Rebel Wilson’s weight loss journey: how actress shed 36kg after Pitch Perfect movies thanks to a high-protein diet and workouts that included boxing
- Wilson dropped from an estimated 111kg to 75kg in 2020 ‘year of health’ – inspired by her desire to become a mother who could fulfil her future child’s needs
- She swapped carbs for protein – but did not allow herself to feel bad for having cheat days – and threw herself into exercise, which included boxing
Subjected to comments about her weight throughout her career, Rebel Wilson has often been typecast as a plus-sized character for comedic relief, such as her role as “Fat Mandi” on the 2006-07 Australian television show The Wedge.
The actress shot to stardom through her 2012 role in Pitch Perfect as “Fat Amy”. But the star’s physique has slimmed noticeably since her big break.
According to People magazine, Wilson felt pigeonholed as a “bigger girl” in Hollywood. Her contract with the Pitch Perfect franchise meant she could not gain or lose more than 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) for five years.
The actress shed around 36kg after embarking on what she called her “year of health” in 2020, dropping from an estimated 111kg to her goal weight of 75kg in November of that year.
She said her desire to become a mother who could fulfil her future child’s needs inspired her to get in better shape.
“I love me some ice cream or dessert, and it comes at times when I’m happy or sad,” she said in a 2015 Cosmopolitan interview.
“So when I have an incredibly successful day, I want to celebrate and reward myself with food. If I’ve had a sad or stressful day, food is also comfort.”
These days, Wilson opts for meals like fish, salmon or chicken breast, but she still allows herself some cheat days without shaming herself for it. “Some weeks are just write-offs, and there’s nothing you can do about that,” she said.
Despite widespread rumours, the actress took to her Instagram stories in 2022 to declare that she has never used the Mayr Method to lose weight.
“This was NEVER my diet … also have NEVER endorsed any diet pills or magic weight loss pills. Do NOT want anyone to get scammed,” she wrote.
However, a 2022 Instagram post suggests Wilson had, indeed, adopted the Mayr Method diet to maintain her slimmed figure.
“Oh it’s soooo gooood to be back at @vivamayraltaussee working the Mayr method to reset my system for the rest of the working year!” reads her caption.
Besides altering her eating habits to some extent, Wilson has also partnered with celebrity personal trainer Jono Castano to achieve holistic health through fitness.
As seen on Castano’s Instagram, Wilson’s workout routine involved tyre flips, battle ropes, and sprinting up and down stairs. The actress has also posted herself boxing.
Fast-forward to January 2024 and Wilson has given her followers a health update. “I’ve gained 14kg’s [sic] (30 pounds)! It makes me feel bad about myself … it shouldn’t … but it does,” she shared on Instagram.
Now a mother, Wilson admits to the stresses of working on films and writing her memoir Rebel Rising, which details her personal issues with health and weight, at the same time. She says her busy career has led her to lose focus on her healthy lifestyle.
Wilson grew teary-eyed upon receiving supportive comments from her legion of fans, thanking them with an updated caption on her post.
Their comments echo sentiments she had believed in all along: “There is a societal bias towards what society deems as good-looking. It’s not right. It sucks, it’s unfair. I feel sad if somebody doesn’t love the body they’re in,” she lamented in 2022.
“You want to celebrate all body types, but I also want to encourage people to be healthy.”
