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America Ferrera’s Weight Loss: How the “Barbie” Star Impressed Fans
Unlike celebrities who use crash diets and Ozempic to lose weight, America Ferrera’s weight loss journey focuses on healthy eating and exercise. Learn more.
Be it as the character of Gloria in Barbie, Ana in Real Women Have Curves, or Amy in Superstore, America Ferrera has never failed to entertain, mesmerize, and inspire her audience, while also making them relate with her immensely! Speaking of “inspire”, America Ferrera’s weight loss journey has been quite a talk of the town lately, and fans can’t help but be super curious about how she did it!
Mother of two, Ferrera’s body transformation appears to be a healthy and gradual one! It seems like she never used any crash diets or shortcuts such as Ozempic to aid in her weight loss but overhauled her lifestyle and focused on getting active in order to shed those pounds — and, we love how beautiful she looks!
In a nutshell, we can say that Ferrera’s amazing transformation as well as overall approach and attitude towards fitness is nothing short of inspiring. And, in this article, we have discussed in detail how she achieved this. Read on!
Who Is America Ferrera?
Among the most influential and talented Hispanic actresses in Hollywood, and an inspiration for people of color, America Ferrera kickstarted her career with the comedy drama Real Women Have Curves.
With that, she not only presented her prowess in the comedy genre but also caught the attention of fans as someone who didn’t fit the restrictive mold of Hollywood’s unrealistic beauty standards and stood out because of her authenticity.
Comedy dramas became prominent in her career with films like Gotta Kick It Up! (2002) and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005). However, it was only with her 2006-2010 comedy-drama series Ugly Betty that she gained immense popularity worldwide, got critically acclaimed, and won several awards.
Typically renowned for her performances in comedies, Ferrera challenged the stereotype with films like The Dry Land (2010), Our Family Wedding (2010), and End of the Watch (2012), which were received quite well by audiences and critics alike.
However, nothing compares to her recent impressive performance in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023), which surpassed all her previous successes and created a new record.
While the film continues to be a rage all around the globe, Ferrera earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the same.
America Ferrera Profile:
Age: 40
Occupation: Actress, director, and television producer
Birth Date: 18th April, 1984
Birth Place: Los Angeles, California
Spouse: Ryan Piers Williams
Children: Sebastian Piers Williams and Lucia Marisol Williams
Accolades:
- Golden Globes: Best Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy (2007)
- Primetime Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (2007)
- Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (2007)
- Critic’s Choice Movie Awards: Best Supporting Actress (2024)
How Did American Ferrera Lose Weight?
For most of her career, Ferrera wasn’t perceived as a mainstream actress as didn’t fit the “unrealistic” racial and physical standards of women in Hollywood, and was hence, always seen in niche and unconventional roles.
Moreover, Ferrera has frequently and frankly opened up about her distaste for Hollywood’s body standards for women. She mentioned that at the beginning of her career, she had a pretty average physique, and the industry typing her as “curvy” was indeed crazy. Several times, Ferrera also acknowledged that she wasn’t the only one facing this.
However, as the Ugly Betty star started reaching newer milestones in her career, we observed her get slimmer and align a little more with conventional beauty standards in the industry, perhaps with an endeavor of getting accepted in more mainstream roles of mass appeal.
Even so, Ferrera never did anything too extreme to achieve her physical transformation and has only gotten healthier since dropping 30 pounds of weight in recent years.
She achieved this through healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle, which never was a problem for Ferrera owing to her love for dancing, Zumba, and similar cardiovascular activities.
Studies demonstrate the protective and restorative effects of regular practice of cardiovascular exercises. These exercises are also linked with increased muscle and reduced fat, and help reduce inflammation, obesity, and diabetes (1), (2).
Ferrera said in a media interview that she didn’t work out as much as she imagined she would during her pregnancy. She was in a triathlon shape when she got pregnant and had a lot on her plate, so something had to be compromised.
This reflects how exercising has been an extremely important part of the Barbie star’s personal routine, which greatly impacted her weight loss post-pregnancy, too.
Did America Ferrera Use Ozempic for Weight Loss?
Like most celebrities who have lost weight, America Ferrera hasn’t been forgiven the speculation of Ozempic use by critics either. Despite the fact that Ferrera’s weight loss did not show any evidence of an extreme body change, which could be caused by the intake of a semaglutide or bariatric surgery, and looks quite healthy, this doesn’t prevent the cynical eyes of several audiences.
Nonetheless, it isn’t a great idea to jump to conclusions on this matter as Ferrera herself has never mentioned or spoken up about the use of any weight loss drug to aid her physical transformation. Besides, Ferrera has always been an advocate of a healthy body image and has always pursued overall health goals over the idea of a slimmer figure.
American Ferrera’s Diet Plan:
In an interview, Ferrera explained how changing her relationship with food helped her lose weight and simply get healthier overall. She actively avoids foods that make her feel sluggish and consumes items that keep her feeling nourished and energized.
She mentioned in the interview that more than anything, she just tries to be aware of how the things she eats make her feel. She leans towards foods that make her feel energized and avoids those that make her feel sluggish.
Typically, foods that are deep-fried, loaded with sugar, have a high glycemic index, or are highly processed and refined are the ones likely to make one feel sluggish and low in energy. White rice, white bread, and refined flour also contribute to this.
A study proves that while cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli have plenty of health benefits, they can make one feel gassy, bloated, and resultantly sluggish, which is why they should be included mindfully in one’s diet (3).
Another study shows that while foods with high glycemic index can spike energy levels temporarily, they can make you feel low in energy and sluggish soon after, while also having an adverse effect on your metabolism (4).
America Ferrera’s Workout Routine:
America Ferrera’s evolved relationship with exercise has been a far bigger milestone than her weight loss alone, as she really pushed herself out of her comfort zone to start loving this activity that she used to dread.
In several interviews, Ferrera has told the media how exercising for her was associated with anxiety and guilt when she earlier started her fitness journey. “For years, I was in a cycle of beating myself up,” she said.
However, the way the Ugly Betty star views exercise is entirely different! She sees exercising as something that makes her feel strong, alive, and beautiful. Instead of a punishment, it is an opportunity to get in tune with one’s body and experience joy in movement.
Moreover, Ferrera has mentioned in several interviews that she likes moving her body and tries to exercise at least once a day. Ferrera is at a place now where she enjoys working out to the fullest, and associates with fun and self-care.
Of all types of exercises, the ones that Ferrera particularly enjoys are dancing and Zumba. While she has an old love for dancing, spontaneous dance parties over the weekend is a fun tradition she has in her family, especially when it is dancing to Latino music.
While she gets reminiscent of her childhood days when her mom would wake everyone up on the weekends to loud salsa music, she is delighted that her family has had a tradition of these dance parties ever since her first kid (Sebastian) could stand up on his feet without anyone’s help. In addition to its health benefits, dancing is very close to Ferrera’s heart as it has traditional and cultural importance to her.
Ferrera recently even partnered with Zumba for its Zumba Beginnings program as she deems it as a fun and high-energy workout. Personally, she loves any form of exercise that consists of elaborate choreography, as it takes her mind off the fact that she is “exercising” and not simply having fun.
Moreover, when it comes to Zumba, Ferrera believes that it is not about being the best at dancing, which is precisely why anyone can do it. It is more about forming a discipline of regular exercise, sticking to it, and enjoying the gush of endorphins and untainted joy in working out.
A study published by the National Institutes of Health demonstrates that a regular practice of Zumba significantly improves respiratory function, enables maximum oxygen consumption of the body, reduces body fat, improves heart health, and boosts muscle efficiency (5).
Another study indicates that it may increase flexibility and muscular strength, too, in addition to overall aerobic capacity (6).
In addition to dance and Zumba, Ferrera also engages in other exercises such as strength training, endurance training, yoga, running, sprinting, and swimming.
America Ferrera on Hollywood’s Unrealistic Body Standards:
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star has often ridiculed the unrealistic and unhealthy body standards of Hollywood. She has mentioned how some women are applauded for being bold for simply having “real bodies” and embracing them.
She herself has been someone with an average body type in the industry and believes that it is crazy how she used to be considered “overweight” in the industry. Early on in her career, this unreasonable criticism caused Ferrera to have a very anxious relationship with fitness, which she started approaching with a healthier mindset after she began cherishing and embracing her body the way it was.
Even in her film Barbie (2023), her famous monologue goes, “You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin,” which speak volumes about how women not only in the film industry but also everywhere else feel about their appearance.
America Ferrera’s Before And After Weight Loss Photos:
Here are America Ferrera’s before and after weight loss photos.
Before:
After:
America Ferrera’s weight loss through healthy lifestyle practices and loads of exercise is truly an inspiration for fans who look forward to follow her footsteps. She is one of the very few people in the industry to dare to challenge the unrealistic body standards of the Hollywood industry and continue to thrive in her career without undergoing any extreme physical changes.
She is immensely confident and embraces how beautiful she looks without confining herself to any mold. All in all, her health journey is truly an inspiration for her fans!
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