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Melissa McCarthy’s Weight Loss Secret - We’ve Got the Scoop!
Curious on how Melissa McCarthy lost her weight? Searching obsessively on her journey? Worry not for we got the scoop on Melissa McCarthy weight loss secret.
If you grew up obsessively watching Gilmore Girls, you need no introduction to Melissa McCarthy. Although the actress shot to fame for her breakout role as Sookie St. James in Gilmore Girls, you may also remember her from her popular 2011 film, “Bridesmaids”, for which she also bagged an Academy Award nomination for her supporting role.
The actor has always been an anomaly for how she looked and did not fit into Hollywood’s perceived weight range. And now recently she has stunned the world with her amazing weight loss journey. This has made heads turn and phones getting scrolled with everyone curious on Melissa McCarthy’s Weight Loss Secret. However, her new avatar was not achieved through fads or unrealistic diet plans. It was an adventure of grit, determination, and positivity. And we have got the scoop on her fitness flight. Read on to learn how Melissa McCarthy lost weight.
Melissa McCarthy’s Changing Appearance - Why did the Actor Gain Weight?
The Melissa McCarthy weight gain story has caught the attention of many over the years. The actor once said that she’s been every size in the world. When she was down to size 6, she would ask herself why she couldn’t be a size 4 or a size 2, almost always over-analyzing what she looked like. Melissa McCarthy’s weight gain was remarkably visible when she moved to LA towards the late 90s and gained over 25 pounds owing to poor diet and lifestyle choices. 
What is Melissa McCarthy's weight loss secret?
As soon as she landed the role in Gilmore Girls, the actor felt immense pressure to lose weight even though her appearance had nothing to do with her bagging the role. After consulting a doctor, she embarked on what one would only call a “crazy” weight loss liquid diet. She dropped a staggering 70 pounds in just four months. It’s no surprise that the actor recalls feeling “starved” and “crazy” the whole time she was on the diet which consisted of no more than 500 calories a day.
Melissa McCarthy’s Diet Now - A Healthier Approach
While McCarthy isn’t strictly adhering to a single diet, she’s making smarter choices with food and exercising and giving herself more freedom and room to personalize her diet to fit her needs. Here’s a peek at what the actor eats in a day:
Melissa McCarthy Weight Loss Secret - Daily Meal Plan
- Breakfast : Scrambled eggs with chicken or turkey breast, Almond milk green smoothie made with kale, spinach, parsley, and chia seeds
- Snack : Baby carrots with hummus
- Lunch : Chicken or turkey breast with vegetable quinoa salad, A cup of green tea
- Snack: A cup of freshly pressed juice
- Dinner: Chicken or turkey breast with steamed veggies, Half an avocado
It’s pretty evident from her everyday diet plan that the actor is getting all the protein, calcium, vitamins, and fiber she needs to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. For instance, a study revealed that avocado consumption is associated with better diet quality and nutrient intake, and lower metabolic syndrome risk (1).
Another study shows that quinoa is often considered superior to wheat, barely, and soybean, as it is extremely protein rich with 11-19% protein (2). Quinoa can also be used as an alternative to dairy products and offers beneficial hypoglycemic effects while being gluten-free. Apart from this, quinoa is known to contain a high amount of essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers, and carbohydrates.
According to a study, green tea consumption has been linked to the prevention of many types of cancers including lung, colon, mouth, stomach, intestine, kidney, and pancreas among others (3). The benefits come from the presence of high amounts of polyphenols, also known popularly as potent antioxidants.
Here’s a quinoa salad recipe to get you started:
Easy Quinoa Salad Recipe
Things you’ll need for the dressing:
- Olive oil: ¼ cup
- Garlic: 1 clove, minced
- Lemon juice: 2 tablespoon
- Golden balsamic vinegar: 1 tablespoon
- Honey: 1 tablespoon
- Salt: To taste
- Black pepper powder: To taste
Things you’ll need for the salad:
- Quinoa: 2 cups, cooked and cold
- Spinach leaves: 2 cups, roughly chopped
- Cucumber: 1, chopped
- Cherry tomatoes: 1 cup, halved
- Avocado: 1, peeled, pitted, and chopped
- Green onions: 2, sliced
How to:
- Prepare the dressing in a bowl by whisking olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, combine quinoa, cucumber, spinach, tomatoes, avocado, and green onions.
- Pour the dressing over the other ingredients. Sprinkle salt and pepper.
- Stir and serve.
Melissa McCarthy on Weight Loss - How the Actor Spoke up about Diet Pills
Most celebrities prefer to keep mum about their weight loss secrets and deny rumors. However, McCarthy never shied away from speaking the truth about her weight loss journey. The actor admitted to taking weight loss pills that she considered magical along with a light exercise and diet plan.
The actor said that although she enjoys jogging every few days, she could never find it in her to exercise every day. The actor took a natural weight loss supplement known as Atrafen Weight Loss Aid. Atrafen works as a fat burner and appetite suppressor. It works by boosting metabolism and thermogenesis, while increasing energy levels and improving mental clarity. The weight loss supplement pill is considered safe and made with a balanced formula that will not create a hormonal imbalance.
Sharing some more benefits of weight loss supplements, our contributor Mary Sabat, RDN, LD, and Ace Certified Trainer, says, “Positive benefits of weight loss supplements may include a potential boost in metabolism, increased energy levels, and appetite suppression, which can help some individuals in their weight loss journey. Some supplements also contain vitamins and minerals that may contribute to overall health.”
Melissa McCarthy Workout Plan
The actor also relied on an exercise routine tailor-made for her to lose weight and keep fit. Here’s how you can try her workout routine too:
Melissa McCarthy liked to switch things up and preferred different styles of exercises on different days of the week. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, she worked out by performing:
- A Farmer’s Walk where she would walk around the gym and break into lunges while holding a dumbbell in each hand. This helped her burn fat in her thighs and glutes.
- Inverted pull-ups to shape her arms, shoulders, and chest area. A Smith machine bar was placed around hip height and she would lie down and hold the bar with both hands while pulling her upper body close to the bar.
- For Smith machine squats she would warm the first 20 minutes with the bar and then add 20 pounds on each side of the bar for a set of 3 and 12 reps.
- She used a bench press with dumbbells instead of a bench press to work her upper arms, shoulders, and chest.
- She also used dumbbells to do 3 sets of 10 dumbbell deadlifts to work her lower back on glutes.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she engaged with cardio exercises like bicycling, planking, using the treadmill, bench press, and leg press among other exercises.
While exercising every day may not be everyone’s cup of tea, there’s no denying the plethora of health benefits it offers. As newer research unfolds, it shows that those who exercise and live an active lifestyle are 50% less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases (4).The study also showed that women who lived a sedentary lifestyle saw a 52% increase in all-cause mortality in comparison to physically active women.
It really makes us question if we’re really doing enough to keep fit every day, doesn’t it? Weight gain is nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to all of us but when it poses a threat to our health and our daily lifestyle, it’s definitely time to change our ways and give ourselves the gift of health. While we may not have the best dietician or exercise therapists in the world to personalize meal and exercise plans for us, we sure can take cue from celebrities that chose the healthy route to get fit. Melissa McCarthy’s weight loss journey is one of inspiration and openness and there is much to learn from her.
Contributor: Mary Sabat, RDN, LD, Ace Certified Trainer - Body Designs Ltd.
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