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Shannon Beador’s Weight Loss: How She Lost 14 lbs with a Clean Diet
After her DUI arrest and personal life crises, Shannon Beador’s weight loss became her stepping stone for a happy life. Read about her transformation secrets.
For many people, weight loss is a way to enhance their physical appearance whereas for others it is a way to improve their overall health and longevity. Shannon Beador’s weight loss journey has been a way for her to relinquish the adversities of her past life, over all other reasons.
Her weight gain of 40 pounds, stress-eating habits, and issues with alcoholism had been a constant reminder of all the pain she had endured in her life, including her broken marriage with David Beador and frayed friendships with Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson. By eating better, working out, and keeping alcohol at bay, she took a major step towards happiness. Her commitment and hard work ensured that she accomplished her goals. Let’s learn more about it!
Who Is Shannon Beador?
A fresh appearance in season nine of The Real Housewives of Orange County, Shannon Storms Beador joined the cast of the show as Vicki Gunvalson’s friend. Over the seasons, she became among the longest-airing cast members, especially after the exit of Gunvalson and Tamra Judge in season fourteen.
Beador introduced herself as a bold, fearless mother on the show with a natural, holistic life approach. She used to have frequent appointments with Dr. Moon, who was her Feng Shui doctor. In addition to her tattering marriage with her husband David Beador, Shannon’s 40-pound weight gain, cosmetic procedures, and DUI arrest were some of the highlights of the show.
However, it is notable how despite facing heartaches with her husband’s affair, strained friendship with Vicki Gunvalson, health concerns, divorce, break-ups, etc., Shannon emerged as a strong individual who fought these problems and built a happier life for herself. She has also been seen as a caring mother who helped her eldest daughter Sophie and twins Stella and Adeline through college.
Among the several victories in her personal life, Shannon Beador’s weight loss of 14 pounds has been a recent and significant one. Beador hasn’t reached her goal weight yet but has gotten extremely close to achieving it, which makes her feel very grateful. Let’s learn about her weight loss journey in detail.
How Had Shannon Beador Gained Weight?
When Shannon joined the RHOC, she was very much in shape and had a really healthy physique, in spite of being a mother of three. Despite the various struggles she went through on the show, she managed to take good care of her health and maintain her physique — she had never been more than size 4. Meanwhile, Shannon had also been trying to make things work in her marriage with David Beador and was going for couple’s counseling for a while.
However, things went downhill with her health as her friendship with Vicki Gunvalson fractured. The rumors spread by Gunvalson that David Beador was a physically abusive husband got Shannon Beador extremely upset. To cope with this, she started stress-eating and found solace in alcoholism.
Research explains that emotional eating refers to a coping mechanism wherein a stressed individual seeks instant gratification in palatable foods, especially those high in sugar and fat content (1). This, however, is only a vicious cycle as poor eating habits can swiftly lead to weight gain and body image issues, causing further stress — and, that’s what happened in Shannon’s case. Her emotional distress caused her to put on 40 lbs along with a drinking problem.
The TV personality had seldom been on the scale before, so, weighing herself after a dramatic weight gain in just one year came as a massive shock. She held no one accountable for this but herself as she admitted to overeating and messing up her lifestyle on her own. Not only did she gain a lot of weight, but she was also on the fast track for diabetes and heart disease.
However, the reality star did attribute her stress to Gunvalson and claimed that her accusations of David Beader were false! Despite her ending relationship with David, Shannon defended him saying that they both had been through a lot, referring to their marriage issues getting exposed to the masses.
To make matters worse, in season 18, the reality star was arrested in a DUI case and had to consequently attend a nine-month alcohol treatment program (which some refer to as an outpatient rehab). This strained her friendship with Tamra Judge, who was another contestant on the show and a close friend of Shannon. The reality star even mentioned that after her drink-and-drive incident, Tamra was very wary of being around her and felt like she was walking on eggshells, which is why the two are never likely to become friends again.
That said, after hitting rock bottom, Shannon took the pains to brush herself up and move on in life with a positive outlook. She publicly apologized to her friends for her misconduct and stated that she was on track for self-improvement, starting with weight loss.
Read More: Snooki’s Weight Loss: Weight Training, HIIT, Protein-rich Diet, Etc.
Shannon Beador’s Dramatic Weight Loss
The scale has never been Shannon Beador’s friend. Hence, it is no wonder that weighing herself to be 172.2 lbs after a prolonged emotionally challenging phase in life, the reality star felt absolutely crestfallen. While the weight itself was not so devastating to Shannon, the 40-percent higher body fat percentage along with diabetes and cardiac issues came as a massive setback. Hence, Shannon took it upon herself to achieve a 40-pound weight loss and go back to her old body.
Following her crash and arrest, Shannon decided to cut out all toxic things from her life, including alcohol. While at BravoCon 2023, her 28-day behavioral wellness program (which also had an alcohol component) helped her spot the unhealthy elements of her life, thereby enabling her to get rid of them.
She supplemented her weight loss journey with Real for Real mineral aid — products from her own franchise, which she used for detoxification. Plus, she consulted Dr. Bar in Newport Beach to get her hormones balanced, which were disrupted as a consequence of her previous lifestyle.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine demonstrates the close correlation between lifestyle, weight fluctuations, hormonal fluctuations, and cognitive behavior therapy that is related to stress and emotional well-being (2). This underlines the importance of having a holistic approach towards health, demonstrating that weight loss cannot be isolated from overall physical and mental health.
In the season 12 fall reunion in 2019, the reality star opened up to host Andy Cohen that she had already shed 25 lbs of her excess weight, mentioning that she had 15 lbs more to go. In the wake of the pandemic, she further improved her lifestyle, as the lockdown allowed her much time and space to exercise intensely and eat clean. Her then-boyfriend, John Janssen, supported her fitness regime immensely, and they both used to go to the same trainer. She also cut back on alcohol significantly to lose weight and get healthier.
Her healthy lifestyle changes showed incredible results, as the mother of three successfully shed 14 lbs, according to an Instagram story she shared in 2022. She mentioned that while she is excited about her weight loss, she has a little more to go to get to the finish line — losing 40 pounds in all! By now, the reality star has pretty much gotten rid of all the excess weight she had put on, and we have to admit — she looks fabulous!
Fans’ And Critics’ Reaction on Shannon Beador’s Weight Gain
Shannon Beador’s weight gain had elicited a lot of harsh criticism from fans. Many people accused her of getting breast augmentation surgery due to the increase in her breast size. Others believed that she got facial fillers to look younger, explaining her plumper face. Busting all these myths, the reality star opened up saying that it was all because of her weight gain, which naturally changes a lot of things about one’s appearance.
Some people speculated that following her car crash, Shannon had to get plastic surgery to recover from the injury. To this, she clarified that she never went under the knife. That said, the reality star did admit to getting a facelift as she wanted to improve the appearance of her sagging skin.
Read More: 50 Cent’s Weight Loss Secret: How He Lost 43 lbs without Ozempic
Like in the case of many celebrities, critics seldom attribute one’s weight loss transformation to hard work and a healthy diet and accuse them of using weight loss drugs. Shannon Beador has been no exception to this. However, the reality star has slammed such accusations several times, reassuring her fans that she never used any weight loss medications like Ozempic, or other weight loss shortcuts for that matter. She purely attributes the change in her appearance to an improved lifestyle after her DUI incident.
On an Instagram post that Shannon put up, shedding light on her physical transformation, an online troll commented: “Ozempic for sure.” To this, the star simply responded, “Nope.” Other harsh comments went as follows:
“Ozempic or Monjuaro?”
“Nice try!!! It’s definitely Ozempic.”
“Dumped again ask yoursef why men just cant stick you”
“Have you used Ozempic at all?”
“How many spanx on today?”
“I see Ozempic works wonders”
“Monjauro ftw!”
“I know that ozempic is the hot weight loss drug right now. It's meant for diabetes type 2 patients. For one, you don't know the side effects of it in the long run and also once you stop taking it you gain the weight back plus more. Plus it's selfish for patients who need it that can't get it.”
“Shannon is looking like the classic plastic surgery obsessed middle aged woman. Cat woman is next unless you STOP NOW.”
Fortunately, some devout fans defended her online, shutting trolls for their presumptuous hate comments. Many people have shown much support and admiration for Shannon’s journey. The comments go as follows:
“Look beautiful. Better than Ever”
“Shannon don’t listen to these haters you’ve come extremely far in you’re journey ! You bounced back baby good for you !!!”
“You’re back! Absolutely amazing! You are looking better then ever”
“You look absolutely amazing, gorgeous stunning your body looks so hot!!! I have recently also lost about 40 pounds in the last like seven months and I’m so happy with it!!! I have to tell you the watching you be so tiny like I used to be and then getting a little bit bigger same thing happened to me!!! Through it all I stayed happy because I watched you saying happy through all the different sizes that you’ve been!!! It was an amazing journey for you and I thank you so much for sharing it with us!! OK when does the new season start Shannon?? I cannot wait can’t wait! OK honey have a wonderful day bye-bye”
“Jeeezzzaaaa, just gotta say....... some of the nasty comments on here against a beautiful, confident, strong woman! It would be real nice if nasty people could just shhhhhush. People just living thier lives out here. Be nice for God's sake.”
What We Know About Shannon Beador’s Diet
Different people who lose weight have different theories about how much importance diet and exercise have in their routine, respectively. According to Shannon Beador, it’s 99 percent diet and one percent exercise! Not only does she attribute most of her weight loss transformation to eating clean and healthy, but she also believes that healthy food can be tasty too, if you make it right. She says that you can have a protein-rich food, a vegetable, and a little bit of starch for an overall satisfying and flavorful meal.
The following are some features of Shannon Beador’s diet that we know of. Let’s break it down—
1. Plant-based: While we don’t know for sure whether Shannon Beador is a vegetarian or a vegan, we do know that plant-based food makes up most of her meals. Research shows that a high-quality plant-based diet comprising complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, lentils, and legumes is directly linked with weight loss and low BMI. Other health benefits include improvement in blood pressure and cholesterol, high intake of vitamin B12 and calcium, as well as dietary fiber and other essential micronutrients (3).
Moreover, plant-based diets are ideal for people at risk of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, which is pretty much also what Shannon struggled with after weight gain (4).
2. Gluten-free: In addition to following a largely plant-based diet, Shannon was also mindful about incorporating foods that are gluten-free.
Now, gluten-free diets have become a fad in recent times. Following such a diet is important for people with gluten-related diseases such as celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, wheat allergy, gluten ataxia, etc. Plus, research has also noted enhanced physical performance and weight loss in individuals who swear off gluten (5)
However, excessive gluten avoidance in people who are not intolerant to it might even cause adverse health effects such as issues with gut permeability, inflammation, etc. (6). Besides, gluten-free diets completely take away complex carbohydrates like regular oats, barley, and rye off the table, which can deprive people of their nutritional benefits, resulting in more harm than benefit (5).
3. Dairy-free: Similar to gluten, dairy too, has gotten a bad rap over the years. More and more people are opting for dairy-free foods, and Shannon Beador has joined the club. According to research published on ScienceDirect, a large portion of the world’s population is lactose intolerant, a condition that often goes undiagnosed and worsens with regular consumption of dietary lactose such as dairy (7).
However, a dairy-free diet makes it very difficult to meet one’s daily calcium intake and nutritional needs such as protein, probiotics, phosphorous, vitamin D, etc (8). Besides, not all dairy products cause issues in people with lactose intolerance, such as yogurt and cheese (8).
Further, anecdotal evidence and opinions of several health experts suggest that the severity of lactose intolerance varies a great deal from individual to individual, and occasional bouts of intolerance in the gut shouldn’t be the only reason to skip nutritious dairy products in one’s diet. Hence, while the strategy seems to have worked for Shannon, it is not necessarily recommendable for everyone trying to lose weight.
4. Soy-free: It is next to impossible for a plant-based diet to be free of both dairy and soy, while also fulfilling one’s daily protein requirements. Yet, somehow, Shannon Beador’s diet curiously makes the cut — or, at least that’s what she claims. While most vegetarian and vegan diets are largely dependent on soy foods, some people are critical of it due to the belief that soy can disrupt one’s hormones.
Research, however, doesn’t show any strong evidence supporting that soy foods indeed cause hormonal problems. Instead, a study by Nutrients shows that soy foods are excellent for health and recommended for everyone except those who are allergic to them (9).
5. Protein, Vegetables, And a Bit of Starch: Shannon Beador has often vaguely described her typical meals as a portion of protein, some vegetables, and a little bit of starch. This is indeed a healthy approach to one’s diet. However, the importance of healthy fats and complex carbohydrates should not be overlooked, either.
6. Seasoning And Sauce: Lastly, the reality star believes in not letting one’s weight loss meals go bland. Hence, she likes to amp up her foods with some seasoning and sauces, thereby boosting their flavor.
In addition to these foods, Shannon would also consume Real for Real’s nutritional aid to curb hunger pangs and lose weight. Now that we’ve discussed Shannon Beador’s diet in detail, let’s learn a bit about her exercise regime.
What We Know About Shannon Beador’s Exercise Regime
In addition to following a healthy diet, Shannon Beador also engaged in a lot of exercise to stay fit and active. This was effective in countering the health issues facing her when she paused going to the gym during her stressful period on RHOC. She used to consult her trainer Dr. Tim Ramirez and would get in a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise each day.
However, her relationship with her trainer hasn’t been short of controversial either. On one of Shannon’s Instagram posts about her weight gain, her trainer Ramirez commented “Wow.” This was perceived by the reality star’s fans as sarcastic mockery, which resulted in slamming him online.
Later, Shannon defended her trainer on an online platform, saying that people have misunderstood his comment and that Ramirez has been nothing but supportive of her on her health journey.
To keep her health in check, Shannon adopted walking downhill as an excellent way to shed calories. While there isn’t further information available about her exercise regime, speculations suggest that her regime comprised a balanced combination of strength training and cardio exercises.
Shannon Beador’s Before And After Weight Loss Photos
Before:
After:
We’re extremely glad that Shannon Beador’s weight loss endeavors came to fruition and helped her shed all the weight she had put on during the dark phase of her life. The shedding of those pounds was symbolic of her letting go of the ghosts of her past, thereby opening doors to a brighter future. Even in the sixth decade of her life, Shannon looks absolutely young and more gorgeous than ever. The healthy habits she adopted are indeed making her glow!
Sources:
1. Stress and Eating Behaviors - PMC
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4214609/
2. Levels of hormones regulating appetite and energy homeostasis in response to a 1.5-Year combined lifestyle intervention for obesity - PMC
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9986487/
3. A Look at Plant-Based Diets - PMC
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8210981/
4. Nutritional Update for Physicians: Plant-Based Diets - PMC
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/
5. The Gluten-Free Diet: Fad or Necessity? - PMC
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5439366/
6.Health Benefits and Adverse Effects of a Gluten-Free Diet in Non–Celiac Disease Patients
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5866307/
7. Considerations for development of lactose-free food - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352385918300069
8. Effects of Dairy Products Consumption on Health: Benefits and Beliefs — A Commentary from the Belgian Bone Club and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4703621/
9. Soy and Health Update: Evaluation of the Clinical and Epidemiologic Literature - PMC
