Inside Rebel Wilson's Head-Turning Physical Transformation
Rebel Wilson has sent heads turning since revealing her incredible physical transformation in 2020. In fact, you may barely even recognize her.
Her claim to fame came after playing Fat Amy in the popular franchise Pitch Perfect. "I was going all around the world, jet-setting everywhere, and eating a ton of sugar," she explained on The Drew Barrymore Show. Though she loved acting up on the big screen, her unhealthy habits were beginning to catch up with her. When Wilson turned 40, it was officially time to make that change. "Health is so important," she told her Instagram fans, so she dedicated the next twelve months of her life to completely changing it — and many of us have become inspired to alter our own lives, too.
Wilson showed off her entire transformation on social media, and she's since received countless messages from fans who have also been motivated to get moving. "I find it interesting that people pay so much attention to a weight loss transformation," Wilson admitted to The Morning Crew – Hughesy, Ed & Erin, and if you've clicked on this article, it means you are too. Here's an inside look into Wilson's incredible transformation.
Rebel Wilson began gaining weight after being diagnosed with PCOS
It wasn't until she turned 20 that Rebel Wilson began having problems with her weight. As she was busy being a college student, Wilson's weight was adding up at an alarming rate. She couldn't figure out why, either. "I was still doing the same things. I just rapidly gained weight," she explained on Instagram Live. "And then I thought, 'Oh, hang on. Something might be wrong.'"
After a visit with her doctor, Wilson was diagnosed with PCOS. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a condition that causes an imbalance of hormones. With Wilson's hormones out of whack, they were causing her body to put on extra pounds. "It's quite common," Wilson admitted to her fans. In fact, nearly 5 million American women suffer from the condition (via Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Wilson was prescribed pills to help even out the chemical imbalances in her body. However, PCOS ended up affecting more than just her hormones.
Rebel Wilson has struggled with emotional eating
Gaining weight was taking more than just a physical toll on Rebel Wilson's body. "The mental, kind of emotional side turned out to be the biggest thing for me," she admitted on Instagram Live.
During the time when her career was at its height, her days were filled with some of the hardest moments. "What I mainly suffered from was emotional eating and dealing with the stress of becoming famous internationally," she explained on The Drew Barrymore Show. Though she had finally fulfilled her dreams, like any other actress, she dealt with rejection. The stress of the entertainment industry was enough to get her down some days. "My way of dealing with it was just eating donuts," she said.
Wilson would often come home from set with absolutely no energy. Not only was she suffering emotionally, but her overall health was in need of some help, too, "which for me comes down to self-love really," she told E!. Wilson knew it was finally time to take care of herself.
Becoming a mother was a big motivator for Rebel Wilson to make a change
When it came to getting healthy, Rebel Wilson needed to do it for more than just herself. "I was thinking about fertility and having good quality eggs in the bank," she revealed during an Instagram Live chat.
When Wilson turned 40, she still hadn't started a family like she had always wanted. Between having her biological clock ticking and dealing with polycystic ovary syndrome on a daily basis, she turned to freezing her eggs for the future. Yet, that future could really come at any time.
To prepare for that day, Wilson had to get herself in shape and cut out unhealthy foods. After all, she wouldn't give her own child just junk food. "To give them that every day is not loving," she told E!. "And so, why do I do that to myself? Why aren't I valuing myself the way I would value another person?" This thought process is really what caused her to focus on making a change.
Rebel Wilson had done diets before, but nothing ever worked
Rebel Wilson had tried all sorts of different diets in order to slim down, but nothing ever seemed to work. Even after successfully losing a few pounds, she would always gain the weight back (via Extra). By 2019, she decided, "I need to do a really holistic approach this time," something Wilson explained on The Drew Barrymore Show, so she took a serious trip to Austria in order to get it done.
A wellness resort called VivaMayr Altaussee is where Wilson finally began to see results through an entirely personalized diet plan. After spending two weeks there, she dropped over 14 pounds. Spending time with specialty doctors seemed to do the trick. They found that her body consisted of too much of a chemical that kept her craving sugar, so she went through a total detox to get rid of it (via Instagram Live). "[It] helped my digestive and immune system so much," she later tweeted.
It wasn't until a few months later that she realized this Mayr Method was what had always been missing from her weight loss journey.
Rebel Wilson officially declared 2020 her "Year of Health"
When a new year arrives, many of us have resolutions that include a major weight loss goal. However, Rebel Wilson was set on making it happen. As an avid believer in theming each year of her life in order to make changes, she decided to deem 2020 her "Year of Health" (via The Drew Barrymore Show).
However, losing weight wasn't the only thing she wanted to accomplish. "I was determined in 2020, the 'Year of Health,' to actually fully change, like, my whole entire lifestyle," she explained on Instagram Live, so she sat down and wrote a letter to herself explaining why she was worth getting healthy for.
Though her previous diets may have failed her before, "I'm really going to give it my all this year," she said. Not only did she accomplish her weight loss goal over the course of the calendar year, but she inspired many other people to achieve their health goals, too.
Rebel Wilson uses Instagram to hold her accountable
While Rebel Wilson could have kept her weight loss journey private — like many other aspects of her life — she decided to make it public. "One of the reasons I made my journey public on social media [was] for accountability," she explained in an Instagram Live. "Because I didn't want to just say it and then not follow through."
For far too long, Wilson had done diets, but could never keep the weight off. This time, it was all about focusing on all aspects of her health — from why she was emotionally eating to how these changes in her thinking could help her feel better about herself (via The Drew Barrymore Show).
As soon as the new year started, Wilson shared on Instagram that she would immediately be embarking on her "Year of Health." She also encouraged her followers to jump into their journeys, too. "Who's with me in making some positive changes this year?" She wrote.
Rebel Wilson focuses on eating a diet high in protein
The way Rebel Wilson ate was a big reason she was continuing to gain weight. "Before I was probably eating 3,000 calories most days," she admitted to People. "And because they were normally carbs, I would still be hungry." After meeting with a specialty doctor in Austria, she was told to incorporate a high amount of protein into her diet.
For someone who spent her life as "mainly" a vegetarian, being told she needed to eat more proteins was initially tough to chew on. However, in addition to adding it into her smoothies, Wilson now eats chicken and fish on a daily basis. Since incorporating it into her daily diet, "my body just responds well to protein," she said in an Instagram Live.
To accompany a main course that's high in protein, Wilson makes sure to keep her entire day under 1,500 calories if she wants to lose weight. To maintain the new number she's hit on the scale, she'll splurge and eat somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 calories. "I do workout like a beast, so I can eat a bit more," she laughed.
But Rebel Wilson still treats herself every once in a while
It's not all chicken and fish in Rebel Wilson's diet. For an actress who gets to travel all over the world to work — and to enjoy a variety of delicious foods — she doesn't always stick to a strict diet. "You still gotta treat yourself," she shared on Instagram, so once or twice each week, she indulges in one of her favorite treats. Whether it be a piece of cake or a donut, these are just some of her favorites that are enough to satisfy her stubborn "sweet tooth" (via The Drew Barrymore Show).
While it can be tempting to eat even more than that at times, she does have a secret. For those days where she wants something sweet, Wilson will still treat herself and "substitute bubble baths," she admitted. Luckily, there's more than one way to successfully lose weight and still feel good about yourself during this sometimes challenging process.
Rebel Wilson turns off the TV while eating meals
It turns out that there was something super simple Rebel Wilson was doing that was causing her to gain weight. Luckily, fixing it was as easy as flipping as a switch. "I would have all of my meals in front of the TV," she admitted during an Instagram Live. "I still find it hard not to."
One of the biggest lessons she's learned from the Mayr Method is a concept called "mindful eating." Essentially, "mindful eating is about taking one bite at a time and eating slowly and really chewing your food," Wilson explained. Specialists she worked with recommended she chew anywhere between 40 and 60 times before swallowing each bite (via Today). By doing so, it allows her to really think about how much she's eating. If you're busy watching television, "you may not be concentrating on if you're full," Wilson said. "You may easily be overeating."
Not only has "mindful eating" made her slim down, but it's also helped her enjoy each bite even more than she did before.
Rebel Wilson exercises six days each week
One of the most important ways Rebel Wilson has lost weight is by working out. Each day, "I'm normally doing at least an hour of physical activity," she explained in an Instagram Live.
In the past, exercising was exhausting to Wilson. "When I was doing Pitch Perfect, there are some nights I didn't go out with the other girls because I would probably be a bit more tired after dancing," she admitted to E!, so to get her started, Wilson hired a personal trainer named Jono Castano. His approach was to make exercising interesting by coming up with unique ways to get active (via Today).
Now, Wilson makes sure to get herself moving at least six days each week. Whether it be as simple as exploring a new city by foot or hiking a nearby mountain, she's dedicated to doing the work — and it's shown.
Rebel Wilson walks whenever she can
Out of all the intense exercises she does, Rebel Wilson attributes a lot of her success to something many of us do on a daily basis. "Just getting outside and going on walks," she told Extra.
While initially meeting with specialty doctors in Austria, Wilson was told that walking would be the best way for her to burn body fat. The amazing part is, no one needs an expensive trainer to tell them to do it — and neither did Wilson. "The majority of the exercise that I've done this year has just been me going out for a walk," she explained during an Instagram Live chat.
Some of her favorite places to walk are in Griffith Park while filming in Los Angeles and around Sydney Harbor when she's back in her hometown in Australia. In addition to the exercise, she's seen some pretty amazing views while walking. "Weirdly, I never thought I would like hiking, walking uphill," she admitted. "Like, who would have thought that would be a fun activity?"
Losing weight hasn't always been easy for Rebel Wilson
Just because Rebel Wilson has successfully hit her weight loss goal doesn't mean it was always easy. "I struggled with being healthy," she admitted on Instagram Live. In fact, when she was only a few pounds away from her goal weight, she had the hardest time getting it off. Even now that she enjoys the number on her scale, it's still not the end of her story. To keep it that way, Wilson must continue to maintain her healthy lifestyle. "It definitely is a daily journey," she told E!. "You are never really finished with it."
Even on her hardest days, Wilson has always had a sense of humor to get her through — just like her characters we see on-screen. "When I was reaching for the candies last night after dinner I thought to myself 'hmmmm...better not' and had a bottle of water instead," she joked as a reference to Pitch Perfect on Instagram.
On a more serious note, "we all have tough days," Wilson wrote. "But take a beat, take a nap and then get back out there and continue to crush."
For Rebel Wilson, the entire process was about making herself healthy
When a worldwide pandemic hit at the start of 2020, Rebel Wilson found herself with the free time to truly make a difference in her daily life. She wanted to hit her weight loss from all angles in order to do so — both physically and emotionally. "I was doing some unhealthy things to my body and I just wanted to change it and become a healthier person," she told People.
Even though the entertainment business portrays many stick-figure stars, "you never want it to be about the number, because it really isn't about that," she said. Instead, she knew she needed to be in better shape. The first step was caring enough about herself to do it.
After hitting her goal weight in November 2020, Wilson isn't worried about the number on the scale. Instead, she focuses on the healthy habits that she created over the course of the year. "Don't be obsessed about how much you actually weigh," she shared. "It's more about all the healthy practices, and then the changes to your whole lifestyle."
Now that Rebel Wilson has hit her weight goal, she feels better than ever
After successfully losing over 60 pounds, Rebel Wilson feels better about herself now more than ever — and it's been obvious to all her fans. "You can tell that I post a lot of photos of myself on Instagram," she laughed to The Morning Crew – Hughesy, Ed & Erin. However, doing so has definitely held her accountable when it came to getting herself healthy. She even hit her weight loss goal one month earlier than she had planned (via Prevention).
Though Wilson still loves her body at whatever number she sees on the scale, it's her mental and emotional health that has thrived during this entire process, "which for me comes down to self-love really," Wilson told E!.
In 2020, she finally cared enough about herself to get healthy. However, even after losing all that weight, there's still much more to her health journey — enough to last her an entire lifetime, actually. "I don't think I've arrived at some final destination yet," she explained.