13 of the Biggest Celebrity Weight Loss Transformations

Losing weight can be a hard thing for anyone, especially since exercise can be a bit of a a chore and fattening foods are often the most delicious. But what’s even harder is slimming down and getting bad habits under control when you’re constantly in the spotlight. It’s tough to change your lifestyle when cameras are always in your face.

This is one of the many reasons that big weight loss transformations by celebrities stand out. It’s a bit shocking to see someone step back into photos after a long absence, carrying about 50 less pounds with them. Here are some of the most notable celebrities to have shed some pounds, and kept the weight off.

Adele

First appearing to lose weight last October after being photographed at friend and fellow performer, Drake’s birthday party, paparazzi cameras captured the singer flaunting a new physique. This progress was later captured when the “Hello” singer-songwriter was out for a walk on the beach with friends.

While she had kept a relatively low profile during her transformation amid her ongoing divorce from Simon Konecki, the 32-year-old showed off her new look via photos shared to Instagram, including a photo from this past August of the award-winning artist at the Notting Hill Carnival in London. She later debuted her gorgeous physique while hosting Saturday Night Live this past season.

Melissa McCarthy

Melissa McCarthy is one of Hollywood’s funniest women, acting and producing her way up to garnering one of the biggest paychecks in Tinseltown. But while her talent for physical comedy and slapstick humor has impressed audiences the world over, the actress has struggled with her weight for years. Admitting to The Guardian that she has been “every size in the world” from the age of 6 to 22, after landing her first major role on Gilmore Girls, McCarthy attempted a doctor-supervised all-liquid diet, which led her to lose 70 pounds in four months. However, she tells PEOPLE of the experience that she would “never do that again,” as she felt incredibly “starved and crazy half the time.”

Most recently, she has raised a lot of questions and interest in her noticeable weight loss, which she reveals was all about changing her lifestyle as she lost 75 pounds. “No trick, nothing to tell, just super boring life,” she told Extra in 2016. “You bring it real down, you don’t do anything fun, and you go to bed at 7:30 — that’s the trick.”

Admitting that she is not trying to hit a specific number on the scale, she thinks she’ll be back up or down in no time, for the “rest” of her life. “The thing is, if that is the most interesting thing about me, I need to go have a lavender farm in Minnesota and give this up. There has to be something more,” she told Refinery29.

Jonah Hill

Actors have been known to put on and lose weight for various roles, but Jonah Hill has taken things to an entirely new level. Hill became widely-recognized after his starring role in 2007’s Superbad, where he portrayed an overweight high school senior. He’s since lost weight for roles, put even more back on for others, and then lost it all once again. Jonah Hill has become the weight-chameleon of Hollywood.

Mama June

Originally known as Honey Boo Boo’s mother on Toddlers in Tiaras, “Mama June” Shannon rose to fame when her family was given their own reality series, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.  After stepping away from the spotlight following the show’s ending, Shannon re-emerged in 2017, showing off a jaw-dropping weight loss transformation. Shannon once weighed 352 pounds, but now fits into a slim size 4.

Rosie O’Donnell

Back in July 2013, Rosie O’Donnell underwent vertical gastric sleeve surgery about a year after a heart attack threatened her life. When she debuted on The View in September 2015, the actress and TV personality showed off her new physique. Once having weighed 237 pounds, O’Donnell lost 53 pounds by the time she returned to television.

Graham Elliot

Masterchef judge Graham Elliot has struggled with weight all his life, and that challenge came to a head in 2013 when he neared 400 pounds.

Elliot underwent a sleeve gastrectomy procedure that helped him lose close to 150 pounds in a matter of months. Thanks to the specific type of procedure that he underwent, the chef won’t have any restrictions when it comes to the types of food he tastes.

Wendy Williams

Wendy Williams has been a beloved talk show host for years now alongside her own eponymous daytime series, but her new take on life has fans even more invested than they were before. In 2016, Williams revealed that she had lost at least 50 pounds over the previous three years. Since then, she’s managed to keep the weight off by adopting better eating habits, including breakfast each and every morning.

Abby Lee Miller

When Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller first revealed her significant weight loss, which took her from a size 24 to a size 16, rumors began spreading online that she had gone through surgery or taken part in a dieting gimmick. However, none of those were true as Miller began losing weight in 2014 through a series of unfortunate circumstances. Fortunately, Miller found a way to maintain her weight in the years since.

Chris Pratt

Known for her dad bod while on the NBC sitcom, Parks and Recreation, Chris Pratt’s transformation is one of the most incredible as the Avengers star now has a six-pack in place of his usual beer belly. Initially slimming down for his role in the 2014 movie, Zero Dark Thirty, the 40-year-old actor cut down on a significant amount of weight, ultimately losing 80 pounds in 2014 for his role in Guardians of the Galaxy and put on 20 pounds of muscle.

The star admits since his role on his award-winning sitcom that catapulted him to movie star success, required him to gain weight, it was when he was at 300 pounds that left him “impotent, fatigued, emotionally depressed,” that decided to make a change and head to the gym.

Jennifer Hudson

If you ever had any doubt that Weight Watchers was a legitimate dieting source, Jennifer Hudson’s story will surely change your mind.

After taking the world by storm as a contestant on American Idol, Hudson lost 80 pounds with Weight Watchers’ point-tracking system. She eventually became the spokesperson for the brand. Seven years after the weight loss journey, Hudson is still maintaining her slimmer-than-ever physique.

Kelly Osbourne

Kelly Osbourne stepped into the spotlight when she was first featured in The Osbournes reality series with her father Ozzy and mother Sharon. Since 2009, Osbourne has managed to lose 70 pounds among several different methods. The reality star used to participate in calorie-burning hula-hoop parties, and has since become an advocate for the mushroom-based diet called the M-Plan.

Most recently, Osbourne pulled down the curtain on her dramatic, 85-pound weight loss journey. During a wide-ranging podcast, the 35-year-old reality TV star revealed that she had gastric sleeve surgery and called it the “best thing” she has ever done. Still, she warned it was not quick and easy, noting that the surgery was only part of major lifestyle changes.

John Goodman

Larger-than-life funny-man and star of ABC’s The Conners, John Goodman was always one of the bigger guys, but he decided to get his weight under control in recent years. The 65-year-old actor says that the secret to his massive weight loss is pretty simple: He just stopped eating so often. Once he changed his eating, and exercising habits, Goodman as able to feel better during long days on set.

Rebel Wilson

Kicking off 2020 as the “year of health” for Rebel Wilson, the actress and comedian, has been documenting her weight-loss journey over the past few months, showing off an incredible shrinking figure while in a variety of colorful looks. “I put on the athleisure and went out for a walk, deliberately hydrating on the couch right now and trying to avoid the sugar and junk food which is going to be hard after the holidays I’ve just had but I’m going to do it!” she wrote in an Instagram post. “Who’s with me in making some positive changes this year?”

The 40-year-old has since announced that 165 pounds was her target weight goal for the year, with some way to go. According to Hollywood Life, her dramatic transformation is all thanks to trainer, Jono Castano Acero who told the outlet that he encourages clients to an “extra bit” of cardio every day to keep moving.

“A little tip is to get a watch or use your phone to count steps and aim for 10 thousand steps a day,” he said. “If you’re on 9000 steps at 10pm, you have to get it done.” The fitness trainer adds that while Wilson is “one of the sweetest souls” he’s ever met, the pair oftentimes end up burning a major dose of calories from all their laughing together.