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Melissa McCarthy Weight Loss: How the Bridesmaids Star Shed 70 lbs
After losing a whopping 70 pounds, Melissa McCarthy now doesn’t do any restrictive dieting. Here’s everything about Melissa McCarthy's weight loss journey.
Mellisa McCarthy, the beloved Bridesmaids star is no longer fascinated by fad diets and feels confident the way she is. Mellisa McCarthy's weight loss journey began in the early 2000s and after reportedly losing about 70 pounds with a liquid diet, she revealed that she doesn’t ever want to try fad diets again and wants to be a role model for her kids. The Emmy Award winner is a huge advocate for the body positivity movement and chooses to focus on overall health instead of worrying about weight fluctuations.
But this shift in mentality didn’t come overnight — from being a victim to body shaming mentality to accepting herself, the Gilmore Girls star has come a long way. But before jumping to her weight loss journey, let’s first take a quick look at her career highlights and profile!
Who Is Melissa McCarthy?
Melissa Ann McCarthy is an American actress, producer, comedian, and screenwriter. She was born in Plainfield, Illinois, U.S., and started her career with comedy in Los Angeles. She started appearing in movies in the 1990s and rose to fame with the American comedy-drama TV series, Gilmore Girls. She is widely known for her spectacular performances in Mike & Molly, Bridesmaids, and Can You Ever Forgive Me? Recipient of various prestigious awards including the Primetime Emmy Award, she is regarded as one of the most popular and versatile actors. Melissa is married to the American actor, Ben Falcone, and the couple has 2 daughters, Vivian and Georgette.
Melissa McCarthy Profile
Name: Melissa Ann McCarthy
Age: 53
Birthday: August 26, 1970
Birthplace: Plainfield, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation: Actress, Screenwriter, Producer
Melissa McCarthy Weight Loss Journey: What Made Her Lose Weight?
Melissa once candidly revealed that despite being a sportsperson, she fell victim to body shaming when she was in high school. That made her worry a lot about her weight and she battled those thoughts throughout high school. When she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, she started eating unhealthy food didn’t indulge in walking at all, and gained 25 pounds.
It is a no-brainer fact that eating an unhealthy diet and leading a sedentary lifestyle makes one gain weight quickly along with inviting a plethora of health problems including diabetes, blood pressure problems, thyroid, heart problems, and so on (1), (2). When Melissa McCarthy gained weight, she was eager to lose it and was willing to try anything to shed pounds and look slimmer.
How Did Melissa McCarthy Lose Weight?
In the 2000s, when she got cast for Glimore Girls, she resorted to an all-liquid diet to lose weight and get a slim waist— this was done under the supervision of her doctor. She revealed in an interview that back then, she would consume only 500 calories a day and this made her lose 70 pounds in just 4 months.
A liquid diet is a popular diet characterized by consuming fluids and foods in liquid form to shed excess weight. According to a study, liquid meal replacements in weight loss diets can help lose body weight and lead to a modest reduction in BMI and waist circumference (3).
“Liquid diets lack fiber, a nutrient that improves our digestive health, keeps regular bowel movements, and keeps us feeling full. Fiber also assists in the prevention of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and bowel cancer,” says our expert contributor Jade Harman, a nutritionist specializing in weight loss.
Having said that, a calorie-deficit diet like a liquid diet can turn out to be dangerous if not undertaken medical guidance. Hence, it’s important to seek the help of a medical professional when trying any diet for weight loss.
Melissa too admitted that even though the diet was approved by her doctor and helped her get the figure she had wanted, it was a drastic change that she would never want to undergo ever again. She revealed that she felt starved and crazy the entire time she was on the diet and would never want to burn fat with the help of such diets ever in her life again.
In an industry where it’s easy to go under the knife and indulge in quick fixes for weight loss, McCarthy wanted to lose weight gradually. When Melissa McCarthy lost weight in 2015, fans again were curious to know the weight loss methods she was trying.
In an interview, she explained that the trick is simple — she doesn’t really worry a lot about her weight, saying that her weight has fluctuated a lot in the past 10 years but that doesn’t really bother her now. She further revealed that she isn’t in a rush to shed pounds and that her boring life — going to bed at 7:30 pm and not taking any stress has worked great for her.
While it may seem like a small thing, stress indeed can cause a variety of health issues, including obesity. In fact, chronic stress can make people indulge in unhealthy eating habits, thereby leading to weight gain and other health issues (4). Listening to the needs of your body and taking things slow can actually help you lose weight and stay healthy.
Melissa understood this and hence she is now a huge proponent of body positivity and has admitted the fact that weight fluctuations are a part and parcel of everybody’s lives and should not be taken very seriously.
Melissa McCarthy Diet And Fitness Routine
Melissa candidly once said that she has been every size in the world and now instead of trying extreme diets, she doesn’t want to over worry about her body shape and feel content in her skin. Her weight loss doesn’t include any fad diets, calorie restrictions, or intense gym sessions — as mentioned above, she just shifted her focus from trying to be slim to wanting to be healthy and that did the magic for her. As already revealed above, she admitted that stress can play a vital role in making you gain weight and changing simple things like not worrying about weight actually worked for her. “Stress can lead to disinhibited eating and chronic stress can contribute to increased weight gain and abdominal fat. Chronic stress is known to alter our food intake patterns due to the rewarding properties of food,” continues Harman.
After falling into the trap of a calorie-deficit liquid diet, she is no longer a fan of losing weight with so-called fad diets. Instead, she doesn’t diet at all and focuses on eating a balanced meal. She regularly consumes lean protein, healthy fats, and lots of fiber, along with fruits and vegetables. Well, looking at her diet, it’s no wonder that she maintains a great shape and looks radiant.
Contributor: Jade Harman
A diet filled with proteins, fiber, fruits, and vegetables not only keeps the BMI in check but also keeps diabetes, heart issues, muscle issues, gut problems, and thyroid at bay (5), (6).
When Melissa landed her role in the movie Spy, she upscaled herself with her fitness routine by starting training with a martial arts instructor. As far as her regular fitness routine is concerned, she loves to switch things up at the gym. In an interview, she revealed that she is a huge fan of “piloxing” (a combination of pilates and boxing). She exercises regularly and makes sure to workout at least 30 minutes a day most days of the week. Melissa loves tennis as well and admits to doing things that are fun.
Read More: Bella Hadid Weight Loss: How She Shed the Extra 20 Pounds
How Did Melissa McCarthy Weight Loss Journey Affect Her Well-being?
Melissa McCarthy losing weight really did become the talk of the town when she lost around 70 pounds, but looking at the journey now — the 53-year-old actor doesn’t promote fad diets and advocates body positivity to gain self-confidence.
Even though the doctor-advised-all-liquid diet made her lose a lot of pounds, she felt crazy all the time. She has even admitted that she has had her share of problems finding designers to dress her for big award functions.
But eventually, she started concentrating on self-acceptance and confessed that she feels the most beautiful when she is herself. During an interview, she said that she loves all of it: her flaws, shortcomings, and body. As someone who has had her share of problems in the industry due to her weight, she doesn’t want young girls to feel the same. Once during an interview, she said that girls and women shouldn’t feel about themselves based on how they look and further emphasized that being healthy and embracing your body type is important to lead a happy life.
In fact, recently when she shared her picture along with her choreographer on Instagram, fans were quick to react to the picture and called her all things beautiful. However, one comment sparks controversy — Barbra Streisand, the renowned star, commented on Melissa’s post asking if she has taken Ozempic, one of the most popular weight loss drugs to lose weight. Fans definitely weren’t pleased with the comment and expressed their displeasure in the comments section.
Later, the comment got deleted, however, Melissa didn’t take the comment to heart. In fact, a few days later, Melissa posted a fun-filled video on Instagram wherein she was reading a copy of Barbara: Celebrating an icon.
From being someone who wanted to lose weight desperately to supporting body positivity, Melissa has surely come a long way and we hope she keeps passing such good words of wisdom to inspire people across all ages.
Melissa McCarthy weight loss journey shows that there is no quick fix for weight loss — and if there is, it can’t ever surpass the importance of a healthy diet and weight loss regimen. Plus, her weight loss journey reminds us that taking things slow and not letting weight fluctuations take a toll on our mental health helps us stay healthy and happy in the long run. After trying a liquid diet and losing a whopping 70 pounds, Melissa didn’t really feel good and ditched such fad diets, resorting to healthy eating habits and leading a carefree life. We hope her journey serves as a motivation to all trying to lose weight, helping them take it easy and not let body fat take away their confidence and charm.
Sources:
1. The Hidden Dangers of Fast and Processed Food
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6146358/
2. Lack of exercise is a major cause of chronic diseases
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4241367/
3. The Effect of Liquid Meal Replacements on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Overweight/Obese Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30923163/
4. Stress and Obesity: Are There More Susceptible Individuals?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5958156/
5. The Health Benefits of Dietary Fibre
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7589116/
6. Fruit and Vegetable Intake: Benefits and Progress of Nutrition Education Interventions- Narrative Review Article
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4644575/
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