Chrissy Metz’s Weight Loss Journey – How She Lost 100 Pounds

Learn how this American actress found her true self beyond the weighing scale.

Written by Charushila Biswas, MSc (Biotechnology), ISSA Certified Fitness Nutritionist
Edited by Ravi Teja Tadimalla, BSc, Professional Certificate in Food, Nutrition and Health
Fact-checked by Sindhu Koganti, BTech (Biotechnology), Certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach  • 

Chrissy Metz’s weight loss has got people talking. The actress who plays Kate Pearsons in the show This Is Us is a true role model for women. Irrespective of ages and sizes, Chrissy Metz’s weight loss story has been an inspiration for many. Moreover, the show’s creator, Dan Fogelman, has also supported her in her weight loss journey. She lost the weight at her own pace, promoted body positivity, got the big dollars, and got eventually showered with Emmy nominations! Read on to know how Chrissy Metz started losing weight and what keeps her going. Her story can surely inspire you to great health and wellness.

Who Is Chrissy Metz?

Chrissy Metz
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Chrissy Metz is a well-known American actress celebrated for her role as Kate Pearson in the hit TV series This Is Us. She was born on September 29, 1980, in Homestead, Florida, and she began her acting journey in 2005. She achieved widespread fame with her compelling performance on This Is Us in 2016. Her talent has earned her nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. She is also a gifted singer and performs with her band ‘Chrissy and the Vapors.’

Outside of her acting career, Metz authored a memoir called ‘This Is Me: Loving the Person You Are Today.’ Keep reading to learn some more quick facts about Chrissy.

Quick Facts About Chrissy Metz

Full Name: Christine Michelle Metz

Age In 2024: 43 years

Early Life: Raised in Japan and Florida

Early Career: Worked as an agent for talent management companies

Debut Film: Loveless in Los Angeles (2007) as Bonnie

Family: Two siblings and two half-siblings

Awards: Recipient of Screen Actors Guild Award in the category ‘Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series’

Beyond her professional achievements, Chrissy Metz has been candid about her personal struggles with body image and weight, becoming an advocate for body positivity and self-acceptance in the entertainment industry. Her openness has inspired and resonated with many people around the world. Learn more about her issues with weight in the next section.

Childhood Weight Loss Struggles – The Beginning

Childhood weight loss struggles of Chrissy Metz
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Like many of us, Chrissy Metz struggled with obesity from an early age. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Chrissy said, “I was born chubby, and as I got older, at different times in my life I was thinner or more active or playing sports, but I was definitely always a chubbier kid. My friends could eat whatever they wanted to, but I knew that as a kid if I ate certain things I would totally gain weight. I had to be really cognizant of what I ate.”

She also opened up about the reality she faced as a kid. Even though her mother loved her, Chrissy always felt that her mother loved shopping and trying on clothes with her two younger and slimmer sisters. That must have been heartbreaking. And this is why she identifies with the character Kate Pearsons. She said, “I remember going to Weight Watchers when I was like 11. I was the youngest person in the damned room and it was awkward. My mom was trying to figure it out, but it’s a process. Kate wants her mom to be happy with her… [and] Rebecca (her on-screen mom played by Mandy Moore) just wants her daughter to be happy, and, of course, not be made fun of and just live a normal life. No matter what, somebody is going to pick on you for something. It’s a complicated dynamic and it is heartbreaking.”

Acting Happened By Chance – What Will Play A Crucial Role In Her Weight Loss

Chrissy Metz
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Before her acting career began, Chrissy Metz was a preschool teacher. She told Marie Claire magazine that she took her sister to an audition and ran into an old teacher who encouraged her to audition as well. She said, “In my heart, I was like, ‘Yes, I would love to,’ but I was too afraid of my own shadow.” However, she took the plunge and got a call next day. And within a year, she headed to Los Angeles to audition for a pilot season. According to her mom, Metz said, “Mom, I’m going to live my dream.”

Career And Weight Struggles

Career and weight struggles of Chrissy Metz
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After coming to LA and going on numerous auditions, Chrissy Metz started working as her agent’s assistant! It sure paid her bills but she told Marie Claire mag, “I was like, ‘This isn’t fair, I didn’t come here for that.” But sadly, she had to work as an agent for a while. In a candid interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Metz admitted it was more than painful to schedule auditions for other actresses. She said, “Scheduling auditions for the talent was like watching your boyfriend take out another woman every single day.”

Before landing her famous role in This Is Us, in her then agent’s advice, she lost a whopping 50 pounds only to put 100 pounds back on. According to Chrissy, she was suffering from depression and she felt like she was “eating my feelings”, meaning that she was chained by emotional eating. Which led to a lot of weight gain. On her 30th birthday, she had a panic attack and had to be rushed to the hospital. And this is when Chrissy Metz took a step back and had to rethink her weight loss strategy.

protip_icon Quick Tip
According to a study conducted on 424 University students, negative emotional eating is more prevalent among women than men (1).

How Chrissy Metz Lost 100 Pounds

How Chrissy Metz lost 100 pounds
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After the incident, she started taking self-care more seriously and more responsibly. All she did was go on a 2000 calorie diet. She started avoiding most of the unhealthy foods and started walking 20 minutes every day. And this made a huge difference to her physical and mental health. She lost 100 pounds in 5 months. Of course, this time she took time to lose the weight, but she was in a much better place mentally than before.

protip_icon Quick Tip
It is true that mental health improves with weight reduction. According to a study, people with obesity experienced reductions in symptoms of depression when they started losing weight (2).

Soon after the success of her show she landed a role in American Horror Story where she has to wear a fat suit. And this was the second eye-opener for her. Metz said, “It was sobering… I thought, ‘What if I become that heavy and can’t walk around or get stuck in the doorframe?’ I was like, ‘I don’t want this for me.’”

How Chrissy Landed The Job On This Is Us

How Chrissy landed the job on This is Us
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After American Horror Story, there was no looking back for Chrissy. She knew she would have to go on auditioning and she continued doing that. She told Glamour, “I kept auditioning, with no savings and no money, credit card debt gaining interest…I went on unemployment. I bought ramen noodles at dollar stores. I never had to — God forbid — live on the streets; I moved in with a roommate who told me, ‘Stay with me until you can afford rent. Don’t give up.’ People who supported me were like, ‘If you don’t have money for food, I’ll cook you dinner. You don’t have money for acting class? Let’s get together and read lines.’” it’s evident that there were good people around her who supported her when she needed it the most. In fact, she admitted in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that she had only 81 cents in her bank account and just enough fuel in her car to get to the audition of This Is Us. Also, when it came down to her and one other actress who auditioned for Kate’s role, she was sure they would not select her, as the other actress was slimmer! But Dan Fogelman’s sister was also struggling with weight loss and he knew that Chrissy would be best for Kate’s role.

Also, Chrissy was going through the same issues as Kate and therefore playing her was more relatable. Metz said, “She was a real woman who was really struggling, and all I could think was, ‘Oh my God, I’m Kate.’”

Chrissy told the Deadline, “The script was incredible from the moment I started it; it felt different. I desperately wanted an audition and begged my agent for the opportunity to read for casting. This was a role that finally broke down the real issues behind weight: inadequacy, codependent relationships and living in the shadows.”

Thankfully, the show was a hit and Chrissy was finally able to open up about her real struggles and also pay her bills while she continued to progress! But is she bound by a contract to lose weight? Find out in the next section.

Is Weight Loss Mandatory In Chrissy’s Contract?

Is weight loss mandatory in Chrissy Metz's contract
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Many speculated that Chrissy Metz has signed a contract where she is required to lose a certain amount of weight. However, that’s not the case. She told People that her contract does not require her to lose weight. But, she is definitely going to start living healthy as it is both Chrissy and Kate’s fitness journey toward a better and healthier lifestyle. She told, “In our contract, it did state that that would be a part of it, to lose the weight in the trajectory of the character as she comes to find herself.”

She also said, “Why not have a motivation beyond me to get to a healthy weight? Every actor does that. We’re chameleons. We change, we grow as an actor… you lose weight, you gain weight, you change your hair or whatever.” Chrissy also stated on the Ellen DeGeneres Show that, “Like most actors, we are chameleons so we play different roles; like Christian Bale lost all that weight for The Machinist,’” That makes sense, right?

Why This Is Us Is Important For Chrissy Metz To Lose Weight?

Is important for Chrissy Metz to lose weight
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This Is Us happened at the right time for Chrissy. She said, “The show is educating people that people who are overweight don’t just sit in a corner eating themselves into oblivion. The food is the symptom, it’s not the issue. When you put the food down, the issues come up. And that’s what we need to be talking about.” And that’s why, she said, “We create art and movies and television…because someone somewhere needs to know that they’re not alone.”

Through the journey of Kate, Chrissy is losing weight with determination and gaining confidence. And that’s what she wants for all of you who are struggling. And the best part is, many women can relate to her. She told Glamour, “I’ve had women — average women, older women, teenagers — who say to me, ‘Your role and this show has changed my life.’ That makes all the struggle, all the ramen noodles, all the times when I couldn’t pay my bills, all the times where I was like, ‘I can’t do this,’ worth it.”

It is clear that Chrissy Metz faced many challenges on her weight loss journey. Let’s take a look at the diet plan she followed to get where she is today.

Chrissy Metz’s Diet Plan

Chrissy Metz had organic salad on her weight loss diet
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Chrissy Metz’s approach to health and fitness reflects her dedication to her overall well-being. While she has never publicly shared her exact diet plan, she has been open about her journey toward a healthier lifestyle accompanied by good food habits.

Chrissy committed to her well-being by adopting a balanced 2000-calorie deficit diet. She focused on healthy choices, mindful eating, and portion control and avoiding drastic cuts in food intake.

She incorporated whole organic foods, like oatmeal, vegetables, and fruits, that are rich in fiber into her diet to aid her weight loss and curb cravings. She also purportedly had six small meals over the course of the day to prevent hunger and minimize stress-related snacking due to past eating issues.

Her diet may also have featured nutritious carbs, beans, proteins, and vegetables, with occasional cheat meals for balance. Lastly, she paired her diet with a good exercise routine to kickstart her fitness journey. Learn more about it in the next section.

Chrissy Metz’s Workout Routine

Regarding her workout routine, Chrissy Metz has highlighted the importance of staying active. Her approach to fitness revolves around consistency and finding physical activities that bring her joy.

Chrissy is said to have added various activities to her workout routine: cardio exercises (like walking for 20 minutes and cycling) and possibly weight training or strength training with a personal trainer guiding her five-day-a-week routine. She also enjoyed daily brisk walks and found solace in yoga and meditation.

It is important to note that Chrissy Metz promotes body positivity and self-acceptance, advocating that health and happiness come in various shapes and sizes. Her journey serves as an inspiration to those trying to accept their body and seeking a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Infographic: Things To Learn From Chrissy Metz’s Weight Loss Story

Chrissy Metz’s weight loss transformation story strikes a chord with most of us. It is so relatable and makes a lot of us feel heard and seen. There’s a lot that we can take away from it and be more aware of our own bodies. Scroll down to check out the infographic for some valuable lessons from Chrissy Metz’s weight loss story.

things to learn from chrissy metz’s weight loss (infographic)

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Get the high-quality PDF version of this infographic.

Download Infographic in PDF version

Chrissy Metz’s weight loss can inspire millions of women as her journey to a fitter and healthier self has seen her face and overcome many challenges with perseverance. She has not only faced bullying and struggled with self-confidence issues, but also battled depression and anxiety to get to where she has. A crash diet helped her lose 50 pounds, however, the weight bounced back and she gained a hundred. As an emotional eater, it was challenging for her to go on a diet again, but then she started the 2000 calorie diet and within 5 months, lost the 100 pounds she had put on. Many women can take inspiration and motivation from her to become fitter and healthier by making stronger and better choices.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Chrissy Metz?

Chrissy Metz was born on 29th September 1989, and is 42 years old.

Does Chrissy Metz have children in real life?

No. Chrissy Metz was previously married to British Journalist Martyn Eadyn, but does not have any children of her own.

How much does Chrissy Metz weigh now?

After her inspiring weight loss journey, Chrissy Metz now weighs around 83 kilos (182 pounds).

Key Takeaways

  • Chrissy Metz is not only known for her role in the “This Is Us” drama series but also for her inspiring weight loss journey.
  • According to this American actress and singer, she was chained by emotional eating, which led to weight gain.
  • She avoided the intake of unhealthy foods and practiced goal-setting to follow a low-calorie diet (2000-calorie diet). That, along with walking daily, has helped her lose 100 pounds.
  • Metz attributes her successful journey of weight loss to a combination of regular exercise and good nutrition.
Chrissy Metz Weight Loss

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team


Check out the video below and join the inspiring conversation as Chrissy Metz shares her journey to losing weight, gaining confidence, and empowering others in this heartfelt video interview below.

References

Articles on StyleCraze are backed by verified information from peer-reviewed and academic research papers, reputed organizations, research institutions, and medical associations to ensure accuracy and relevance. Read our editorial policy to learn more.

  1. Prevalence of negative emotional eating and its associated psychosocial factors among urban Chinese undergraduates in Hong Kong: a cross-sectional study
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33761930/
  2. Intentional weight loss and changes in symptoms of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21343903/
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