Kathy Bates Lifts Lid on Horrific Junk Food Addiction Before Startling Weight Loss: 'It Was Burgers, Cokes and Pizza — But Then I Stopped'
Star Kathy Bates has given a frank interview about how she was hooked on junk food like burgers and pizza, but she's now happy again after beating her cravings.
Nov. 5 2024, Published 8:35 a.m. ET
Oscar-winner Kathy Bates has turned her back on the misery of being an over-weight binge eater and she's never been happier.
The acting icon has shed 100lbs after shunning sugary drinks, and giving fatty foods like burgers and pizzas the boot, RadarOnline can reveal.
She began to pile on the pounds when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012.
Bates underwent a double mastectomy, which sparked lymphedema, a chronic condition that causes swelling due to a build-up of lymphatic fluid in the body.
Kathy Bates has turned her back on the misery of being an over-weight binge eater and she's never been happier.
Then in 2017, she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Kathy said: "I ate because I was afraid, and I ate because it was a FU to my self-esteem. "The diabetes scared me straight."
She decided to get serious about her health and to start, she took some advice from her niece about listening to her body.
"When we're full, we experience an involuntary sigh," she explained.
Bates changed the foods she ate.
"I just pushed the plate away."
She also changed the foods she ate.
"I used to eat terribly: burgers and Cokes and pizza," she admitted, and stopped eating past 8 p.m.
Through those changes, Bates was able to lose 80Ibs. She lost her next 20lbs by taking the medication Ozempic, used to help manage type 2 diabetes.
Describing her new practice, Bates said: ‘I have to impress upon people out there that this was hard work for me, especially during the pandemic.’
"There's been a lot of talk that I just was able to do this because of Ozempic," she said. "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."
She isn't opposed to the occasional treat, though.
"We've been having trucks come to the lot over at Paramount to thank the crew, and yesterday we had Pink's Hot Dogs," she said, "Oh, my God, I hadn't had a hot dog in such a long time. Today I'm getting back on my track."
Kathy has no plans to retire anytime soon, she added.
The 76-year-old actress made headlines recently for saying 'Matlock' would be her ‘last dance’ after a five-decade career.
The actress, 76, made headlines recently for saying Matlock would be her "last dance" after a five-decade career. However, she clarified that she isn't ready to step away from the industry just yet.
"I think people got confused and thought I was going to retire," she said.
"What I meant was, how can it get any better? I would love for this to keep going."
Matlock, a twist on the original series that ran from 1986 to 1995 and starred Andy Griffith, gave Bates renewed hope after a period of frustration due to the limited roles being offered to a woman her age.
Everything about the CBS show has been a good fit for Bates after losing the weight.
"I remember calling my agents and saying, 'I think maybe I want to go into if not retirement, semi-retirement. If I can't afford to keep my house, I'll sell it and maybe go to New York,'" she said.
"Then this happened. I couldn't believe it."
Everything about the CBS show has been a good fit for Bates after losing the weight.
"It all just coincided beautifully so that physically, I'm capable of doing this show," she added.
In 1990, Bates made her mainstream breakthrough in ‘Misery,’ based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.
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"I don't have to sit down. I can stand up all day long and walk and move and breathe and do so many things that I couldn't before." This period of her life "is just so exciting." she continues, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's emotional."
In 1990, when she was 42, Bates made her mainstream breakthrough in Misery, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.
Her performance as the deranged Annie Wilkes earned her an Oscar.
Describing the roles she wanted to play, Bates said: ‘I'd always wanted to be a character actor.’
"The old adage is true: Once you've won an Oscar, it's like, 'Okay, great job, and then they go on to the next'," she said.
Luckily for her, the work kept coming, and roles in films like Fried Green Tomatoes, Dolores Claiborne and Titanic followed.
"I've been really lucky to have such a variety of roles over the years," she says. "I'd always wanted to be a character actor."
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