While Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates has been making hits since the 90s, she’s now back in the headlines for her 100-pound weight loss. And though there’s been a lot of talk that the 77-year-old Matlock star used Ozempic to slim down, Bates is setting the record straight. Learn what she did—and didn’t do—to lose weight and get her diabetes under control.
Kathy Bates didn’t solely rely on Ozempic for weight loss
While Ozempic was part of Bates’ weight loss journey, in an interview with Variety this week, the actress made it clear that it was far from the only method she used.
“People say, ‘Well, it was the Ozempic.’ F**k you, it was the Ozempic! It took me years to do this,” Bates told Variety. “I got this diagnosis about diabetes—my father died of it; his mother died of it; one of my sisters is in peril. When they said ‘diabetes,’ I figured out what to do, to slowly, over years, lose the weight. And then when Ozempic came along, I was able to lose the last 15 to 20 pounds and keep it off.”
Jennifer Brown, MD, a dual board-certified physician in family medicine and obesity medicine, says using other methods alongside GLP-1 medications like Ozempic can be a helpful strategy.
“Lifestyle changes remain the cornerstone of treatment for both obesity and type 2 diabetes, but many people aren’t able to get down to a healthy weight just through diet and exercise,” says Dr. Brown. “That’s where medications like Ozempic come in.”
Bates is adjusting to a new normal after her 100-lb. weight loss
While Bates’ physical transformation is obvious, the actress shared that mentally, she’s still learning to adjust to her new body. In the Variety interview, she shared the emotional response she had when she tried on clothes her stylist gave her and saw the full extent of her transformation.
“She had a beautiful dress for me to try. I looked at it on the hanger, and I thought, ‘That’s not gonna fit.’ I put it on, and it fit, and I just melted down,” Bates said. “I just started crying and crying. I’m still figuring out what it’s like to be without all of that weight. What was it for? What was I hiding myself from? What are the emotions that are pouring out because I don’t have that armor? It just really surprised me, really shocked me.”
Dr. Brown says having an emotional response to seeing your body in a new light after weight loss is common. “It’s amazing when people realize just how much better they feel when they lose excess weight,” says Dr. Brown. “For people who have struggled their entire lives, it can be very emotional when they are successful at losing weight.”
Disha Narang, MD, Endocrinologist and Director of Obesity Medicine at Endeavor Health, points out that the kind of emotional reaction Bates described often happens in the specific context of weight loss.
“For many, their identity often is embedded in their weight journey. When someone has potentially identified themselves in the context of a certain weight, that comes along with societal stigma, the role you take in society, the way you have grown up. So when this aspect of someone is removed, it may be a time of discovery of a new identity.”
The keys to Kathy Bates’ weight loss success
So how exactly did Bates reach this turning point? The two-time cancer survivor had struggled with her weight for years. But she embraced mindful eating and healthier lifestyle changes after she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2017. “I ate because I was afraid, and I ate because it was a FU to my self-esteem,” she told People in October 2024. “[Diabetes] runs in my family…[the diagnosis] scared me straight.”
Bates’ diabetes diagnosis being the wake-up call to change her health is something many others experience too. “I often see a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes be the motivator for patients to lose weight,” says Dr. Brown. “In my practice, it’s the number one reason people finally get serious about making lifestyle changes.”
Over the course of seven years, Bates lost 80 pounds through lifestyle changes. She dropped the final 20 pounds with the help of Ozempic. Here’s what worked for her:
She listened to her body
Before her weight-loss journey, Bates told People she used to “eat terribly: burgers and Cokes and pizza.” To turn her health around, Bates took advice from her niece and began listening to her body’s subtle cues. “There’s a hormone that’s released when we’re hungry, and another when we’re satisfied,” Bates told Woman’s World. “The way I recognize that second hormone is I have an involuntary sigh. It may not feel like you’ve had enough, so the trick is, you have to push your plate away. It’s hard, but I got excited about the results I was seeing. It took a long time, but I eventually went from a 3X to a size 10.”
It’s a smart move, since many of us are out of sync with these cues, says Marlee Bruno, MMS, PA-C, founder of Mind Body & Soul Medical. “Learning to eat slowly and really pay attention to your body is the best way to get back in tune. If you feel satisfied but not stuffed, you’ve hit the sweet spot,” she says.
She focused on determination—not willpower
“The idea of ‘willpower’ has become a weapon we use against ourselves—we think we have it or we don’t,” Bates says. “So I changed that word to ‘determination,’ which is something I choose to fight for. You have to have a life, so there are moments when I’ll overeat. Then I’ll realize my costumes are getting a little tight, so I knuckle down and get determined to be healthy again. I’m not doing this to fit into a dress or for a boyfriend. I do it for me.”
Why is letting go of the idea of willpower so important? Willpower “implies that weight loss is purely about self-control, which can create guilt or shame when progress is slow,” explains Chris Mohr, PhD, fitness and nutrition Advisor at Garage Gym Reviews. Putting the focus on practical habits that are more sustainable helps to build a better relationship with food, he adds.
Also smart: Allowing yourself to indulge now and then. “We’ve been having trucks come to the lot over at Paramount to thank the crew, and yesterday we had Pink’s Hot Dogs,” Bates told People. “Oh my God, I hadn’t had a hot dog in such a long time. Today I’m getting back on track.”
She stopped eating after 8 pm
Another one of Bates’s weight loss secrets is that she stopped eating after 8 pm. Not eating after a certain time can help with weight loss, but it’s less about the clock and more about giving your digestive system a break, explains Bruno.
“Late-night snacking often leads to mindless eating of high-calorie foods, and your body doesn’t process food as efficiently when you’re winding down for the night,” says Bruno. “Setting a ‘kitchen closed’ time creates structure, and structure helps avoid unnecessary calories.”
She upped her vitamin intake
“A couple of years ago, my doctor gave me an amazing vitamin blend called MitoCORE, which boosts energy production in your cells,” Bates says. “You’re supposed to take three a day, but geez, I get such great energy out of one. They keep my mood steady, and they’re not these thick, heavy pills that are hard to eat.”
That said, she reminds Woman’s World that a supplement can only, well, supplement the fuel we are already feeding our bodies. “I also have to eat right,” she explains. “If I don’t, my energy goes down and my sugar goes haywire!”
The bottom line on Kathy Bates’ weight loss
Ultimately, there’s no single method that works for everyone, but switching up your habits like Bates did can help with weight loss and overall health.“Weight management and an emphasis on lifestyle modifications can be game changers long-term,” says Dr. Narang. “Even if we can’t change our genetics, we can certainly mitigate the severity with lifestyle modifications when it comes to diabetes, obesity and other cardiometabolic risk factors. Some people may still need medication to manage these conditions, but lifestyle modifications still remain a foundation.”
