Kathy Bates says that losing weight has helped her immensely in her acting career.
The 76-year-old recently spoke with Diversityin an interview published on September 11, and shared her excitement about starring in the new CBS series Matlock after years of getting supporting roles.
She says that although it takes a lot of stamina to play the lead role in a broadcast drama, she is ready to take on the challenge thanks to her steady weight loss.
“It’s helped me tremendously to lose 100 pounds over the last six or seven years,” she told the paper. “I don’t think I’ve been this skinny since I was in college.”
Bates shared that she was actually at her hardest when she starred in the NBC drama Harry’s Law 2011. “I had to sit down every moment I could,” she said. “It was difficult for me to walk. I’m ashamed that I let myself get so out of shape, but now I have a tremendous amount of energy.”
Back in 2019, the actress spoke with Extra about losing 60 lbs. and the moment she knew it was time to change her lifestyle. “I was dealing with diabetes — it runs in my family — and I really didn’t want to live with it,” she said, adding that she’s now “in the best health I’ve been in years and I’m so grateful — it’s a miracle.”
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Kathy Bates January 8, 2020
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Bates also shared that she learned a valuable lesson from her niece that helps her not overeat.
“After eating for 20-30 minutes, you experience an involuntary sigh. It’s the communication between your stomach and your brain that tells you that you’ve had enough… and what I’ve found is that if you listen to that sigh and push your plate away for just five minutes, you realize that you’re satisfied and you don’t need to eat anymore,” she said at the time.
The Oscar-winning actress previously spoke about the positive effect of weight loss on her post-cancer lymphedema, the swelling of the hands or legs due to a blockage of the lymphatic system, which is a common “souvenir” after lymph node surgery.
“I was terrified to get it,” Bates, a two-time cancer survivor, told PEOPLE in January 2019.
Talking about why she thinks lymphedema doesn’t get a lot of attention, Bates explained that some doctors see swollen limbs and assume people are just overweight rather than dealing with a painful medical condition.
“Some doctors think it’s cosmetic and not life-threatening,” she said. “Doctors in medical school spend 15 to 30 minutes on the entire lymphatic system, so if someone goes to the GP with swollen limbs, pain and weight, the doctor will have no idea what it is. So it remains undiagnosed and the disease progresses for years and gets worse and worse.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education