Real Housewives of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey revealed the results of her weight loss journey. The former model announced she is down 40 pounds.
She said once entering her 50s, menopausal weight gain reared its ugly head. This caught her off guard, made her more self-conscious and took a toll on her mental health.
Thankfully, she’s now feeling a lot better.
The Bravo star “lost confidence” after her menopausal weight gain
Cynthia spoke to People about how her body has undergone changes as she ages. She noted her weight was never an issue during her modeling career. The now 59-year-old says she is proud of her accomplishments, including focusing on her health.
“I tried to diet, I had a trainer, I was working out. I was definitely making the effort. But when I got to this one particular crossroad after menopause, I just could not fix it,” she said. “And that was really frustrating for me as someone who is a little bit of a control freak.”
The weight fluctuation also made her self-conscious. “My fans, they’ve been with me since I was modeling. So they’ve seen Cynthia the model, Cynthia the reality star, Cynthia the actress. And the comments on social media are like, ‘Oh wow, she needs to lose weight. She looks a mess. She really let herself go. What happened to her?’ I read all those things and, you know, it’s hurtful,” she recalled.
“I’m still human. And I found myself agreeing with some of the comments.”
She then began to avoid red carpet appearances, staying in the background to hide her weight. “Even watching myself back on TV being 30 to 40 pounds heavier, it was hard,” she revealed.
Along with turning to Weight Watchers last year, Cynthia also got a GLP-1 prescription. “I knew I needed to first get on a program because for me, it was about being able to maintain a certain weight once I got there as opposed to losing weight quickly,” she adds.
Cynthia went from 206 to 165 pounds, and is now close to her goal of 160 pounds.
TELL US – ARE THE WEIGHT EXPECTATIONS FOR OLDER WOMEN UNREALISTIC?
