourself, which is cool. I could never do it [laughs].

This is a “me” thing. I don't think anybody's ever had this problem, but when I grip weights and I'm like "Okay, I'm benching something." I get really in my head. I think about my hand around the weight and I think about how my veins are bending around the weight, and how the inside of my hand is looking and it grosses me out so much.

I don't think I’ve ever heard somebody say that before.

I really love tennis, and tennis before quarantine happened. The courts were open and I could go out with a pro to play. It's a three-in-one because you get a work out, you have fun, and you get a tan. My favorite part about coming back from tennis is looking tan. I don't know why, I just love it, it feels like an added bonus.

Honestly, quarantine has just been a lot of sitting around. It's gotten to the point where I don't think I've watched a movie in a good three weeks now too, because I cannot find anything to watch. I can’t sit through a movie anymore. I've been playing a lot of video games with my friend. I play Call of Duty at night for like, three, four hours with my hometown friends. Which actually has been the best because I haven't seen them. It feels like summer break from when I was in high school because I literally talked to them overnight. It's been a nice silver lining.

I know you're not making vlogs at the moment. What have you been doing to fill that time and stay creative?

I've been leaning more heavily on Instagram stories and TikTok. TikTok especially is like the new age of entertainment for people from the ages of ten to thirty. So I've kind of been doing that and I actually really enjoy it. It's a lot less pressure than making a vlog and it brings out the organic creativity where you're just kind of doing it just for no reason. You know what I mean? There's a lot less pressure on it and it just feels fun.

TikTok especially feels like you can kind of just take an idea really fast and get it up there. A random kid from South Carolina can make one joke that is the best joke of his life and now everyone will hear it.

Has it helped you stay connected with your audience at this time?

Yeah, I think it's really important to stay in the eyes of my audience, at least every day a couple times. I get worried because I feel like there wouldn't be that outlet for me to create stuff.

It's been so difficult to be creative at this time. There's justf no motivation and I don't know how some people like managed to do that right now.

Even when I think about making vlogs again, I just cannot think of a single idea. I'm especially bad when I'm not under pressure—given all this time to think about me not being able to execute anything just puts me in a weird spot.

Do you feel less stressed not having to make vlogs right now?

I don't know, that's a tough answer. On one hand part of me is less stressed that I don't have to upload vlogs more frequently. But then another part of me is more stressed thinking about coming back to it. My favorite time in my life was when I was making three videos a week, and I was so stressed out. When you get to do something you love and you're so stressed out because there's so much opportunity and work in it, that is the best feeling and I kind of miss that.

Do you think after this is all over the way you make work is gonna change?

If you'd asked me this two months ago, I would have said no. Now with this taking so long, I don't know the answer to that. You know, some people tell me that things won't go back to normal till 2022. When is normal? I'm probably gonna have to pivot soon, make some changes and do things differently. I think a lot of people are gonna have to reevaluate the way they do things heading out on the other side of this.

I've heard from multiple people that you are an absolutely massive Chipotle fan.

Oh, yeah, yes, that's all we get as takeout. It's Chipotle a couple times a week usually. I never really eat breakfast. You know, it's usually a lunch, a dinner, and then a 2 a.m. dinner. I guess realistically, I do have breakfast, but that's more of my lunch just because I wake up a little later now. My days just moved over a couple hours.

Have you been cooking at all?

No, absolutely no cooking [laughs].

Anything else you've been doing to fill your time recently?

I've recently started to take baths. I think those are fun. I mean, I've only taken two or three baths during quarantine but that is the most zen I have ever been my entire life. I'll even go as far as lighting a candle.

Do you have a specific candle?

Oh yeah, it’s Santal, from Le Labo. Oh my god—it's so good. Oh and one of my favorite snacks lately is watermelon and bread, which I get is a little unusual but it's incredible.

Wait. You put watermelon on bread?

Well, yeah I mean I'm pretty advanced when eating it. I throw the watermelon in my mouth first and then make some room and put the bread on the other side of my mouth. I'm a pro. Sometimes I'll make a sandwich out of it, I'll take the watermelon and wrap bread around it. It's so good. I don't know why.

Do you ever do the watermelon and salt thing? I love that.

Oh no, no, I can't do that. No. That doesn't feel right for me, just the bread. I've had a weird fascination with bread because I was born in Slovakia, so bread was what you ate with every meal. It's like no matter what it is, there's bread everywhere. Late at night I would always sneak down to the kitchen and I would just take four slices of bread. It's not like that bullshit American white bread. That would always be the best and with watermelon it's like, perfect. I love soggy bread. You should give it a shot.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

At least, when he's not coordinating charitable food deliveries, walking his dogs, and doing puzzles. 

Originally Appeared on GQ