Known for her role in the 2009 movie Precious, Gabourey Sidibe has won the hearts of many viewers. Her role was so well-received, it’s still remembered by the masses. This public memory also connects the main lead, Precious, with Gabourey.
Some even go to such lengths as to dub her recent weight loss as Precious weight loss when in fact it’s the actress behind the character that had lost the weight and not the legendary character.
The actress is not your average female star. For starters, she is of Afro-American and Senegalese descent.
She is also obese and doesn’t adhere to ideal standards prevalent in Hollywood. And if that was not enough, the actress was also not interested in taking up acting as a career when she started working.
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Who Is Gabourey Sidibe?
Her acting in Precious was so intriguing; she earned her first Oscar nomination right away. She went on to win two Oscars in her career in the entertainment industry.
Precious from the movie of the same name was not a character to ignore. It was extreme, vulnerable, and lovable. The character was a beacon of hope for people born and living in abusive families and also heartbreaking for them as they were tempted to accept the harsh realities of life through the film.
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The actress who brought this character to life soon became a signature actress for the movie. It was easy for the viewers to align her character’s strength and perseverance with the actress behind it. When Gabourey Sidibe opened up about her family and childhood, we see that she upholds just as much strength as we hoped she would manage.
Her case was dramatic in its own ways. She was emotionally abused by her family at home. And her schoolmates bullied her. Thankfully, the reasons for bullying weren’t as severe as they were in the movie for Precious. Yet, they took a toll on the young girl’s personality.
She remembers that she used to pretend that she was okay even when she wasn’t feeling the best. The list of her bullies was long but she maintained her confidence and grace to some extent. Her confidence remained her biggest ally throughout her childhood and her career as an actress.
The girl, who was born on May 6, 1983, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York, expressed her acting talents from a young age. She started with performing at her school. Because she had seen her mother struggling financially as a street singer, she didn’t pursue acting as a career.
Instead, she studied psychology at Mercy College, New York City and also got a desk job. When her friend told her about the audition for a role – as Precious – which perfectly matched her appearance, she showed up without much interest or expectations.
After Precious, Gabourey Sidibe performed in several other films including Antebellum (2020), Come As You Are (2019), and Yelling to The Sky (2011).
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Gabourey Sidibe Weight Loss Journey 2021
The actress started progressing in her weight loss in 2017. But that was not the time when this journey was initiated. On the contrary, the actress tried reducing her weight ever since she became aware of it – that is, in her childhood.
Later, when she joined Hollywood, she faced a world that was known for preferring looks over talent. She knew she had to do something with her size to fit in. But those people who know Gabby in person know that she is confident by nature.
Although media attention did have a say in how the star handled her body, the influence wasn’t enough to motivate her to step out of her comfort zone and take this issue seriously.
Her initial attempts to lose weight failed because she had an unhealthy relationship with food. It was her fat body that became the reason behind the emotional bullying she faced during her early years. In turn, this torment resulted in her struggling with bulimia and depression.
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Both these mental conditions fueled further weight gain and the cycle continued well into her youth. Her awareness and self-love prompted her to take action against the resulting obesity. But as she failed to deal with the underlying causes of her size, she didn’t see lasting change.
It went so bad that the actress got diagnosed with diabetes type II. It seems that this diagnosis proved to be the reason for her to take drastic measures against her weight. She arranged for laparoscopic bariatric surgery because of her doctor’s recommendation.
From the surgery, she expected to also indirectly re-program her brain chemistry thus altering her relationship with food.
In addition to this surgery, the actress also opted for counseling. She had to deal with the trauma she faced as a child. She claims when she sought help, she wasn’t exactly suicidal but had already selected suicide as a backup plan.
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Once the surgery was successful, she could experience shifts in her eating habits. In addition to fewer cravings and urges to binge eat, the actress also saw that she had to be mindful of the foods she was taking.
With time, these changes in lifestyle translated into visible weight loss for the actress. Precious weight loss in 2021 amounts to a whopping 120 pounds.
For Gabourey Sidibe, this transformation was not easy but necessary.
Gabourey Sidibe Diet Plan
People who have never been obese sometimes feel that gastric surgeries to lose weight make a quick-fix method for lazy people. This theory couldn’t be farther from the truth. The surgery cures those people whose stomachs have grown so much from overeating that they cannot return to their normal shape without intervention. No matter how much effort and self-restraint these people put into dieting, the ordeal remains a failure.
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Gabourey accepted the truth bravely and opted for the only solution she had, unapologetically.
Soon after the surgery, she experienced more control over her eating. As predicted by her doctor, her brain chemicals responded to surgery and her hunger decreased considerably.
She could limit her portion size because she could feel satiated with smaller portions.
Other than the automatic effects of the surgery, Gabourey said goodbye to impulsive thinking. She wasn’t binging on food and her confidence in keeping her emotions maintained was high.
She didn’t opt for unconventional diet plans. Instead, the changes in her eating habits were straightforward and unsurprising. She started with not falling back on old habits. The only way to get this was to eliminate junk food from her diet.
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Secondly, her focus shifted towards fresh, organic produce. Vegetables and fruits make up the prominent part. And she skips salty or sugary foods.
For the most part, it was not what she was eating that helped her. It was when, how, and how much she was eating.
The actress only takes three meals a day. Before every meal, she drinks water. This intake fills her up allowing her to further reduce portion size. She used a smaller plate to trick her mind into thinking that she is eating a complete meal without increasing the serving size.
The time of her meals also matters. She makes sure that she has taken breakfast as this meal of the day boosts metabolism. She also never skips her dinner. The dinner lets her rebuild her muscles while she is asleep to get through the next day without feeling stress – which would, in turn, trigger binge eating.
Gabourey Sidibe Workout Plan
Gabourey was never the type of gal who would indulge in physical activity. Her job and studies kept her busy at the desk. A sedentary lifestyle was part of her identity.
But she had to give up most of this lifestyle when she joined shooting for Precious (2009). Still, she wasn’t working on building muscles or losing weight with exercise.
After changing her food choices, she felt more energetic. The healthy development compelled her to move more often. Finally, she gained help from her trainer who made her start small with her training. Consequently, her initial workout plan included walking and climbing.
Later, she moved towards more intense workouts. At this phase, she did squats, barbell curls, lunges, and lat pulldowns. She gradually moved towards aerial yoga in the later phases of her journey.
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Gabourey Sidibe Before And After Weight Loss Photos
Within a matter of months, Gabourey Sidibe went from an obese actress to a role model for weight watchers. Her weight loss journey that started in the third quarter of 2017 had borne laudable results till the summer of next year.
But she didn’t stop there. She knew that losing weight was difficult and shouldn’t be attempted again and again. A more feasible strategy is to keep it off once you have lost it.
Nowadays, her strategy towards her body size is to maintain the healthy body she has attained with years of effort. After losing almost half of her body weight because of her drastic yet healthy measures, she now weighs only 150 pounds.
For her height, she is still slightly overweight. But this BMI category is for healthy people and does not indicate serious health issues that accompany obesity.
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What Has Gabourey Sidibe Said About Her Weight Loss?
Gabourey Sidibe has dealt with a negative bias towards her for the majority of her life. Weight was one and most prominent reason for this negative bias. She knew the struggles of surviving an unforgiving world as an outsider.
She dealt with harsh comments, wrong assumptions, and bullying remarks from people. It was easy for people to judge her and she knew that. Her unapologetic attitude helped her navigate most of this criticism. But she felt guilt for some of it.
That’s why she felt like responding to the most profound judgment she could get on her weight loss choices – people’s judgment on opting for surgery. Make no mistake, the actress was concerned about her health and was only deciding from a place of self-compassion and self-love.
After her discussion with her doctor, she knew that surgery was the only option that could bring her sustainable results. It answered her struggles with food and it also helped with boosting her confidence.
She claimed that she wasn’t cheating by getting the surgery. She knew this was the only option for her to lose all the excess weight she had acquired.
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FAQs
How Much Weight Did Gabourey Sidibe lose?
Gabourey Sidibe lost almost half of her body weight because of her surgery and subsequent changes in her lifestyle. From 270 pounds in late 2017, she has gone to 150 pounds making the total weight loss 120 pounds.
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What Surgery Did Gabourey Sidibe have?
The Precious actress went under the knife for her Laparoscopic bariatric surgery. The surgery stapled 80% of her stomach leaving smaller space to hold food in it. This surgery reduces the portion size a person can eat. It also decreases food absorption rate allowing most food to pass through the digestive system without calories getting absorbed in the blood.
Is Gabourey Sidibe Married?
No, Gabourey Sidibe is not married. In 2019, the actress revealed that she is engaged with her BFF Brandon Frankel.
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