Marie Osmond on 50-pound weight loss journey: ‘Food is not my enemy anymore’
The "Paper Roses" singer recalls her past body image struggles, the emotional wake-up call she received from her children and how she's maintained her 50-pound weight loss for 15 years.
Being in Hollywood puts stars – and their bodies – in the limelight.
Some of the biggest celebrities have been outspoken about their weight loss journeys. Adele rocked headlines in 2019 when she shared her 100 pound weight loss transformation.
"Remember the Titans" star Ethan Suplee took to social media in May to show before and after pictures of his incredible 250 pound weight loss.
Anna Nicole Smith struggled with her weight prior to her death and was the spokesperson for TrimSpa in 2004, crediting the company for helping her lose 64 pounds.
‘REMEMBER THE TITANS’ STAR ETHAN SUPLEE SHOWS OFF MUSCLES AFTER DRASTIC WEIGHT LOSS TRANSFORMATION
From left to right, Adele, Ethan Suplee and Oprah have all had extreme weight loss transformations. (Getty Images)
Here is a look at some of the biggest names in Hollywood who conquered their weight loss journey.
Adele
In 2019, the "Hello" singer first shared with her millions of Instagram followers that she was taking her weight loss seriously.
She captioned her Instagram post, "I used to cry but now I sweat," with a close-up picture of her from Drake's birthday party.
Adele has been open with fans about her weight loss journey. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
To celebrate her 32nd birthday, Adele shared a more drastic look at her 100 pound weight loss. Her birthday landed during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, so she thanked the first responders for "risking their lives" to keep everyone safe.
In October of the same year, Adele hosted "Saturday Night Live" and publicly commented on her change of appearance.
"I know I look really, really different since you last saw me," she said at the time. "But actually, because of all the COVID restrictions…I had to travel light and I could only bring half of me, and this is the half I chose."
The highly-awarded singer shared with British Vogue that she worked out three times a day during quarantine, which helped her anxiety. "So I do my weights in the morning, then I normally hike or I box in the afternoon, and then I go and do my cardio at night," Adele told the outlet.
"It was because of my anxiety," she continued. "Working out, I would just feel better."
Adele added that, "it was never about losing weight, it was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone. I got quite addicted to it."
Adele lost 100 pounds during her weight loss journey. She was pictured on the left in 2017 and the right in 2023. (Getty Images)
In 2021, Adele told Oprah that a majority of her anxiety stemmed from her divorce from Simon Konecki. "I had the most terrifying anxiety attacks after I left my marriage," she began.
"They paralyzed me completely and made me so confused because I wouldn't be able to have any control over my body, but I was aware of that happening because it was kind of still very much there while my whole body was just like, on another planet it felt like."
After rumors circulated that she lost the large amount of weight due to extreme dieting, Adele told British Vogue, "No intermittent fasting. Nothing. If anything I eat more than I used to because I work out so hard."
Ethan Suplee
"Remember the Titans" star Suplee has had one of the most impressive weight loss journeys.
In May, the actor, 47, reflected on his 250 pound weight loss journey with a set of before-and-after pictures on Instagram.
Ethan Suplee had an extreme weight loss journey. (Getty Images)
"Once upon a time, the whole world was an impossibility," he began. "Conquering all of it is still impossible, so I’m just concentrating on today. If today becomes too much, I will focus on right now. Right now, I’m ok, I will beat right now."
Suplee shared a large portion of his weight loss journey on his podcast, "American Glutton," in 2020, when he discussed that his highest weight was 536 pounds, and he had to be weighed on a "freight scale [at a shopping center] because back then there weren't scales that really went that high in doctor's offices."
‘REMEMBER THE TITANS’ STAR ETHAN SUPLEE SHOCKS FANS WITH MASSIVE WEIGHT LOSS TRANSFORMATION
He also shared on his podcast that he had issues with binge-eating at the age of 5 and was put on a diet at 10 because he weighed over 200 pounds. Suplee shared that food, alcohol and drugs were a crutch to "numb" himself during his teenage years. He became sober in 2002.
Ethan Suplee has lost 250 pounds. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)
In October 2021, Suplee told Men's Health that he lost 250 pounds and hit his goal of reaching 9% body fat.
"I'm at my absolute pinnacle," he told the outlet at the time. "I spent 35, 40 years without taking my shirt off in public."
The actor shared that he does not retouch his photos and the loose skin and scars he has on his body is "who I am."
He told People magazine in 2022 that his weight loss journey ignited in 2002 after he was seeing his now-wife, Brandy Lewis, for about a year.
"I became, for the first time in my life, kind of interested in the future and having experiences with her," Suplee shared with the outlet. "Like spending a day walking around a museum or going on a trip or hiking that I just wasn't physically able to do."
Marie Osmond
Marie Osmond has maintained her 50-pound weight loss for 15 years — and the entertainer revealed it is her secret to looking and feeling youthful.
"At this stage of my life, I can tell you that weight ages you," the 63-year-old told Fox News Digital. "It also takes away the joy out of being active with your children and grandchildren. It takes away your health, even mentally. It’s not healthy for you. And when you hear the world saying, ‘Love me however I am,’ I think you love yourself to be the best version of you… so that you can live your fullest, most beautiful life. That’s why I have continued this.’"
Marie Osmond has lost 50 pounds since 2007. (Getty Images)
"I would never go back to who I was," she shared. "Never. I could never have done everything I’ve done. My last album, my current album, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard. I’m 63. That’s stupid, right?... Never could I have done that without the energy I have. And I just got off tour, the best, fun tour I’ve done. I just spent Disney World with my eight grandchildren. My 23-year-old son goes, ‘Mom, let’s shut down the park.’ Never could I have done that with 50 pounds on me."
Osmond was at her heaviest in 2007. At the time, she was 165 pounds and a size 14. That year, she tried Nutrisystem, the personalized meal delivery program, to help her slim down to a size 4. The singer previously told Closer Weekly that she never lets herself "get more than five pounds overweight," which typically happens during the holidays.
In 2007, it was announced that Osmond would appear as a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars." The competition series pairs celebrities with professional dancers where they train rigorously for performances.
"I call it ‘Dancing with the Starved,’" Osmond joked about her time on the show. "Fifty pounds overweight and spandex was not beautiful. And so, I went on Nutrisystem. It literally was my last-ditch effort. And I learned for the first time in my life that food was not the enemy. I lost at least 10 pounds a month. That’s a dress size… And within four months, I was down to my weight. And I couldn’t believe that body was still inside me."
Marie Osmond recently reflected on her weight loss journey with Fox News Digital. (Nutrisystem)
Osmond insisted she was able to stick with the regimen because "it’s not a diet." Instead, it changed her relationship with food.
"When you hit 55, we’re talking the mean, terrible M – it’s not Marie, it’s menopause," she chuckled.
"[But] food is not my enemy anymore.… I’m 63 and I’m living my most fabulous life right now. I know who I am. I’ve been through the crazy stuff, the heartache, the parts where you’re on the floor going, ‘I don’t know how to take my next breaths.’… It’s really nice to be at a place where — look, I don’t have a 20-year-old body, but I certainly don’t have a 63-year-old body. And I believe the more you take care of you, the more your body takes care of you."
Oprah
Oprah Winfrey recently put her weight loss journey on display during a Louis Vuitton Cruise Show in May.
The famed talk show host, 69, wore a pin-stripped, two-piece pantsuit set with a thin black belt that showed off her slim waist.
Winfrey has been on a weight loss journey for years. In 2015, she joined Weight Watchers as an ambassador. "Since I've started Weight Watchers, I've lost over 40 lbs," she said in an ad for the company at the time. "I can honestly tell you; I struggle no more. I'm eating everything I love — tacos, pasta. I've never felt deprived."
Oprah Winfrey before, left, and after, right, her weight loss. (Getty Images)
In 2020, Oprah shared with People magazine that her diet is not her only priority. She explained that she also tries to hit 10,000 steps a day.
Oprah Winfrey attended the red carpet promoting the film "The Color Purple" in April. (Photo by Greg Doherty/WireImage)
"Actually, I left my little counter at home this week, so I had to, like, probably make up how many steps I was doing!" Winfrey told the outlet. "But I try to do something every day that allows me to feel active, and I don’t make myself crazy about it."
She continued, "I just know that movement and flexibility, particularly the older you get, is what makes you feel alive. So I don’t want to just be alive, I want to feel it."
Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith famously fluctuated in weight and experimented in yo-yo dieting prior to her tragic death in 2007.
The former Playmate was known for being a tall, blonde bombshell as she graced magazine covers, often times leaving little to the imagination.
Anna Nicole Smith in 2002, left, and in 2004. (Getty Images)
In 2002, Smith landed her own E! reality show where fans were able to see that her appearance had changed. By 2004, Smith was back-down in weight.
She was the spokesperson for TrimSpa, a diet pill company, that she credited her 64-pound weight loss.
The appetite suppressant company was sued in 2007 and filed for bankruptcy the following year.
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne has publicly struggled with weight in the past.
During Osbourne's 2009 appearance on "Dancing with the Stars," the television personality shared that she lost 20 pounds by changing her eating habits.
"I'd fill up on French fries and pizza all day and wonder why I wasn't losing weight," she told Shape magazine in 2020. "In the very beginning, I kept getting sick during rehearsals because I was eating such terrible, fatty food and feeling so exhausted."
Kelly Osbourne before, left, and after her 85 pound weight loss. (Getty Images)
Osbourne took eating tips from her dance partner, Louis van Amstel. "Then I started losing weight and realized, 'Oh, it's true what they say: Diet and exercise really work!'" she said.
The now 38-year-old has been in the spotlight since she was a teenager when her family's reality television show, "The Osbournes," debuted. She told Shape magazine that seeing comments about her weight at a young age affected her.
"I was called fat and ugly in the press almost my entire life," Osbourne revealed. "I understand that being judged by others comes with the territory, but it broke my heart and ruined my self-esteem. It sets you up to hate yourself in a huge way. I was so angry about the things people said about me."
Kelly Osbourne, left, was on a reality show with her family called "The Osbournes." The show premiered in 2002. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
In 2018, Osbourne took to Instagram and revealed that she had been sober for a year, which contributed to her weight loss journey.
"I have spent the past year truly working on my mind, body, and soul," she captioned her post at the time. "I had to take a step out of the public eye away from work and give myself a chance to heal."
Then in 2020, Osbourne revealed on Instagram that she lost 85 pounds. Several fans flooded the star's comment section, commenting on her weight loss.
Television personality Olivia TuTram Mai commented, "Oh my gosh you lost a lot [of] weight," and Osbourne replied, "That's right mamma Mai. I lost 85 pounds since I last saw you. Can you believe it?"
Billy Gardell
"Mike & Molly" star Billy Gardell has lost 150 pounds since the start of the pandemic.
In April, the actor told Entertainment Tonight that his weight loss helped him no longer be diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.
"(I'm) walking around pretty healthy these days," the 53-year-old, who once weighed over 370 pounds, said.
In 2020, Gardell underwent bariatric weight loss surgery to help limit his chances of getting severe COVID-19, according to the outlet.
'MIKE & MOLLY' STAR BILLY GARDELL REVEALS HOW HE LOST OVER 150 POUNDS
Billy Gardell lost 150 pounds. (Getty Images)
"Self-care is important, and I think I finally got there," Gardell said. He noted that he is continuously working on his relationship with food.
"I think you've got to 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 said. "But I’m a big believer that when you get it, you get it. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you get it."
Billy Gardell currently stars on the sitcom "Bob Hearts Abishola." (Bill Inoshita/CBS via Getty Images)
The "Bob Hearts Abishola" star said one of the biggest motivators for him to get healthy was for his son.
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"When you hit 50, you start doing that dad math, like, ‘If I can live 25 more years, and he’ll be 40.' ... So I want to be here for him," he shared.
Gardell said he has not always been a "good example of health" for his son, so he wants to change that going forward.
"I want him to see that it doesn’t matter what age you are. If you are willing to do something a day at a time, you can change anything," the star said.
Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling has been turning heads over the past year since she dropped 40 pounds.
In 2022, "The Office" alum shared with People magazine that it was a challenge for her at first to not try to lose weight for vanity reasons.
"I've tried really hard to let go of this idea of losing weight for vanity reasons and really trying to think of how I can be healthy," she explained. "And for me, healthy is working out, moving my body a lot, keeping hydrated, and then not having negative connotations around working out and making me feel like if I don't do this, then I won't be something else."
Mindy Kaling has lost 40 pounds. (Getty Images)
She added, "And that's taken a long time to kind of shed those old ideas of working out."
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The actress shared that she has always been active, but she no longer views exercise as "punishing."
"It's made me feel so confident," she explained. "It's made me feel so great and own the fact that I love working out."
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