Let’s grab all the details of Gabourey Sidibe’s weight loss journey!
The name Gabourey Sidibe may not ring a bell. This could be because you have always known her as Precious from the 2009 indie drama film of the same name.
The story of a 16-year-old overweight girl who was exposed to physical and emotional trauma by her mother and sexually assaulted by her father, culminating in two pregnancies turning her life around after moving to an alternative school, certainly touched millions of hearts.
Adapted from Sapphire’s novel Push, the film generated almost six times the sum of its initial development budget and sent Gabourey flying to the world of Hollywood stardom.
The actress’s latest projects include her appearance in the TV series Empire as Becky and American Horror Story as Queenie/Regina Ross. Sidibe is one of Hollywood’s most valuable members with the positive aura she carries playing her parts.
Despite offering her utmost best, no matter what, Gabourey’s career has not been without struggle. Most of it relates to, you guessed it, her physique. And the actress started off on her weight loss quest to lose some of the extra pounds.
Gabourey Sidibe’s Weight Loss Surgery – What’s Her Diet?
Gabourey Sidibe before and after weight loss surgery.
Source: World of Female
You may find it hard to believe Gabourey Sidibe weighed more than 300 pounds when she first starred in her debut film in 2009, Precious. The actress confirmed she was never a slim girl, and that her diet began at the age of six.
Talking to Oprah Winfrey when promoting her film Precious, Gabourey said this is something she had learned to deal from a young age. Her first diet began when she was six years old. She was never a little girl. Every day, she decided to sit back and realize she valued herself no matter how her body appeared and what other people felt of her appearance.
The actress also admitted it took some time to get used to her own body, which occurred when she was 21 or 22 years old. Yet Sidibe went on attempting to drop a few stones in an organic manner.
Gabourey Sidibe Almost Quit Hollywood Industry Because of Her Weight
The greatest frustration came when Gabourey’s idol Joan Cusack told her to depart the business because of her weight. Although Joan, the voice behind Toy Story’s Jessie, did not mean any harm, it still left Gabourey with a massive scar in her heart.
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During an interview with Andy Cohen, she explained in Watch What Happens:
What celebrity was I disappointed by? Oh, and it’s not in a mean way, because I know that she meant well. I met Joan Cusack, who is my favorite favorite — I love her — but, it was before I became [famous] or whatever. I was at some industry party, and she says, ‘Are you an actress?’ And I said, ‘Yeah!’ And she says, ‘Oh honey, you should really quit the business, it’s so image-conscious.
Cusack’s reaction, though, was not as mean as Howard Stern‘s remark when he labeled Sidibe gigantic and the size of a planet. Not just this, Stern also had the gall to suggest they all pretended Gabourey was part of the entertainment business and that she was never going to appear in another film.
We’d pay to watch Howard Stern meet Gabourey Sidibe now.
Underwent Lap Band Surgery in 2016
Gabourey turned to Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery in 2016 because the normal route was not made for the actress. Fearing the same fate as her brother, who had Type 2 diabetes, the Empire star claimed the weight loss surgery was a simple choice for her.
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The doctors sliced her stomach in half, which reduced Sidibe’s appetite and desire to feed, Sidibe confessed.
I’ll take it! (And) my lifelong relationship with food had to change. The surgery wasn’t the easy way out. I wasn’t cheating by getting it done, (because) I wouldn’t have been able to lose as much weight as I’ve lost without the surgery.
Not only was she really transparent regarding her past, but she also published a book about it.
‘This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare’ (2017)
Gabourey Sidibe put together all her weight loss stories and placed them in her memoir. While most people would like to hold body transformation operations under wraps, the Come As You Are star was pretty upfront about hers.
There is a falsity surrounding Sidibe’s weight loss – many believe it was due to her going went under a knife which is not true. The 36-year-old star works out regularly and follows dietary plans to maintain her weight in check. Life long challenges with the weight problem and her methods to hold it down are all set down in her writing.
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Sidibe’s book, This Is Just My Face: Try Not To Stare, released in 2017 and was pretty well received. In fact, the toughest critics offered some of the strongest feedback of her writing.
The name Gabourey Sidibe is an example, not just for larger women, but also for well-organized people who aspire to make it big in the entertainment business.
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