As Wade gets back into 'Heat shape,' Riley says 'We're back to veggies'

With the Cavaliers in his rearview mirror, Dwyane Wade has no need for the extra body fat that's helped him endure a winter in Cleveland - especially now that he's back in South Beach.

With Wade back with the Miami Heat, it didn't take long for team president Pat Riley to tell the three-time champion "You just ate your last meal of pancakes with syrup and with whip cream and strawberries on top. We're back to veggies," according to Anthony Chiang of the Palm Beach Post.

Wade, now 36, is nearing the end of his career. After spending the first 13 seasons of his prestigious career in Miami, Wade moved on to a season with his hometown Chicago Bulls and half a season with the Cleveland Cavaliers before being traded to the Heat. And he's been trimming the fat since his triumphant return.

"I've leaned down," Wade said. "It wasn't my weight. It was body fat more than anything. I've leaned down for sure and I'll continue."

Through 13 seasons and 855 games with the Heat, Wade averaged 35.7 minutes per game. In his seven games since returning? Just 23 minutes per game. But at this point, his conditioning isn't what it used to be. And it's something he expects to fix by season's end.

"It was what my sixth game (Tuesday)? It's going to take me a little while to get there," He said. "I thought I played 35 minutes last night. I looked and it was 25. But I definitely have put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes to get to that point and I’ll be getting better as the year goes on."

The Heat are 3-4 since Wade's return. He's averaging 13.6 points and 4.1 rebounds, but has stepped up the scoring the past two games, scoring 27 and 25, respectively.