‘I lost 7st and, like Adele, got a hostile reaction’
EVERY ‘BARELY
RECOGNISABLE’ snap and shocked reaction to Adele’s 7st weight loss – as happened again recently when she posted a shot of herself in homage to Beyoncé’s Black Is King video on Instagram – feels deeply personal to me. Because after quitting my job as a London showbiz editor and moving to LA 10 years ago, I also lost 7st and found loved ones saying I’d gone from being the girl with the ‘pretty face’ to an ‘unrecognisable shadow’ of my former self.
I suddenly became the girl batting off attention from the Barry’s Bootcamphoned hunks who previously would have only flashed a rippled ab at me to get the attention of my slimmer friends; or turning down a date with Idris Elba (yes, really).
And while the attention was flattering, it also sparked insecurities about how horribly dire I must have looked before. I was also met with jealous reactions from some friends who somehow felt threatened by my new physique. ‘You’ve had a gastric band, haven’t you?’ one asked me on a trip back to London following my transformation.
Don’t get me wrong, I fully support those who choose to have weight-loss surgery, but it was a slap in the face given all the work I’d put in, both mentally and physically: I now had the added paranoia of people thinking I’d lied about how I’d achieved my goal.
Many have questioned Adele’s ‘secret’ – with rumours she ‘cheated’ and went under the knife or perhaps forked out thousands on slimming pills. She’s also been criticised by those suggesting her transformation confirms we live in a fat-phobic society that idolises thinness, as those celebrating her weight loss have been labelled ‘toxic’. Others have accused her of ‘betrayal’, calling her new figure a ‘disappointment’.
The star has remained tight-lipped about how she did it, but it doesn’t really matter. Adele didn’t feel comfortable at the size she was and decided to do something about it. Whether it was because she wanted to be healthier or feel more confident or for another reason we’ll never really know… Who really cares?
So how did I do it? After years on the London party circuit, downing cocktails at showbiz events followed by a 2am burger en route home, and nursing my crippling hangovers with canteen fry-ups at my desk, my weight sky-rocketed. Then, after moving to LA, I interviewed Kelly Osbourne about her own weight-loss journey. It was Kelly who became the motivation I needed to finally make a change. Kelly’s still a friend to this day and our lifelong weight struggle is something that will always bond us.
I cut my calories down to 1,500 a day, ate all my meals on small plates and weighed myself every week without fail. I gave up booze for three months, not because of the calories, but because of how much food I’d consume when drunk and hungover. I was living in an apartment building with a gym and a pool that I made the most of, running every morning and hiring a trainer who put me through my paces with HIIT and TRX workouts three times a week. Fitness became my life and my idea of a good night out became a 9pm Crossfit class. The weight dropped off and, 10 months later, I was crying down the phone to my mum after slipping into a size 8 pair of jeans. Contrary to what I’d told myself for years, I wasn’t ‘big boned’ or ‘naturally curvy’, just very overweight due to years of self-neglect.
As anyone who has struggled with their weight knows, losing it is only half the battle – keeping it off is the hardest part. It’s something I will battle with my entire life. Nine years and two children later, I’m two stones heavier than I would like to be. But every time Adele posts another snap of her slimmed-down figure, it motivates me. Because while she may be one of the world’s biggest stars, to me she’s a reflection of myself. She’s the girl who is now learning to adapt to the expectations that rightly or wrongly come with her new body.