October 22, 2024, 9:25 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Hollywood star Kathy Bates has undergone major physical changes in recent years. After she was diagnosed with diabetes, she made massive changes to her habits. Bates also underwent blood sugar regulation with the drug Ozempic. Her weight loss success is huge – and the 76-year-old has a clear message for all those who want to explain this solely with the controversial “weight loss injection.”
It can certainly be described as a healthy path to an appropriate body weight. Seven years have passed since the once-plump actress and director Kathy Bates lost around 45 kilograms. The external reactions were likely overwhelmingly positive. However, some of them really bothered her, as Kathy Bates revealed in a recent interview with the US magazine People. “There was a lot of talk.” Specifically, people insinuated that she owed her weight loss success solely to the so-called Ozempic weight loss injection. Now, she tells us how it really was.
Overview
Kathy Bates: lost 45 kilograms with a lifestyle change and Ozempic
In 2017, Kathy Bates was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (also known as type 2 diabetes) – a shock diagnosis that apparently has a sad tradition in her family. Her father had a leg amputated as a result of it, the American told People. Moreover, one of her sisters also suffers greatly from the side effects of the disease. But although she was overcome with fear, she did not fall into a state of shock. On the contrary, Kathy Bates went straight into action to prevent the disease from progressing as much as possible. And it is well known that reducing excess weight and maintaining healthy eating habits are key to this.
Before Ozempic, Kathy Bates focused on changing eating habits
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Ozempic in the USA in 2017. However, the drug has only had its reputation as an effective weight loss injection for a few years. Kathy Bates was not treated with it immediately.
Her initial measure was to heed her niece’s advice. This was to listen to a certain signal from the body and, therefore, not to eat more than you really need. “When we are full, we let out an involuntary sigh,” says Kathy Bates. Thus, she began to pay attention to this sigh.
No more fast food – but occasional small “sins”
However, Bates not only ate less overall from then on but also different things than before. For a long time, “burgers, cola, and pizza” are said to have dominated her diet. Today, she only indulges in fast food very rarely. She raves about a hot dog she enjoyed the day before the interview – her first in a very long time.
Kathy Bates has also brought forward her last meal since her plan to lose weight and has not eaten after 8 p.m. since then. By actively changing these habits alone, Kathy Bates emphasizes that she was able to shed 36 kilograms, the majority of her lost body weight. It was only at this mark that she started taking medication. In mathematical terms, therefore, only around 9 of the kilos lost can be attributed to the use of Ozempic. “(…) I have to make it clear to people out there that this was hard work for me,” emphasizes the Hollywood star in the People interview.
Special challenge against the backdrop of corona
What’s more, her life change took place during the pandemic – when people had to strictly isolate themselves at times. Lockdowns and the various other coronavirus measures were accompanied by boredom and loneliness for many people, and therefore, probably also by frustration eating for many. In addition, everyday exercise was neglected due to the stay-at-home order. According to a study, this unhealthy mix is said to have led to noticeable weight gain in around a third of Germans.1 This context makes the success of Kathy Bates’ weight loss even more impressive.
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The next step? Possibly onto the treadmill!
Kathy Bates has won numerous awards (including an Oscar) and is still active and successful as an actress today. Most recently, filming the new edition of the US crime series “Matlock” kept her on her toes – but that’s over for now. “That will be the next thing I think about,” Bates told People. It is evident that without the need to ‘run back and forth’ on set, her daily routine has become significantly more sedentary. She is obviously aware of the risks involved. Nevertheless, when asked whether everything would be easier with a professional trainer, she confidently answers no: “I prefer not to have someone looking over my shoulder,” Bates asserts. It is simply too important for her to stay on the ball. “I have a treadmill here in the house,” she reveals, “and maybe I’ll try Pilates.”