From green teas to keto diets and intermittent fasting, celebs haven't been shy about their
methods for dropping pounds.
But who was so committed to their dream physique that they hopped states to get it?
Adele may have gone through an enormous physical transformation, but she's made it clear that
society had no impact on her decision to lose weight.
In an interview on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Adele admitted her 100-pound weight loss was
triggered by a need to focus her attention on something following the end of her marriage.
"In that process of having, you know, lost all of that weight, it definitely really contributed
towards getting my mind right."
The "Easy on Me" singer revealed that she suffered anxiety attacks and went to the gym
as a way to cope with her mental stress following her divorce, which was finalized in 2021.
She told Winfrey,
"I didn't have any anxiety when I was with [my personal trainer] at the gym.
It became my time."
The Grammy-award-winning artist said a combination of weight lifting and cardio helped her shed the weight.
There was lots of online chatter about her transformation, something she admitted she
wasn't surprised by.
"I'm not shocked or even phased by it because my body has been objectified my entire career."
While some people admire the star for her weight loss journey or even look to her for
advice, Adele doesn't want to become a role model for others looking to lose weight.
She says,
"It's not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies.
[...] I'm trying to sort my own life out, I can't have another worry, another thing
to try and nail — I can't."
Charles Barkley spent 16 years in the NBA in top shape, but, in retirement, the former
basketball player confronted a harsh reality about his health.
Barkley, who works as an NBA analyst, opened up about losing nearly 60 pounds on the Turner
Sports' pregame show, admitting that his doctor confronted him about being overweight.
Barkley recalled,
"She said to me, 'There's no fat old people, only fat young people.'
And she said, 'If you don't get this stuff together you're not gonna be around.'"
Barkley admitted on the Dan Patrick Show that he used the prescription drug Mounjaro to
help him shed the pounds, saying,
"I started at 352.
And I'm down to 290.
I'm starting to feel like a human being."
"My goal is to get to 270.
And 270 - you don't drop dead, hopefully, being 20 pounds overweight."
While Barkley may know a thing or two about scoring baskets, he knows less about the drug
he's injecting himself with, something he copped to on The Pat McAfee Show, saying,
"I have zero idea what it does."
Mounjaro is a prescription drug similar to the popular celebrity weight loss drug Ozempic
in that it works to suppress appetite and change metabolism rates.
It's taken by injection, and it's intended for people diagnosed with diabetes.
Billy Gardell is hard to recognize after his physical transformation.
The Mike & Molly star lost over 150 pounds since the pandemic, and he said he was inspired
to do so to reduce the risks associated with the Coronavirus.
A decade ago, Gardell weighed nearly 400 pounds.
He admitted to Entertainment Tonight that he changed his relationship with food to transform his body.
"I think you gotta find peace with yourself and at some point, look in the mirror and
go, 'You know, it's probably time to take care of you.'
And I didn't get that note early on."
Gardell says he believes it's never too late to get the message and make lifestyle changes,
that what's important is that you eventually do make those changes for your own health
and wellbeing.
Since starting his weight loss journey, the actor revealed he no longer has type 2 diabetes
and has dramatically reduced his resting heart rate.
While he still smokes cigarettes, he told Entertainment Tonight he plans on cutting
down on his vices to be present for his son, saying,
"When you hit 50, you start doing that dad math, like, 'If I can live 25 more years,
and he'll be 40.'
[...] I want to be here for him.
I've been an example in a lot of good ways for my child, but I feel like I wasn't a good
example of health for him.
And so I want him to see that."
Randy Jackson underwent a huge weight-loss transformation nearly two decades ago, and
he's managed to keep the pounds off.
The former American Idol judge underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2003 after being diagnosed
with type 2 diabetes.
The surgery helped him lose over 100 pounds.
In a 2022 interview with People, Jackson said,
"It's a great jump starter.
You lose a bunch of weight really fast, but maintaining's another thing because you get
there and your mind tells you, 'Okay, phew.
I'm here now.
I can start to party and bring out the cheesecakes."
Jackson kept the weight off by prioritizing healthy foods and focusing on his gut health.
He also changed his relationship to food without fad diets or completely swearing off all sweets, saying,
"If I really feel like I need to have a piece of candy, I have a small piece so that in
my mind, I'm not saying, 'No, no, no.'
The more you deny yourself, the more you're going to go on a bender and have 18 candy
bars without stopping at some point."
In 2019, Jackson co-founded Unify Health Labs, a company that offers weight-loss supplements.
Like several others during the pandemic, Quinton Aaron struggled with his eating habits.
The Blind Side star admitted to TMZ that he'd binge-eat jumbo-sized KitKat and Reese's packs,
indulge in chocolate desserts, and consume large portions of bread in his worst moments, saying,
"I used the new year as a way to get a new me."
Between 2021 and 2022, Aaron dropped around a hundred pounds.
To keep the weight off, Aaron cut out sweets and adopted a keto diet.
He's also fasted and added cardio and stretching into his day-to-day activities.
The actor spoke to Today in 2022 about how listening to his body inspired him to change
his lifestyle, saying,
"I'm at that point in my life where I feel like I'm getting older.
When you get older, your body starts talking to you.
And I started listening."
Aaron still allows himself to indulge at times.
The actor follows the 80/20 rule, which involves eating healthy foods 80 percent of the time
and allowing yourself to cheat 20 percent of the time.
As he told Today,
"Something just clicked in me to make a change.
I want to be healthy.
I want a family one day, and I want to be healthy enough to be present and active with my family."
He aspires to lose even more weight to honor his late mother, saying,
"It'd be like my little birthday gift to her."
Actor Jacob Batalon was inspired to shed over 100 pounds after he noticed he couldn't keep
up on the set of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The star told Men's Health he could barely climb stairs and was constantly tired, which
led him to drastically change his lifestyle.
He said,
"This one day, I saw myself without a shirt on.
It was ridiculous.
I could not believe I let myself get this far."
Batalon's transformation involved hitting the gym six days a week for 90-minute workouts
including 60 minutes of weights followed by 30 minutes of cardio.
His workout regimen, which involved sets of medicine ball slams, also helped him release
pent-up stress.
He explained,
"For some reason to me, it just feels more dynamic than lifting a few weights.
It also helps release a lot of anger."
The actor admitted he feels grateful to have experienced a positive change in his life
during the pandemic, saying,
"I found a lot of light in the dark in the sense that a lot of people were suffering
and I was fortunate and lucky enough to have found my health and all those things.".
Angela Deem left no stone unturned when it came to her weight loss journey.
The 90 Day Fiance star revealed to Us Weekly in 2021 that she had five surgeries in one
day to drop nearly 100 pounds.
Deem underwent a breast reduction, liposuction, and gastric sleeve surgery to achieve her slimmer figure.
But she told Us Weekly that things were more complicated than expected, saying,
"The bad thing was during the surgery [...] they found, you know, hernias and stuff.
So, I actually had five surgeries in one day.
I was under anesthesia for, like, six hours."
Deem, who is a grandmother of six, said the risks of undergoing several surgeries at once
paid off in the end.
While she admitted that the months post-surgery were difficult, especially not being able
to eat as she had in the past, she said it was worth it in the end, explaining,
"There's benefits behind doing it for myself because it also benefits the grandkids being
around me longer and [Michael] and I being together longer.
I did it for myself to stay alive [...] and [to] benefit the ones I love."
Deem, who was introduced to fans on Season 2 of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, insisted
that she didn't undergo surgery just for her husband Michael Illesanmi, who is more than
two decades younger than her.
In speaking to Us Weekly, she explained,
"I've always wanted to enhance my look for Michael because of his age, but this journey
— people need to know — I felt like I would have died without the weight-loss surgery."
Action Bronson joined the list of stars who went through a major physical transformation
following the coronavirus pandemic.
The rapper has lost over 150 pounds since March 2020, revealing his slimmer 240-pound
physique in 2021.
The artist took to Instagram in a since-deleted post with a shirtless photo celebrating his
progress, writing, in all caps:
"FEELING STRONG.
CHIPPING AWAY LITTLE BY LITTLE.
NEVER GONNA STOP.
GETTING READY FOR MY FIRST CONCERT BACK."
Bronson was congratulated by several of his fans on the drastic weight loss, including
comedian Joe Rogan, who wrote,
"My brother, you look f---ing fantastic!
Such an inspiration for people to see that incredible things are possible when you dedicate
yourself and harness your discipline.
I'm immensely impressed!"
"It's just hard work and dedication and consistency.
That's what this is."
The rapper revealed in an interview with Men's Health that he starts his day at four in the
morning with a protein shake, eggs, a slice of bread, and an avocado before heading off
to the gym.
His training regimen includes boxing and full-body HIIT workouts, including medicine ball throws,
sled pushes, and burpees.
Bronson admitted he has focused on filling his body with nutritious foods that include
proteins and complex carbohydrates, but he avoids eating those carbs before bed, saying,
"You're playing quarterback with your own body.
It's all about decisions.
You keep your eye on the prize and don't let yourself fall down."
Television personality Ross Mathews got a lot more out of Covid quarantine than expected.
The former Live from E! host opened up to Today about how he lost 50 pounds during lockdown, saying,
"I feel like everyone during this COVID thing has been focused on what we've been losing.
You know, I've lost time from my family.
I've lost time from my job.
I've lost this and everyone feels like they've lost a year.
And I just thought: How can I gain something during this time?"
The RuPaul's Drag Race judge also explained that losing his mother to breast cancer in
May inspired him to take control of his own health, saying
"I think if you lose a parent and you don't pay attention...
You're missing out on a gift.
And so I paid attention to what it means to have your health."
"If it's just me and my body at that last moment, then I'm going to take as great care
as I can of myself."
Mathews admitted the hardest part of his weight-loss journey was eliminating unhealthy snacks at night.
The television host revealed he had to replace chips with pickles and cut out harmful habits
to slim down.
He admitted that while he didn't follow a diet to lose weight, he did make more nutritious
choices, saying,
"I've done it just eating as healthy and health-fully as I can, while not feeling like I'm giving
up anything.
Rapper Busta Rhymes was so dedicated to his weight loss transformation that he even moved
states to commit to a training program.
In an interview with Men's Health, the rapper revealed that he began a downward spiral after
his father died in 2014 which led to poor eating habits and no exercise.
The artist admitted that he had a wakeup call in 2019 after his son attempted to wake him
up on a tour bus because he was struggling to breathe in his sleep.
He was later driven to the UCLA Health emergency room where a doctor informed him he had polyps
in his throat restricting his breathing.
Speaking with Men's Health, he admitted,
"The doctor told me that if I caught a cold or slept wrong that I could die.
It felt like this was on me now, and I had to steer things in a different direction.
I was too young to be on all of these blood-pressure medications and acid-reflux medications."
"It was a crossroads.
And I wasn't happy with the way I was feeling and the way I was looking at myself."
Rhymes contacted professional bodybuilder Dexter "The Blade" Jackson who worked in his
hometown of Jacksonville, who agreed to help him if he could move to Florida for a 30-day program.
The rapper's dedication to a healthier lifestyle, which at times included working out three
times a day, stems from a desire to protect his family against the increasingly divisive
political climate in the United States.
Rhymes admitted,
"I have to contribute in any way I can, even if that means engaging in physicality to ensure survival."
Real Housewives of Orange County star Emily Simpson is nearly unrecognizable after her
massive weight loss transformation.
Simpson slimmed down in a major way in 2023, and she's been posting photos of her new toned
figure to her Instagram.
Alongside a post of herself at the gym, Simpson wrote,
"I'm feeling the healthiest, fittest and strongest I've felt in over 7 years.
I have more energy than I've had in years."
The reality star, who admitted she wakes up at six in the morning to get her sweat on,
went on to write:
"I'm actually back to the size I used to be all through my 30s and early 40s."
Simpson addressed her new figure on Jeff Lewis Live, admitting she decided to change her
lifestyle after a producer on the Real Housewives sent her a photo.
"He sent me a picture of myself on the green screen, and I remember thinking, 'Who is that?'"
Simpson admitted that she was depressed about her weight after wrapping the show in the
fall of 2022.
She went on to reveal she used the popular weight loss drug Ozempic for a month to help
shed pounds, followed by liposuction in her arms and a breast reduction.
The RHOC cast member also revealed she changed her eating patterns to help keep the weight
off, saying,
"I became very conscientious of what I was eating.
I changed my diet completely.
I eat mostly protein, very little carbs, and I work out like six, seven days a week."
Jorge Nava walked out of prison with a brand new body.
The 90 Day Fiance star, who was sentenced to prison after being found with nearly 300
pounds of marijuana, was released from prison in 2020 looking like a completely new person.
Nava opened up to Entertainment Tonight about his dramatic weight loss while serving time,
revealing he lost over 130 pounds while behind bars.
He admitted to being in solitary confinement for some time, where he had plenty of time to think.
"You have the opportunity to read a lot of books and kind of change your mindset on things."
Nava went on to say that it made a huge difference when he realized that changing his mindset
made it possible for him to change the way he looked, and that the entire process began
with a tiny seed of an idea.
He talked about being inspired by Tony Robbins' 1991 self-help book, Awaken the Giant Within.
The television personality also admitted his focus on a healthy diet helped him transform.
He told Entertainment Tonight he's grateful to the fans of the TLC series who have congratulated
him on his new lifestyle, saying,
"It's definitely a great feeling knowing that I'm able to change at least a little bit of
somebody's life."
Nava, who was featured on 90 Day Fiance with his ex-wife Anfisa Arkhipchenko, went on to
marry his partner Rhoda Blua in 2022, and they share two children together.
Joe Guidice, who went to prison in 2016 over tax evasion charges, was released from his
sentence in 2019 with a completely new physique.
At the time, a source told People:
"He lost the weight from changing his diet, working out, and no drinking."
Before he reported to prison in 2016, Giudice told People that he was grateful that his
time behind bars would give him the chance to stop drinking, admitting,
"Definitely the whole year I drank every day a couple of bottles at night just to go to bed."
"I'm just gonna look at it as just going in, working out.
A little break from everything, how's that."
Giudice's ex-wife Teresa updated People with the news that, while Joe was serving his sentence,
he was keeping himself busy by getting fit.
She said,
"He's running, he's doing 1,000 sit-ups a day.
[...] Just running, working out, and then a lot of push-ups and sit-ups.
[...] I said just get your mind and body in check.
It'll be good for you.
He's been through a lot with losing his dad and then me gone, it's a lot."
The couple served their sentences back-to-back, with Joe reporting to prison shortly after
his wife's release.
Joe and Teresa ultimately separated in 2019 and finalized their divorce in 2020.
The former Real Housewives of New Jersey star was deported to Italy following his release
from prison in 2019, and he currently lives in the Bahamas building homes and working construction.