Melissa McCarthy’s Fantastic Weight Loss Journey – How is She Now? + Before and After Pictures

You no doubt have heard of the hilarious comic performer; Melissa McCarthy; her gift is to make everybody laugh.

She was born Melissa Ann McCarthy 51 years ago; already doing what she discovered she was so good at; stand-up comedy.

She was already following her passion in New York at age 20 already.

Not only comedy, but she also tried her hand at movies, making her first screen appearance in 1997.

Later on, she became the anxious chef, Sookie, in the Gilmore Girls.

But with her natural gift for comedy, she was hugely successful in series like “Samantha Who? and also the romantic sitcom, “Mike & Molly.”

She enjoyed Oscar nominations and Emmy’s along the way.

Not only that, but she was also a very popular guest on “Saturday Night Live” hosting this show five times between 2011 and 2017 – that earned her an Emmy as well.

Apart from her acting and comedy successes, she also founded her own fashion line, called Seven7 in 2015.

An introduction to Melissa McCarthy

Her early years

Melissa Ann McCarthy was born on the 26^th of August 1970 in Plainfield, Illinois.

Her parents were Michael and Sandra McCarthy.

She spent her early days on her parent’s soybean and corn farm.

She also helped out her mom in the laundry room.

She was involved in many activities and sports from being a cheerleader to lifting weights, doing gymnastics, and playing tennis.

She did realize already during these years that she wasn’t reed-thin like a lot of the other girls were. She graduated from the St. Francis Academy.

Her young adult years

But then in the late 1990s, when she was in her early 20s, she made a move to Los Angeles, making a few TV and movie appearances as well.

She also joined The Groundlings and performed gigs in New York City.

Let’s take a brief general look at her glittering career so far:

• Her first major TV role came in 2000 – she was in The Gilmore Girls, a very popular TV show, continuing with this for about seven years. She also acted in other comedy series as well during this time.
• From 2010 to 2016, she starred as Molly Flynn in the sitcom, Mike & Molly, winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress.
• Then she also starred in the hilarious movie, Bridesmaids, in 2011, earning herself an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
• She continued to rise from her starring in other comedies such as Identify Theft, The Heat, The Boss, as well as the Ghostbusters reboot.
• In 2015 she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was the second-highest-paid actress in 2016 after Jennifer Lawrence and the fourth-highest in 2017.
• In 2016, she starred as a disgraced celebrity biographer in the movie, Can You Ever Forgive Me? This earned her a second Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Actress.
• In January 2019, she was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Awards and Academy Awards – that was within 24 hours. Also in 2019, she was nominated for the 2019 Academy Award in the Best Actress in a leading role category.
• She made a name for herself on television with her roles in The Gilmore Girls and Mike and Molly. Movies she has behind her are Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters, and the newly- released Superintelligence which was released in December 2019 as well.

Prior to making it big in Hollywood, Melissa met Ben Falcone in 1998 when they were performing in Los Angeles at an improv-theatre called the Groundlings.

They got married on October 8, 2005.

They had a daughter Vivian, who was born in 2007 followed by another daughter, Georgette in 2010.

Things that inspire her are women’s topics such as losing weight and body positivity

Melissa McCarthy grew up in Illinois.

Even though she wasn’t really chubby growing up as a kid, she did start to pick up weight as she started making unhealthy food choices.

She told The Rolling Stones magazine, a magazine that focuses on popular culture in the USA; that she did actually worry about her weight when she was a little kid.

She said that right through high school she was aware of becoming overweight; how she had battled with it throughout her high school days.

Being highly aware of weight and appearances and so on at that age; a subject very popular with the young girls of that age, Melissa was always made aware of her weight.

So of course when she was a size 6 and then a size 8 at some time in her teens and twenties, she was wondering why she wasn’t more like a size 4.

Later after high school, she didn’t even eat healthily; she stopped exercising and it was during this time that she put on 25 pounds.

She realized she needed to do something to lose weight

She has been pretty candid about talking about her health and weight loss journey as a superstar in Hollywood

She has been totally open and honest as well as being full of comedy about topics that are constantly being evaluated and in the spotlight in a place like Hollywood.

She told People Magazine that after landing her role in The Gilmore Girls, she tried to do a doctor-supervised total liquid diet.

In four months, she had already lost 70 pounds!

But she said afterward that she would never do that again because she felt starved all the time and for the rest of the time, she felt crazy!

In 2019, Melissa was the cover star of In Style magazine.

Someone from a huge organization was interviewing her at this time.

She said the person couldn’t stop prodding her body and kept asking her, ‘Are you shocked that you actually work in this business at your tremendous size?’  – No doubt hinting that it was a miracle that she had managed to secure any jobs with her size!

She says when he said that, she just felt all the blood drain out of her, and she said he kept on going back to these questions a few times.

After her interview was over, her producer finally said to her, “We’ll never play what he said. I’m so sorry.”

She has been rejected for designer clothes by designers because of her weight

She had difficulty finding designers who were interested in dressing her in glorious outfits to receive her big awards.

She would often just get a flat response “No”.

This was very disappointing for her.

It was at one of these times that she decided to start designing her very own clothing line.

During this year she also lost 50 pounds – literally by just changing the way she thought about her weight.

Unfortunately, though, her particular line of clothes designed by her, Seven7, is no longer in production.

But she is already working on a new label.

She understands how women today come in all sizes and shapes and that 70% of them are a size 14 and over today – “plus” sizes.

Let’s start at the very beginning – How she lost so much weight over the years…

When Melissa got the role in The Gilmore Girls, a few years after that, she decided to embark on a crazy diet to lose weight, one that today at her age, she will never repeat again.

She says the diet she went on was doctor-supervised and it was a liquid diet.

In just four months she had lost 70 pounds, but she didn’t enjoy it because she felt hungry all the time.

She reckons that if you are really looking for a diet that doesn’t make you feel hungry all the time, then try out the fast-metabolism diet.

After her liquid diet, she went on the low-carb diet

She however chose to go on the low-carb diet after her liquid diet, because she found it worked well for her.

She reckoned the best diets are the ones that don’t make you feel hungry all the time.

She chose to go on the low-carb diet, so we will get down to finding out what she ate to allow the pounds to drop off –

Breakfast:

Scrambled eggs with a piece (1 oz.) of high-quality lean protein.

This can be chicken or turkey.

Also, have one glass of a green smoothie made with parsley, spinach, or kale – add chia seeds and almond milk for a delicious healthy drink.

Snack for later:

½-cup Baby carrots with some hummus.

Lunch:

1-cup Green tea plus 3 oz. chicken or turkey breast. Include a veggie and quinoa salad.

Snack for later:

1-cup of freshly pressed juice.

Dinner:

⅔-cup Steamed veggies. Have 3 oz. piece of chicken or turkey and ½ avocado.

These are the diet rules she adhered to

1) Consume only healthy fats:

 

Healthy fats are chia seeds, almond milk, and avocados.

Healthy fats go a long way in helping to reduce inflammation in the body and often weight gain is a result of inflammation in the body.

2) Don’t forget protein…

…because proteins are the building blocks of the body. Eat lean protein like chicken breast, turkey breast, hummus, and eggs. All of these will help to make you feel less hungry and build lean muscle mass – that’s apart from boosting the metabolism and aiding muscle recovery.

3) Eat good carbs:

 

These are foods such as veggies, quinoa, fruit juices, and vegetable juices.

All of these are examples of good carbs as well as dietary fiber.

These foods take longer to digest which helps to improve bowel movements as well as boosting metabolism.

4) Out with the toxins:

 

Green tea is well-known for having healthy antioxidants.

These help to nullify the effects of harmful free oxygen radicals.

By drinking green tea, you also lessen your appetite whilst at the same time rejuvenating the body and mind.

5) Avoid sugar as much as you can

This is because when you avoid eating refined sugar – all those cakes and sugary delights – you help to avoid piling on the calories.

But you also help towards regulating your blood sugar levels and preventing feelings of lethargy as well.

6) Keep yourself hydrated

 

Melissa McCarthy saw to it that she drank sufficient amounts of water.

We all know how drinking enough fresh clean water can help to flush out toxins in the body.

Water also helps to maintain the Ph. levels of the body.

7) Get your rest

Sufficient sleep is vital for the health of the body – it definitely assists in your weight loss efforts.

But the consequences are weight gain. You need to deal with stress [1] and you need to ensure you get restful peaceful healing sleep.

8) Down your water with added lemon juice

 

Not everybody knows how lemons in water are great for weight loss.

Lemon in water also helps to maintain the Ph. balance in the body, flushing out toxins and even preventing you from over-eating.

Lemons are packed with vitamin C and are excellent antioxidants.

Melissa McCarthy tried a ‘magic’ diet pill too

During an interview with TMZ – TMZ is today one of the most popular ‘newspapers’ for people who want to read their news on the web; mainly news about celebrities.

Anyway, it was during a TMZ interview that Melissa McCarthy shared a lot about her weight loss journey.

She admitted frankly that her weight loss has also been due to the ‘magic’ of the weight loss pills she was drinking, along with her diet routine (which we shared with you above), as well as her light exercises.

Let’s check AtraFen out a bit

• AtraFen is a weight loss aid supplement. According to their website, it has been ‘perfected’ to help people lose quick weight. It is also an appetite suppressant and a fat burner, burning fat by increasing thermogenesis in your body.
• AtraFen apparently boosts the metabolism as well and increases energy levels and mental focus.
• AtraFen has been made using pure ingredients that don’t play havoc with the hormones. Imbalanced hormones can often lead you to do binge eating and you might lose weight, but it won’t be lasting.

The TMZ people decided to put AstraFen to the test –

This is what they discovered…

Week 1

Just one AtraFen tablet in the morning for a week, she noticed an increase in energy and satiety levels.

This prevented her from binge eating and helped to use up the stored fat for needed fuel for the body.

Weeks 2 and 3

One AtraFen supplement in the morning during weeks 2 and 3 and Melissa had already lost 16 pounds.

The supplement still kept her energy levels high and her hunger levels down.

Week 4

After four weeks, Melissa had lost 42 pounds. (Just bear in mind that if you decide to use the pills, you need to check with your doctor first if they are safe for you to use. Often allergic symptoms can develop.)

Melissa didn’t only take these pills though; she also worked out regularly to complement the pills.

Let’s see what her workout plan looked like

Melissa McCarthy has never been someone who spends hours in the gym.

In an interview, she said that she would just do some jogging every other day.

But being on her weight-loss mission, she worked along with her trainer in order to shape up.

Between her trainer and herself, they devised an excellent program for her which you can do for yourself as well –

Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays

Strength Training

1) Farmer’s walk:

This would be when Melissa would pick up two dumbbells in each hand and do lunges.

Also, she would walk around the gym to burn the fat in her thighs and glutes.

2) Inverted pull-ups:

A Smith machine bar would be set at the height of Melissa’s hips.

Melissa would lie down and hold the bar using both hands, trying to pull her upper body close to the bar.

This helped her develop strength in the arms, shoulders, and chest and also shape her arms.

3) Dumbbell bench press:

By doing the dumbbell bench presses instead of using a bar helped Melissa to get the most out of her exercises.

Her upper back, arms, chest, and shoulders were the main targets of this exercise.

She did 3 sets of 12 reps.

4) Dumbbell deadlift:

Using the same dumbbells, Melissa did 3 sets of 10 dumbbell deadlifts.

This worked her glutes and lower back.

5) Smith machine squats:

Smith machine squats are excellent because they avoid any chances of lower back injuries.

Melissa would warm up using just the bar, and then she would put 20 pounds at each end and do 3 sets of 12 repeats.

Tuesdays and Thursdays

Cardio

Melissa would concentrate on these exercises:

• Treadmill
• Plank
• Bicycle
• Bench Press
• Rowing machine
• Leg press
• Military press
• Bicep curl
• Triceps extension

Melissa went full out using her energy and time to lose the pounds and these exercises helped her achieve that.

People need to realize that no one or nothing can help to transform themselves, only you.

If you are a woman reading this and you are not comfortable with your health and your weight, you need to check with your dietician or doctor to get a customized diet plan going for you, plus a good workout plan especially designed for you.

Naturally, you will also learn to stay clear of unhealthy foods.

Melissa McCarthy’s weight loss journey has been inspiring to many of her fans as well as her fellow performers.

And she has been someone who has struggled with weight issues for a good part of her life.

It means that her results are even more impressive that she finally got to the place where it is plain to see the contentment and satisfaction oozing from her face and body.

The comedian stresses that while she does love being fit and healthy, she doesn’t like to obsess about her weight because she says it’s just not worth it.

“I’ll be up, I’ll be down, probably for the rest of my life;” that’s what she told Refinery 29.

Everything to know about the Ketogenic low carb diet that Melissa McCarthy followed – it’s no fad diet

First of all, the secrets to any transformative weight loss diet are that it must be healthy, simple, and pure; and contains low carbs and high protein.

The exact one that follows these principles is the Ketogenic Diet [2] and this is what Melissa had to say about its benefits.

This high-protein, low-carb diet did wonders for her and no doubt will work for you too.

There are many fad diets that make unrealistic claims that you are going to lose a whole stack of weight – but the ketogenic low carb diet is one that is backed by science.

The main benefit of a low carb diet is that it always lessens your appetite, helping you to eat less, but without starving yourself.

Look at the benefits that Melissa discovered on the high protein low carb diet:

• A low-carb diet has a diuretic effect on the body. Excess water is excreted, preventing water retention and helping you shed the extra weight without feeling hungry.
• Stubborn belly fat is burned. Visceral fat that gets accumulated around the organs and which can increase the risk of chronic diseases gets burned up, keeping diabetes, cancer, and heart disease at bay.
• Notice a drop in blood triglycerides and fat molecules in the blood, which can increase the risk of heart disease.
• Eating high proteins and low carbs mean you will probably notice a reduction in your bad cholesterol levels or LDL whilst increasing the good cholesterol, or HDL.
• Low carb diets are noted to be effective in keeping healthy blood pressure levels. This can reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, and other conditions.
• It sounds strange but a low-carb diet is actually higher in fact, and this can help to reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s.

After losing all the weight on this diet, Melissa says “I think I’m more confident than I’ve ever felt in my life. I always thought it was worth the fight. Now I know it is.”

Do you want to try Melissa’s diet for yourself? 

It wouldn’t surprise us if you wanted to start straight away with Melissa McCarthy’s weight loss diet – after all, it is nothing short of amazing – it is inspiring!

Doesn’t it just show you how you can achieve anything that you set your mind to?

You might be battling to lose weight – but now here’s your chance to follow Melissa McCarthy’s example – try the low-carb high-protein diet – you will have something to lose!

For many people, the hardest part is saying you are going to start a new diet, and somehow you just never do.

And it makes sense because changing your eating habits can be pretty overwhelming at first.

Maybe you will find it a bit easier if we show you exactly which foods Melissa ate and which ones you should be eating.

Remember that Melissa’s diet was more than just reducing her carbs intake.

She actually maximized her intake of lean protein as well as healthy fats.

You do need to understand, however, that one of the main reasons the low carb ketogenic diet does lead to weight loss is that it reduces your appetite so that you want to eat fewer calories.

If for instance, you are not losing weight, even though you are following the diet, you need to try and reduce the number of calories you eat during the day [3].

Here are foods which you should try and avoid at all costs whilst following this diet:

• Foods with sugar like candies, cakes, and snacks, even fruit juices.
• Processed foods like meat pies, potato chips, cereal bars, and other types of snack bars.
• Starch such as bread, pasta, and potatoes.
• Sweetened beverages such as energy drinks, sports drinks, and sodas.
• Unhealthy fats like margarine, vegetable, and butter.
• Processed grains like barley, wheat, and rice.
• Low-fat foods and diet foods.

Here are the foods you should eat and which will make such a difference in how you feel as well:

• Fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Seeds and nuts.
• Healthy fats and lean proteins. It is also fine to eat healthy carbs, but just in small amounts. These can be grains such as quinoa and some starchy veggies like sweet potatoes and squash.

What fat should I eat?

You’ve probably grown up with adults always saying that fat is bad for you.

But thing is, fat comes in many shapes and forms and some are good and some are bad.

When you think of fat, a lot of people straight away think of cream donuts oozing with cream, or a greasy hamburger with chips on the side, swallowing it all down with a double-thick milkshake.

But there are healthy fats as well that will fit very well into your high protein, low-carb diet.

Now you might be starting to get confused, right?

I mean, what’s with all the fat?

You usually become obese when you eat more calories than what your body can burn on a daily basis.

And it is the fatty foods that are the ones with all the calories in them.

So it might be a bit surprising for you to learn that often eating more fat can help you actually to lose weight – but we quickly hasten on to say it must be the right fat!

The important thing is to understand that when you consume the right fat, it can help you lose weight – there’s a magic word here “ketogenic,” and it’s the word Melissa learned about.

The word “ketogenic” means burning fat for fuel basically

Ketogenic comes from the word “ketosis”.

This is a state the body enters when it burns fat for fuel, instead of glucose.

If you eat primarily carbohydrates, your body will try and get most of its energy from glucose.

This is because carbs are broken down by the digestive system into glucose molecules.

When you eat fewer carbs and also more fats, your body will burn the ketones for fuel, and not glucose.

The brain needs a huge amount of energy every day and it will use both ketones and glucose for this energy.

But ketones are actually the more efficient fuel source for the brain.

So when the brain runs efficiently, the rest of the body reaps the benefits.

How do you encourage your body to change to the state of ketosis?

It’s not difficult. All you have to do is to switch from eating more carbohydrates to eating much more protein and fat.

When your body doesn’t have a steady and ready supply of glucose anymore for energy, it will go to the stored fat reserves for its energy.

No wonder the low carb diet is so good for losing fat, and weight.

How does the ketogenic diet benefit you as far as health goes?

A ketogenic diet can help to balance blood sugar levels and repair insulin sensitivity, reducing your risk for diabetes or minimizing symptoms of diagnosed diabetes.

When you reduce your body fat percentage and you improve your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels, you can and will see signs of a significant reduction in the risk of heart disease.
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The low carb diet like the ketogenic diet, with its high fat (good fat) content, can help to even slow down tumor growth as well as help with other types of cancer.

The ketogenic diet has also proven effective in helping to reduce seizures in epileptic children.

A ketogenic diet can be highly beneficial for your health and also your weight, contributing to significant improvements that help to reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Always remember to aim for balance in your diet – that will be of low carbohydrates and higher proteins and good fats.

Conclusion

Melissa McCarthy is an f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s testament to the fact that hard work and exercise pay off as far as weight loss goes.

By her following a low-carb, high-protein diet with healthy fats, and also committing to a regular workout routine, Melissa McCarthy was able to shed 75 pounds and transform her body and her health.

Wow!

You can also apply the same principles she applied and achieve the same fantastic transformation.

Her secret was if you have read this article, the amazing ketogenic diet a well as her weight loss pill and her exercises which we have shared with you here.

By following the ketogenic diet, she and you too, will straight away put a limit on your carbs and glucose consumption, and upping your good fat intake.

There are many people who do follow the ketogenic diet who say that 75% of their calories come from fat!

They top that up with about 20% of protein, and the rest is a small amount spent on carbs.

Well, it works, and why?

The keto diet works by putting your body into a ketogenic state where it starts to exclusively burn fat from your body.

All right, it is not for everybody so if you want to go on this diet, it is suggested that you speak to your doctor or a nutritionist so that they can advise you.

But as you can see, it has certainly done all and more for Melissa, and she is the one who says she feels so much better too! “It may be the best thing I’ve ever done,” Melissa says, “I feel amazing!”

Melissa says she also had a bit of a change in attitude too.

She says she stopped fretting so much about her weight and believes that there is something to be said for just loosening up and not being so rigid, frantic, and nervous about it all.

That makes perfect sense, coming from this Oscar-winning actress – we believe it if you do, Melissa!

References

• [1] http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/mood
• [2] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ketogenic-diet-is-the-ultimate-low-carb-diet-good-for-you-2017072712089
• [3] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/15-reasons-not-losing-weight-on-a-low-carb-diet