Kathy Bates decided that it was time to finally address speculation that she used Ozempic to lose 100 pounds.
Kathy, 76, confirmed to People in an interview published on Wednesday, October 9, that she lost 80 pounds within seven years by changing up her diet and exercising more after she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. She also admitted that she did use Ozempic to shed 20 more pounds. Her weight loss now totals 100 pounds.
“There’s been a lot of talk that I just was able to do this because of Ozempic,” the Matlock actress explained. “But I have to impress upon people out there that this was hard work for me, especially during the pandemic. It’s very hard to say you’ve had enough.”
“I ate because I was afraid, and I ate because it was a FU to my self-esteem,” she told the outlet. “[Diabetes] runs in my family, and I’d seen what my father had gone through. He had had a leg amputation. One of my sisters is dealing with it very seriously, and it terrified me. It scared me straight.”
Last month, the American Horror Story alum spoke about how her weight loss has helped improve her life.
“It’s helped me tremendously that, over the last six or seven years, I’ve lost 100 pounds,” she told Variety. “I don’t think I’ve been this slim since I was in college.”
Kathy recalled how her weight held her back while she was working on Harry’s Law in 2011.
“I had to sit down every moment that I could,” she revealed. “It was hard for me to walk. I’m ashamed I let myself get so out of shape, but now I have a tremendous amount of energy.”
That same month, an insider opened up to Closer about how Kathy was maintaining her weight loss.
“She’s done this the healthy way by limiting the bad carbs, cutting out the bread, cheese and pasta, eating more veggies and fruit and controlling her portions,” the insider said.
At the time, the source told us that Kathy was “exasperated” by all the commotion surrounding her weight loss and noticeable change in her appearance. They pointed out that in the past, she battled ovarian cancer and breast cancer.
“The fact is, she’s a fighter who’s battled other ill health conditions down the years, and there are many in her circle who are rallying around her and encouraging to stay on the healthy track,” the insider said.
Five years ago, Kathy shared what went into her decision to get healthier. “Well, I was facing diabetes — it runs in my family — and I really didn’t want to live with that,” the Academy Award winner told Extra in March 2019.
Kathy also shared something that she learned from her niece about her eating patterns.
“After you eat for 20-30 minutes, you experience an involuntary sigh,” she told the outlet. “It’s communication between stomach and brain telling you you had enough… and what I discovered is if you listen to that sigh and push that plate away for just five minutes, you realize you’re satisfied and you don’t have to eat more.”
