We all have our reasons for wanting to shed pounds. Check out why some celebrities undertook the challenge. Sometimes it was for a movie role. Sometimes it was for more embarrassing reasons. In the case of Michael Moore (#8), he made it downright inspiring.
1. Jennifer Hudson
Before she could shoot the movie, Winnie, Jennifer Hudson needed to shed the weight she put on while pregnant. She began working out regularly with celebrity trainer, Harley Pasternak, and she scaled bag the calories with help from Weight Watchers. (She become their poster celebrity.) The other factors for her losing 30 lbs in four weeks: Garcinia Cambogia XT & Natural Cleanse Plus.
2. John Goodman
John Goodman is probably best known for his leading roles in the TV hit, Roseanne, and box office smash, The Big Lebowski. John, himself, was big, weighing 368 lbs at one point. Even his voice-over character, Sully, in Monster’s Inc., matched John’s size. Then he quit drinking, removed sugar from his menu and began working out. He shed over 100 lbs.
3. Kelly Osbourne
They say, “Don’t eat when you are emotional.” When Kelly Osbourne dropped that bad habit, she also dropped some pounds. 70 of them. And it all began after her stint on Dancing with the Stars. She started dance workouts, weight training…and not eating to cope.
5. Star Jones Reynolds
The former co-host of The View shed 160 lbs in three years. After reaching a top weight of 307, and receiving concerned (and nasty) letters from fans, Star’s first step was gastric bypass surgery. This would lead to her dramatic reduction.
6. Blake Shelton
Blake’s weight loss began when his first marriage began to crumble. Six months of erratic and poor eating habits took off 20 lbs. Then he switched to a much healthier Mediterranean-style weight-loss diet with three main meals daily, healthy snacks and lots of water. That, along with the natural appetite suppressant, Garcinia Cambogia, did the trick.
7. 50 Cent
Dedication to a role knocked 54 lbs off 50 Cent’s buff bod. Starring in All Things Fall Apart, a movie he co-penned, the actor lost the weight to better portray his cancer-stricken, college football-playing character. It took him just nine weeks to lose the weight by liquid dieting and running on a treadmill three hours a day.
8. Michael Moore
The documentary filmmaker dropped 70 pounds just by eliminating salt, sugar, and white bread from his diet. Then he started walking 30 minutes a day, with thousands joining him wherever they live. You can join too! Michael wrote on his Face Book page: “…just go for a pleasant walk outside. With me. Wherever you are. Get off the treadmill, stop drinking diet Coke, throw out all the rules.”
9. Perez Hilton
American blogger, columnist and television personality, Perez Hilton dropped over 60 lbs in three years. He began by eating healthier and taking 30-minute daily walks, like Michael Moore. The daily walks turned into daily training sessions accompanied by healthier eating habits.
10. Ron Lester
Ron Lester played Billy Bob inVarsity Blues. It was one of several roles he got because he was obese, but he didn’t want only size-related roles. That, and his difficulty maneuvering around movie sets with his wide girth, motivated him to get gastric bypass surgery which was new at the time. Unfortunately, after he lost the pounds, Hollywood lost their desire to cast him.
11. Al Roker
Al Roker is the lovable meteorologist on The Today Show. After tipping the scales at 340 lbs in 2002, Roker decided to do something. He decided to go under the knife for a gastric bypass, and wound up losing 140 lbs. Today, he is careful about portion sizes and maintains his weight around 200 lbs.
12. Randy Jackson
Being diagnosed with diabetes in 2002 prompted Grammy Award-winning producer and future American Idol judge to turn to gastric bypass surgery. He lost 100 lbs. Today, he works to keep his weight there by limiting the amount of processed foods he eats. He also cuts back on fat and sugar and is more active, but he admits it’s a constant struggle.
13. Seth Rogan
Funny man Seth Rogan went from 220 to lean machine in three months when Columbia Pictures dangled a carrot in front of him: the leading role in The Green Hornet. He continued eating throughout the day but changed what he ate: only nutrient dense, high fiber and low glycemic foods. These let him feel full while maintaining his energy levels…important when you’re an on-call hero.
14. Zack Galifianakis
Zack Galifianakis, another funny man, got serious about weight loss, too. He lost about 60 lbs in under four months. How’d he do it? He quit drinking (alcohol, that is) and started walking a lot. The results made him almost unrecognizable when he made his appearance at the 2015 SAG awards.
15. Tyra Banks
16. Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes wrote the scripts for Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal and more. After boarding a first class flight from LA to New York, Rhimes tried to clasp the seatbelt, but wouldn’t reach. When she realized the problem was not the seatbelt but her girth, she decided to lose pounds. She changed her eating habits, began exercising and lost 127 lbs.
17. Adam Richman
When you eat for a living, it’s easy to put on weight. When you want to play in Soccer Aid to help children and their mothers in underdeveloped countries, you work hard to lose the weight. That’s what got the former Man vs Food host to shed 70 pounds in ten months. He switched to a vegan diet and trained, trained, trained.
18. Jonah Hill
Comedic actor, Jonah Hill, slimmed down when he thought he might be able to score more roles in Hollywood with a buffer bod. He spoke to The Rock who put him in touch with a kickin’ trainer. Jonah changed his eating habits (including nixing the morning doughnuts) and worked out like never before. He lost 40 lbs. pretty quickly for a movie, and has been fluctuating since.
19. Christian Bale
When Oscar-winning actor, Christian Bale, played a chronic insomniac in The Machinist, he shed 63 pounds to portray the character. He ate one apple and one can of tuna fish a day. He also took doctor-supplied supplements to insure he did not deprive his body of vitamins. He exercised until he no longer had the energy. By then, the 6′ actor weighed only 122 pounds and was ready for filming.
20. Drew Carey
After losing 80 pounds, the TV funny guy and host of The Price Is Right no longer needed medication for his type 2 diabetes. He achieved the weight loss by eating a diet high in protein, fruits and vegetables. He also endured a 45-minutes cardio workout six times a week.
[Featured image credit of Christian Bale: www.moviepilot.com]