Here's What Helped Kathy Bates Lose 100 Pounds & Transform Her Body

Kathy Bates has starred in many iconic roles, from Fried Green Tomatoes to Titanic to Matlock. Beyond her onscreen successes, the celeb embarked on a weight-loss journey following her diabetes diagnosis and lost an impressive 100 pounds. She completely transformed her body and health through a few key lifestyle changes.

Here's exactly how Kathy Bates lost 100 pounds—and how Ozempic supported her wellness journey.

The actress shared with PEOPLE the hurdles she dealt with before her weight-loss transformation.

"When I was so heavy in Harry's Law, I had to sit down in between every take, and it was awful," Kathy said. "I'm ashamed to have put myself through that, to be honest. But now that I've been able to get really healthy, I can move, I can breathe, I can have fun, I'm not sore. I get tired and realize I'm like an old lady, but even the kids get tired. But it's been a magnificent experience."

She even switched up her wardrobe following her weight loss.

"I've hired the most wonderful stylist, Deb Afshani," Kathy told PEOPLE. "I met her on a Vanity Fair shoot, and I hired her to help me just change everything. I just wanted to elevate things a little bit. It's been lovely to work with her because she's got such a great eye."

Here's how the celeb dropped 100 pounds.

Kathy's diet used to revolve around pizza, burgers, and soda. Since then, the actress completely revamped the way she eats and stopped eating meals after 8 p.m.

"I used to eat terribly: burgers and Cokes and pizza," she told PEOPLE. "I have to impress upon people out there that this was hard work for me, especially during the pandemic. It's very hard to say you've had enough."

In addition to making much healthier choices in her diet, Kathy is a firm believer in eating mindfully.

"My niece told me this little secret," she told Us Weekly. "I guess it's no secret, it's a biological thing, that at some point when you're eating, you have this involuntary sigh and that's really your brain and your stomach communicating that you've had enough. The trick is to pay attention to that and push your plate away."

Determination helped Kathy achieve her incredible wellness milestone.

The celeb told Women's World, "The idea of 'willpower' has become a weapon we use against ourselves—we think we have it or we don't. 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."

The celeb stressed how determination fueled her journey, saying, "I was determined—I was absolutely determined that I wasn't going to gain the weight back, and that I was going to continue to lose, and that's what I did … It wasn't some crazy diet that I was trying to follow. I was listening to my body. Then I felt in control."

During her weight-loss journey, which was prompted by Kathy's diabetes diagnosis, her doctor suggested Ozempic to help melt the remaining 15 to 20 pounds.

"There's been a lot of talk of, 'Oh, she's done this on Ozempic," Kathy told PEOPLE. "I just want to lay that to rest here. I lost about 80 pounds and the last 15 or 20 is always the hardest. And so when Ozempic came out … I went to my doctor, and she said 'Let's give this a go.'"

The celeb called out critics who claimed her 100-pound weight loss was due to Ozempic alone.

"People say, 'Well, it was the Ozempic.' F— you, it was the Ozempic! It took me years to do this. 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, to lose the weight. And then when Ozempic came along, I was able to lose the last 15 to 20 pounds and keep it off," Kathy told Variety.

In addition to helping manage diabetes, GLP-1s slow digestion and suppress appetite, which is what makes them so appealing to many on weight-loss journeys. In addition, these weight-loss meds transmit signals to the brain that rev up satiety, helping patients consume less food in general.

As a result, there have been plenty of success stories of people who have lost a significant amount of weight with medications like Ozempic.

​​As with any drug, it's crucial to understand the cons and potential side effects before assuming treatment.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, losing a considerable amount of weight quickly can cause a decline in muscle mass. That's why experts stress the importance of consuming plenty of protein and performing regular resistance training while taking any weight-loss medication.

Other potential side effects of GLP-1 usage include gallbladder issues, pancreatitis, thyroid tumors, nausea, vomiting, dehydration, constipation, and more.

If you're curious about more success stories, check out I Lost Over 100 Pounds While Taking Mounjaro and Here's What I Eat in a Day.