How Melissa McCarthy Dropped 50+ Pounds
"Nothing's more charming than someone who doesn't take herself too seriously," are the wise words Melissa McCarthy once shared with Entertainment Weekly. And it just so happens to be that her quirky life mantra was also the inspiration behind her incredible weight loss!
While the comical actress has implemented a sustainable diet and workout routine to drop the weight, her amazing transformation was also actualized due to her ambition to stay true to herself. Read on to find out how Melissa lost over 50 pounds. Her candid and unique tips just happen to be some of our 50 Fast Ways to Lose the Last 10 Pounds.
She Keeps Busy
From producing and starring in The Happytime Murders, Life of the Party, and Can You Ever Forgive Me?—three films all dropping in 2018—to working on a gangster flick set to hit theaters in 2019, Melissa's definitely kept herself afloat in the Hollywood sphere—which also helped her shed the weight. In fact, keeping your mind occupied and away from the kitchen is a sure-fire way to distract yourself from pesky cravings and save hundreds of calories in the process.
…And Active
Her role in the action-comedy Spy kickstarted her weight loss. While filming the movie, McCarthy studied martial arts for two months. "It turns out, I like doing stunts," she revealed on Live With Kelly and Michael. High intensity interval training, such as martial arts, has been repeatedly proven to help you shed weight in a shorter amount of time thanks to the quick, intense bursts of exercise followed by short rest periods. If you're not too keen on the combat practice, try engaging in kettlebell training or treadmill HIIT routine like Reese Witherspoon's.
She Quit Stressing
A diet's success relies on whether or not it's maintainable in the long-run and giving yourself some wiggle room is a great way to keep yourself on track. Instead of stressing about your weight and micromanaging your meals, Melissa aimed to let go. "I stopped over-analyzing, over-thinking, over-doing anything," she told CBS This Morning. "I kinda went back to when I was pregnant and I just stopped constantly being worried about it and I think there's something to kinda loosening up and not being so nervous and rigid about it that, bizarrely, has worked."
And she's on to something: When the body is in stress mode, it produces the stress hormone cortisol, which has been linked to an increase in belly fat. Beat the bulge by stripping away stress with simple tricks like brewing an antioxidant-packed cup of green tea, going for a yoga session, or blowing off steam at the gym.
She Stuck to a High-Protein Diet
When it comes to boosting your metabolism and feeling satiated, protein is key. So even the fun-loving chef Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls had to give up most of the carbs she loved in order to lose weight. According to Life & Style, McCarthy followed a high-protein, low-carb diet.
In fact, a study in the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism found that older adults who doubled up on the recommended daily allowance of protein had maintained and built more muscle mass—and more muscle equals greater fat loss! Find out which lean picks are best in our guide, The 29 Best-Ever Proteins for Weight Loss.
