For people in Hollywood, the subject of weight is often a big topic, like it is with the
rest of us.
So for a variety of reasons, health being a major one, a number of plus-sized celebrities
have made amazing transformations with their bodies.
At his heaviest, Today show weatherman Al Roker weighed 340 pounds.
So in 2002, he opted for bariatric surgery.
Eight months later, he was a hundred pounds lighter.
Despite his initial dramatic weight loss, he ended up regaining most of what he'd shed
over a five-year period.
Still, he didn't give up.
In 2008, Roker caught up with a friend who'd lost a significant amount of weight with the
help of a nutritionist.
So he decided to meet with the nutritionist as well, a decision he now describes as "fate."
In a 2012 interview with Parade, he said,
"For the first time, I realized that I had to change not only the quantity but the quality
of food that I was eating.
Even more importantly, exercise has finally become a big part of my life."
"My goal is to get good enough to walk in one day, kill my trainer, and leave."
Comedian-actress Mo'Nique took to Instagram in March 2018 with a big personal announcement,
declaring:
"Since I've been 17 years old I've been over 200 pounds.
Today was the first time in my adult life that I've been under 200 pounds."
The star, who once weighed 300 pounds, also shared a picture of the reading on her scale:
198.4 pounds.
Mo'Nique also revealed that she shed the pounds without the help of any weight-loss programs
or by relying on spokespeople telling her that it was so easy.
She simply managed to put in the work and not give up on herself.
She pulled it off with a regiment that included eating more raw food and dancing, all to give
herself a chance at living her best life possible.
America first came to know and love Drew Carey through his eponymous sitcom, which ran for
nearly a decade beginning in 1995.
Then he hosted the hilarious improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway?
And in 2007, he took over for Bob Barker as host of The Price Is Right.
Despite his professional success, though, he wasn't taking care of his health.
In 2001, he had to undergo a coronary angioplasty.
Nine years later, Carey decided he wanted to get healthy.
He ended up losing 100 pounds, and he also was able to manage his diabetes through his
eating habits.
And all without fad diets.
He told Success Magazine,
"I had to change my whole belief system.
It wasn't like, Eat this for 90 days and lose 20 pounds.
It was: Eat like this for the rest of your life."
Despite having been a spokesperson for Jenny Craig and losing over 20 pounds on the program,
Queen Latifah has claimed that she doesn't really diet.
The actress-slash-rapper explained to People Magazine,
"I kind of keep everything in moderation, exercise and eat right.
I eat a lot of vegetables and lean meats, and I drink a whole lot of water."
Latifah was nearly 40 years old by the time she started making her health a priority.
Although she feels age is just a number, she wishes she'd learned about getting healthier
when she was younger.
The entertainer is also focused on heart health.
After her mother was diagnosed with heart failure, Latifah decided to become an advocate
and campaign spokesperson for the American Heart Association.
"We all have a chance at making a big difference, and that means a lot."
In late February 2018, filmmaker Kevin Smith suffered a massive heart attack known as a
"widowmaker."
At 256 pounds, he knew he needed to make some changes and get healthy.
By February 2019, he had dropped over 50 pounds.
He explained to Us Weekly,
"I just want to stress to those out there who care, it was never about dropping the
weight.
I wasn't sitting there like 'I wanna look good!'
It was about 'Get this out of your system.'"
Smith got down to 198 pounds, which shocked him, because he thought he would never make
it under 200.
It helped that he changed his philosophy about food by no longer considering eating a reward.
He's also managed to go vegan, even though he hates vegetables.
And he's spreading the message of heart health as an ambassador for WW.
"That's why I teamed up with the good folks at WW because this month we want you to get
your heart up.
At 70 years old, Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates lost a whopping 60 pounds without the
aid of any kind of fad diet.
She simply learned how to stop eating once she was full.
She explained to Us Weekly in 2019,
"My niece told me this little secret, I guess it's no secret, it's a biological thing, that
at some point when you're eating, you have this involuntary sigh and that's really your
brain and your stomach communicating that you've had enough."
That's not to say Bates' weight loss happened overnight.
In fact, she said that it took several years.
Still, she believes it was worth it.
Her only complaint is that she wishes she'd started earlier.
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