Gabby Sidibe from ‘Empire’ Weight Loss Story

Many of you might remember Gabourey Sidibe from her debut in Precious, and the actresses’s acting skills have only gotten better as the years go on. But what many people might not remember is that she embarked on an inspirational weight loss journey, which included getting stomach surgery in 2017. While she’s been quiet on this journey for a while, it’s most obvious when you hit up her social media, where she’s been posting more recently to show off her slim curves.

Starting off at 300 pounds, Gabourey has lost over 150 pounds after her surgery.  In January 2020, she took to social media and fans were delighted to see her on her fitness journey as she balanced on her knees on an orange yoga ball. Gabby Sidibe has been bullied about her weight for years, not unlike the protagonist in Precious. But today, she’s reached an inspiration place in her transformative weight-loss journey. Here’s how she get there.

Writing a memoir on her struggles

She wrote a memoir titled This Is Just My Face and opened up about her journey toward fitness, and what brought her there. In 2017, she received laparoscopic bariatric surgery after unsuccessfully trying to tackle the major weight loss on her own. After struggling with depression and bulimia, she made the big decision. She says the medical procedure was not an “easy cheat” towards weight-loss, but that she had tried literally every other solution. The actress started dieting at the tender age of 6.

The procedure involved her stomach in half. As a result, her doctor revealed that her hunger and capacity to eat would be limited, so it wasn’t just like a BBL or liposuction — she had to keep up the hard work long after surgery, and due to recent evidence on her social media, it’s clear that she has. The surgery was all about changing her relationship with food, and she succeeded in that.

In the memoir, she also shared that both she and her big brother were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and that this surgery helped with the risks and side effects related to the disease. Surgery wasn’t the only move she made — she also greatly reduced the intake of meat from her diet, which helped.