Chrissy Metz became a household name after landing a leading role on the hit show This Is Us in 2016. Her authentic portrayal of Kate Pearson resonated with viewers who saw themselves in Chrissy’s struggles with body image and weight. Behind the scenes, Chrissy was embarking on her own real-life weight loss transformation.
Like her on-screen character, Chrissy battled obesity and emotional eating for years. At her heaviest, she weighed 272 pounds. The pressures of Hollywood and landing future roles motivated Chrissy to make major lifestyle changes to improve her health.
Over the past few years, Chrissy has lost over 100 pounds through diet, exercise, and determination. She’s opened up about the ups and downs along her weight loss journey to inspire others. This article will explore Chrissy Metz’s background, diet changes, fitness routine, motivations, and lessons she’s learned along the way. Chrissy’s story proves it’s never too late to adopt healthy habits and change your life.
Chrissy’s Background and Weight Struggles
Chrissy Metz grew up in Florida and discovered her passion for acting at an early age, prompted by her separating parents’ love of television and movies. She performed in high school plays and church musicals before moving to Los Angeles in her early 20s to pursue acting professionally.
Like many aspiring actors, Chrissy struggled for years working low-paying jobs while going on casting calls and auditions. She lived well below the poverty line and found herself gaining weight rapidly. Stress-related emotional eating caused Chrissy’s weight to balloon to 272 pounds on her 5’5″ frame. This hindered her ability to land roles in an industry that fixated on being thin.
Chrissy landed minor TV roles here and there, but found herself typecast as the “fat funny friend” which limited her career. Her agent at the time told Chrissy she needed to lose weight in order to be a lead actress. Feeling depressed and hopeless, Chrissy continued stress-eating and saw her weight climb even higher.
At her heaviest, Chrissy developed pre-diabetes and struggled with low energy and body pain. She knew she needed to make major lifestyle changes for her health and career, but found motivation difficult. Things finally began to turn around when Chrissy landed her breakthrough role on This Is Us.
Diet Changes
Playing Kate Pearson on This Is Us gave Chrissy a sense of purpose. She connected deeply with her character’s weight loss struggles. With a renewed motivation to get healthy, Chrissy decided once and for all to stop dieting and transform her lifestyle.
Chrissy worked with a nutritionist to develop a sustainable, realistic eating plan customized for her preferences and weight loss goals. She focused on adding in more nutritious whole foods rather than restricting everything she enjoyed. Some key diet changes included:
- Cutting out fast food and fried foods – Chrissy stopped frequent trips to fast food joints and avoided fried foods laden with trans fats. This eliminated excessive empty calories.
- Adding more vegetables – Chrissy started filling half her plate with low-calorie nutrient-dense vegetables at meals. Spinach salads and roasted veggies became go-tos.
- Focusing on lean proteins – Chrissy emphasized protein sources like chicken, fish, beans, eggs and Greek yogurt which promote satiety.
- Limiting refined carbs – Chrissy reduced her intake of processed grains like white bread, white rice, and sugar-laden snacks. She opted for whole grains like quinoa instead.
- Drinking more water – Staying fully hydrated was key for curbing overeating. Chrissy aimed for at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day.
- Practicing portion control – Using a food scale and smaller plates helped Chrissy control portions and calories without feeling deprived.
- Allowing treats in moderation – Deprivation led Chrissy to binge in the past, so she still occasionally enjoyed treats like pizza in moderation.
- Tracking calories – Chrissy tracked her meals and calories daily to stay accountable and aware of what she was consuming.
With these dietary changes, Chrissy aimed for an average daily calorie target that encouraged safe, sustainable weight loss over time. She lost weight gradually by creating a calorie deficit, but never starved herself.
Fitness Routine
- Daily step goals – Chrissy worked up to getting in at least 12,000 steps per day through walking, hiking, swimming laps, using the elliptical, or jogging. This built up her daily calorie burn.
- Strength training – 2-3 days a week Chrissy did full body strength workouts with moves like squats, lunges, planks and bicep curls. This toned and built muscle to boost her metabolism.
- Boxing classes – Chrissy enjoyed the high intensity cardio challenge of boxing classes which burned major calories by elevating her heart rate.
- Yoga – Gentle yoga provided active recovery, flexibility, and mental health benefits. The meditative breathing relieved Chrissy’s stress.
- Hiking – Chrissy hiked trails 3-4 times a week to get outdoors, enjoy nature, and get in incline exercise. Hiking served as both cardio and strength training.
- Dance classes – Fun dance classes worked Chrissy’s entire body while never seeming like a chore. She loved hip hop, jazz, tap and line dancing styles.
- TRX suspension training – This leveraged bodyweight system provided a full body challenge. TRX built Chrissy’s core strength and endurance.
- Treadmill intervals – For fat burning HIIT training, Chrissy alternated short sprints with slower jogging intervals on the treadmill.
Chrissy mixed up her workouts to avoid boredom and work her body in different ways while keeping her heart rate elevated. She remained patient and consistent, knowing lasting results take time.
Motivations and Outlook
Chrissy’s primary motivations for weight loss included boosting her health, energy and mobility, along with landing more diverse acting roles. She envisioned herself embodying lead characters beyond the funny overweight friend trope.
Several factors kept Chrissy motivated:
- Accountability – Weighing in weekly and reporting to her trainer provided accountability. Chrissy didn’t want to see the number on the scale go up.
- Inspiring others – Knowing her journey could motivate others struggling with weight kept Chrissy focused on her goals.
- Zetter health – As Chrissy lost weight, benefits like more energy, less joint pain and improved bloodwork reinforced her motivation.
- Career ambitions – Chrissy had aspirations of playing a wider variety of characters if she could achieve a fitter appearance. This motivated her training.
- Support system – Having her nutritionist, trainer, costars and fans cheering her on gave Chrissy the support she needed.
- Clothes fitting better – Seeing herself look slimmer and having to size down clothing reminded Chrissy of her success.
- Positive outlook – Chrissy cultivated a growth mindset. Instead of viewing slip-ups as failures, she saw them as opportunities to learn.
Throughout the process, Chrissy celebrated small milestones that kept her upbeat. She practiced positive self-talk and took it one pound at a time. Patience and perseverance became Chrissy’s motto.
Lessons and Outlook Now
Since starting her weight loss journey in 2016, Chrissy has lost over 100 pounds through sustained healthy habits. While she still has more progress she’d like to make, the difference in her health, energy levels and physique is noticeable. Here are some key lessons Chrissy has learned:
- Consistency matters – Perfection isn’t possible, but small daily efforts compound. Chrissy focuses on consistency rather than letting slip-ups derail her.
- Gradual change sticks – Drastic fad diets failed Chrissy in the past. Her nutritionist preaches incremental, lasting adjustments tailored to Chrissy.
- Mental health fuels success – Managing stress and emotional eating sabotaged Chrissy before. Now she prioritizes self-care and therapy.
- Physical activity reduces anxiety – Chrissy uses exercise as an outlet to relieve anxiety rather than emotional eating. Movement boosts her mood.
- Balance allows indulgences – Depriving herself backfires for Chrissy. Having a generally healthy diet means treats in moderation are okay.
- Progress builds motivation – When Chrissy sees her health improving, it motivates her to keep going. Progress keeps her driven.
Chrissy still has moments of frustration, self-doubt and longing for quick results. But she’s learned to be kind to herself and that lasting change takes years, not weeks. She aims to lose 100-150 more pounds in a steady, sustainable way.
Chrissy hopes being open about her experiences will help others realize lasting weight loss is possible. Consistency, self-love and a support system are key. She’s grateful for the perspective her journey has given her and feels proud of how far she’s come.
Conclusion
Chrissy Metz’s weight loss journey exemplifies how small daily changes compound over time to create dramatic transformation. After years of struggling with obesity and emotional eating, Chrissy committed to losing weight through improved diet, daily exercise, and a positive mindset.
Major dietary changes like reducing processed foods, adding lean proteins and veggies, controlling portions, and limiting treats enabled Chrissy to reduce her calorie intake. Meanwhile, her varied fitness routine of strength training, cardio, and activity goals accelerated calorie burn. Most importantly, Chrissy cultivated self-love and consistency.
While she still has more goals in sight, Chrissy has lost over 100 pounds so far. Her story serves as inspiration that lasting lifestyle changes beat temporary dieting. With hard work, dedication and support, Chrissy transformed her health one small step at a time. She hopes her vulnerability and honesty can motivate others battling obesity that anything is possible when you commit to real, sustainable habits. Chrissy’s journey proves success often comes slowly, but good things take time.
