Ree Drummond Gained the Weight Back at 57 and Here Are 5 Habits She Used to Lose It Again Without Counting a Single Calorie
The Pioneer Woman, Lee Drummond, 57, is so relatable—and fans love her openness. What is one of the things fans feel they have in common with the food writer and TV personality? Natural weight fluctuations. You know—exercise, then no exercise. And that pesky habit of not being mindful of what you eat. The scale goes up and down, and it can be beyond frustrating.
Recently, Drummond chose to get back on track with a plan that had worked for her years before—and it was a success. Here's everything Ree Drummond did to lose weight.
She Dealt With Weight Fluctuations
In an April 2025 post on her website, The Pioneer Woman, Drummond admitted that she's only human, sharing, "Starting at the end of 2023, I stopped exercising and kinda stopped paying attention to what I was eating. (Again, uh, this happens!)."
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She Found a Regimen That Works for Her and Her Body
Drummond noted that, in February 2025, she decided to resume the game plan that worked for her in 2021—but this go-around, she took a less-intense approach.
"Long story short, I have found that it all still holds true, and FOR ME, it is working again like clockwork or science or whatever the word is," Drummond wrote. "The very hardest part was the first week to ten days. Today it's not that hard at all, and in fact, it's actually rewarding as I'm feeling better and better all the time."
She Doesn't Count Calories or Weigh Food
Drummond isn't tracking her calories or weighing her food.
"I feel that after doing that for four or five months back in 2021, it really gave me more of an awareness of portion sizes and general calories," Drummond noted.
She Focuses on Building Muscle
The celeb noted that a game-changer in her routine is "building muscle again." She performs exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, and floor workouts with ankle weights.
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She Consumes Plenty of Protein
Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle—especially for those on a weight-loss journey.
"I'm eating more protein and keeping it a higher percentage of my calories," Drummond noted.
She Limits Alcohol
Last time around, Drummond noted that she nixed alcohol altogether for four months or so "during the high gear period" of her weight-loss journey.
She added, "This time . . . well . . . I generally have a little white wine, then top off the glass with cold Topo Chico sparkling water, so it's kind of a wine spritzer type of thing."
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She Uses the Happy Scale App
Drummond found the Happy Scale app to be incredibly beneficial during her weight-loss journey both times.
"I still LOVE the Happy Scale app," she shared. "During the year I was gaining weight, I didn't use it very often. I'm using it again and forget how helpful it is! I can't emphasize enough (just to repeat) how important it is to build muscle. And how important protein is as a part of that goal. In February, the scale was pretty stubborn until I bit the bullet and started doing all the leg/butt exercises. Within a week, it kicked in."
For more weight-loss inspiration, check out America Ferrera Lost Weight at 41 and Here Are the 5 Things She Tossed Starting With Her Scale.
