The Most Dramatic Celebrity Weight-Loss Transformations

Over the last few years, there have been many celebrities who have majorly transformed their looks. It may have been with a new hairdo, refreshing highlights, or even a tattoo. Oftentimes, though, nothing wows the world quite as much as seeing a star's weight loss transformation.

Let's be honest: Losing weight isn't an easy feat. Still, many people think celebrities have it easy when it comes to slimming down. After all, the rich and famous have access to personal trainers, the most popular meal services, private chefs, and the best nutritionists in the business. But even with the perks that come with being a celeb, there is no shortcut to weight loss or fitness. Many stars who embarked on weight loss journeys have admitted to it being difficult. Let's take a peek into some of the most dramatic celebrity weight-loss transformations — and their unique journeys to getting to a lower weight.

Jonah Hill entered the entertainment industry when he was only a teenager. These days, it seems everyone knows his name. While many aspiring actors dream of achieving the same level of fame and fortune, Hill had actually been experiencing something else entirely behind the scenes. "[I] spent most of my young adult life listening to people say I was fat and gross and unattractive," he revealed in his magazine "Inner Children." This went on for years before Hill realize how much it truly affected how he felt about himself.

When he was directing his very first film, "Mid90s," in 2018, however, his outlook completely changed. "I love doing funny movies, but I want to mature, literally, in how I treat myself," he explained to Vulture. Hill had been unhappy — inside and out — and decided to speak with a nutritionist to take control of his health (via ABC News).

Though Shonda Rhimes is a total powerhouse when it comes to producing, she hadn't realized the power her weight had over her until one specific in-flight experience. "I got in my seat. I took off my shoes. I pulled out my book," she explained to Ellen DeGeneres. Then, she said, "I went to buckle my seatbelt, and it wouldn't buckle." Instead of alerting a stewardess, she felt so ashamed that she opted to go without a seatbelt. "I decided I would risk it and just fly out of my seat, because I wasn't going to say anything," she admitted, and that's when she knew she needed to make a change.

Over the course of a few years, she lost almost 150 pounds of weight (via Shondaland) and gained back loads of confidence — something that her kids now get to see every day. "I kind of wanted to be around for them," she said. "Like, be healthy." 

After giving birth three times, Jessica Simpson got to a point where she wasn't feeling good about herself at all. As her kids were growing up and toddling around, Simpson always felt too tired to join in. Losing weight, she decided, would help her to "be my best and be active with my kids and run around and not feel too weighed down," she explained (via People). So the singer quickly got herself moving, and she hasn't looked or felt the same since. Six months later, she debuted her new bod on Instagram. She had lost 100 pounds. But how exactly did she do it?

In addition to eating right, Simpson didn't sacrifice spending any time with her family. After all, they were her inspiration. Instead, she simply incorporated them into her workouts. "We go on family walks, we visit the pigs in the neighborhood, we visit the horses," she told Hollywood Life. "We're constantly active." 

Rebel Wilson declared that 2020 would be her "Year of Health" (via E! News). Wilson had trouble managing her weight ever since she was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) while in her 20s. "And I gained weight rapidly," she explained. When she booked her first big role in a film, the stress of being in the spotlight made her turn to sweets and other junk food even more than before, she revealed on "The Drew Barrymore Show." "For me, the big thing was looking at my emotional eating and why I was doing it, and working on the mental side," she told E! News, "which for me comes down to self-love really."

As of this writing, she has dropped around 60 pounds and looks nearly unrecognizable in her new body (via Women's Health). While Wilson feels better than ever, there's an important point she wants her fans to know. "Don't be obsessed about how much you actually weigh," she told People. "It's more about all the healthy practices, and then the changes to your whole lifestyle."

Many fans have considered Jennifer Hudson a dream girl at whatever size she's been. However, when she dropped nearly 80 pounds in 2011, she had everyone doing a double take. Women began wondering if the singer had succumbed to the pressure of being skinny in the spotlight. However, it was never about that for Hudson. "It's not about size," she explained to CNN. "It's about good health." And it was also because she wanted to be the best role model for her small son.

While it may seem safe to assume that someone as rich and famous as Hudson has it easier when it comes to losing weight, Hudson attributed her success to "self-motivation" when speaking with Oprah Winfrey. "Because at the end of the day, you can have all the trainers and all the money in the world, but if you don't have that mindset, it's not possible." Of course, it takes more than just motivation to lose weight, but Hudson believes it to be a vital component.

As a cancer survivor, Broadway star Marissa Jaret Winokur has repeatedly been told that she's at high risk of being hospitalized if she contracts COVID-19. This idea — combined with the fact that she was stuck at home while social distancing — inspired her to get her body in its best shape. She wanted to be able to fight off anything that came her way. "Quarantine may have saved my life," she told fans on Instagram — and in more ways than one.

Over the course of the year, the "Hairspray" star lost a whole lot of weight. In six months, she had dropped 50 pounds, all from the safety of her own home. She signed up for online Zoom classes, completely changed the way she was eating, and posted photos online to inspire others around her to make themselves healthier while they were stuck in their homes, too. "The hour or two a day I focus on working out my sadness turns to productive energy, so that I don't watch the news and bury my head," she wrote, and it helped her completely turn her life around.

When Melissa McCarthy was just getting started, a manager told her she'd never make it in Hollywood — all because of how much she weighed. "I thought, 'I'll show you!'" She later told People, and she sure has. In fact, in addition to her successful comedic career, McCarthy has even created her own line of clothing. "A good portion of women in America are size 14 and higher," she explained to Redbook. "I just try to make clothing that'll make all women feel really good."

McCarthy has worn various clothing sizes herself over the course of her career. In 2016, when she was seen nearly 50 pounds slimmer, everyone wanted to know her secret. "There's nothing to tell," she told Extra. Instead, McCarthy claimed it was all due to her "super boring life." "You can get real down if you don't do anything fun," she added. "And you go to bed at 7:30." The comedic actress has never been focused on the scale, and she doesn't want anyone else to be, either. "My message is that as long as everybody's healthy, enjoy and embrace whatever body type you have," she told Redbook — and we'd have to say, that's probably the best advice out there.