Kathy Bates' Weight Loss: Keto Diet Success?

Actress Kathy Bates has lost a significant amount of weight, and her transformation has been a hot topic in the media. The 76-year-old has lost 100 pounds over the last six or seven years, and she attributes her success to mindful eating and the weight loss medication Ozempic. Bates has been open about her health struggles, including a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2017, as well as her battles with ovarian and breast cancer. She says her weight loss has helped her manage her health conditions and given her more energy.

Kathy Bates' weight loss was due to 'mindful' eating

Kathy Bates credits her weight loss to "mindful" or "intuitive" eating. She says she learned to develop a "mindfulness" about her eating, which helped her know when to stop eating. Bates's niece taught her to recognise an "involuntary sigh" that happens when one's brain and stomach communicate that they are full. Bates said:

> The trick is to pay attention to that and push your plate away. It took a few years. I would say you have to be really patient ... I don't like the word willpower, but I like the word determination.

Bates also began paying closer attention to the foods she ate. She told People:

> I used to eat terribly: burgers and Cokes and pizza.

She now stops eating after 8 p.m. and has cut down on junk food. However, she still allows herself the occasional treat. For example, she ate a hot dog when food trucks arrived at the Paramount lot during the shooting of "Matlock".

Bates also credits her weight loss to the diabetes medication Ozempic, which she began taking in 2023. She lost 80 pounds through changes to her lifestyle and diet, and Ozempic helped her lose the last 15-20 pounds.

She listened to her body and stopped eating when full

For Kathy Bates, listening to her body and stopping eating when she felt full was a key part of her weight loss journey. She credits her niece with teaching her a valuable lesson about this. Her niece told her about an "involuntary sigh" that people experience when they are full. This is a signal from the brain and the stomach that you have had enough to eat. The trick, Bates says, is to pay attention to this signal and push your plate away.

Bates admits that learning to do this took time and patience. She says that she doesn't like the word "willpower", but she does like the word "determination". She also notes that there are times when she will overeat because "you have to have a life". However, she says that she then knuckles down and gets determined to be healthy again. She emphasises that she is doing this for herself, not for anyone else.

Bates also made changes to the types of food she ate. She used to eat burgers, pizza, and Coke, but she now stops eating after 8 pm. She still allows herself the occasional treat, such as a hot dog. She also exercises, with a treadmill at home and plans to try Pilates.

Bates' weight loss has helped her manage her health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, lymphedema, and swelling caused by a double mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis. It has also helped her feel better about her acting work, as she now has more stamina.

She was motivated by a diabetes diagnosis

In 2017, Kathy Bates was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, which motivated her to lose weight. She knew that diabetes ran in her family, and she had seen firsthand the detrimental effects it could have, as her father had to have a leg amputated due to the disease, and one of her sisters was also dealing with it. This scared Bates into making changes to her diet and lifestyle.

Bates' new approach to eating involved tuning into her body and training herself to stop eating once she felt full. She admitted that this took time and required patience and determination. She also had to change the types of food she ate, moving away from burgers, pizzas, and Coke, and being more mindful about when she ate, such as not eating after 8 p.m. However, she did still allow herself the occasional treat, such as a hot dog.

In addition to her new diet, Bates also incorporated exercise into her life. She had a treadmill at home and was considering trying Pilates. Bates was determined to keep the weight off, as she didn't want to slip back into her old habits. She was also motivated by the positive impact her weight loss had on her health, including helping her control her diabetes and the swelling caused by the lymphedema she was diagnosed with after undergoing a double mastectomy following breast cancer treatment.

She lost 80 pounds through diet and lifestyle changes

Actress Kathy Bates has lost a significant amount of weight, and she's the first to say she feels better than ever. The Matlock star told People in October 2024 that she shed 100 pounds and got healthier over the past seven years. Bates, who is 76, said she lost 80 pounds after making changes to her diet and lifestyle following a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2017.

The Oscar winner decided to rethink her relationship with food after receiving a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Several of Bates' family members have also been diagnosed with the disease, which allowed her to see firsthand how detrimental it can be. "I ate because I was afraid, and I ate because it was a FU to my self-esteem," she said. "I'd seen what my father had gone through. He had had a leg amputation. One of my sisters is dealing with it very seriously, and it terrified me. It scared me straight."

Bates began her weight loss journey by tuning into her body and training herself to stop eating once she felt full, but she admits it took time and determination. She shared a valuable lesson from her niece, who told her about an involuntary sigh that happens when your brain and stomach communicate that you've had enough to eat. "The trick is to pay attention to that and push your plate away," Bates said.

In addition to developing a more mindful approach to eating, Bates also began paying closer attention to the kinds of food she ate. She used to eat burgers, pizzas, and Cokes but has since cut down on these foods and stops eating after 8 p.m. While she's much stricter about her eating habits these days, Bates still allows herself the occasional treat, like a hot dog.

Bates' weight loss has had numerous benefits for her health, including helping to control her diabetes and the swelling caused by lymphedema, which she was diagnosed with after undergoing a double mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis in 2012. "It's been a tremendous benefit for me, I'm lucky that I don't have to wear my compression sleeves every day. It's such a thrill to be able to put my arm into a jacket and it fits."

Bates' improved health and fitness have also made her a better actor, allowing her to navigate the rigorous demands of filming a weekly TV series. "Physically, I'm capable of doing this show, "I don't have to sit down. I can stand up all day long and walk and move and breathe and do so many things that I couldn't before."

She lost the last 20 pounds with Ozempic

While Kathy Bates did lose 100 pounds, it wasn't just because of Ozempic. The actress lost 80 pounds through changes to her diet and lifestyle. She then lost the last 20 pounds with Ozempic.

Ozempic, also known as semaglutide, is a drug that was approved in 2017 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in adults with type 2 diabetes. It is not approved for weight loss, but some physicians prescribe it for that purpose.

Bates was prescribed Ozempic to help manage her type 2 diabetes, which she was diagnosed with in 2017. She told People Magazine that she had to change her entire relationship with food, including what, how, and why she ate. Bates also incorporated exercise into her life, including a treadmill at home and possibly Pilates.

The actress's weight loss journey began with a health scare. She told Extra that she "was facing diabetes" and that it "runs in [her] family." She was scared straight after watching her father go through a leg amputation due to the disease and seeing one of her sisters deal with it seriously.

Bates also credited her niece for teaching her a valuable lesson about mindful eating. Her niece told her about an involuntary sigh that people experience while eating, which is a signal from the brain and the stomach that you've had enough. Bates said that the trick is to pay attention to that sigh and push your plate away. She admitted that it took a few years to develop this mindfulness and that she had to be patient.

While Ozempic helped Bates lose the last 20 pounds, she stressed that her weight loss journey was the result of hard work and determination.

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