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Rebel Wilson Went Live on Instagram to Discuss Everything About Her Health Journey

Rebel Wilson Went Live on Instagram to Discuss Everything About Her Health Journey

From Good Housekeeping

  • Rebel Wilson has completed her own goal and reached a target weight of 165 pounds, a month earlier than her self imposed end-of-year deadline.

  • In addition to a new fitness routine, Rebel has opened up about her learnings at VivaMayr, a wellness clinic in Austria, that promotes a loose adaptation of an alkaline diet.

  • The 40-year-old actress spoke to fans for one hour recently, revealing how her health journey has touched her career and her personal life.


If anyone's managed to make the most of 2020, it's Rebel Wilson — as part of what she calls her "Year of Health," the Australian actress and comedian pushed her way through a diet and fitness transformation. The 40 year-old Pitch Perfect star, who rocketed to fame after making everyone laugh as the iconic "Fat Amy" on the silver screen, surprised fans and followers earlier this year by opening up and sharing more about efforts to embark on a new journey focused on her health. In January, Rebel shared on social media that she was hoping to reach a goal weight of 165 pounds by the end of 2020 — and she recently revealed that she hit her goal a month early.

Throughout the year, fans learned more about how the journey began; last year, Rebel traveled to Austria to an exclusive wellness center known as VivaMayr. The clinic's diet program focuses on revamping gut health and borrowing tenets of the alkaline diet: doubling down on fiber-rich staples, eliminating gluten, addressing bad habits like over snacking, and other tactics like fasts (which is documented in this diet guide book). A focus on daily fitness routines is also stressed at VivaMayr, and since the trip reportedly impressed Rebel with immediate results, she double downed on the diet and exercise teachings she learned there.

Early on in 2020, Rebel began documenting her progress by sharing snapshots and videos to Instagram, and it became clear her journey was a top priority. "For the last few years, I've been theme-ing my years. So, I had the 'Year of Fun,' last year was my 'Year of Love,' and this year it's going to be the 'Year of Health' because I turned 40 this year in March," Rebel told Drew Barrymore during a recent interview on the host's CBS talk show. "I never really focused on my health, which was probably obvious. I was going all around the world jet-setting everywhere, and eating a ton of sugar. That was kind of my vice."

While Rebel has been transparent about her goal weight of 165 pounds, sharing that she's lost more than 40 pounds to achieve it, her weight hasn't been the sole focus in her journey. Rebel took to Instagram Live to answer questions about her health from followers just shortly after she announced she completed her goal, confirming that her target weight was just a starting point. "Am I glad that I did it? Yeah… the goal was never to be skinny," she said. "It was never to fit into a certain dress size. I put in a goal weight there because I needed some tangible thing."

While she's shared plenty of snapshots of new dresses throughout the year, it's clear that Rebel is enjoying more in life than new fashions. And her renewed focus on her own health definitely has influenced her happiness since then. Here's how Rebel's "Year of Health" has impacted her own life and her outlook — in her own words.

On why her journey isn't solely focused on the scale:

Rebel often referred to her weight loss goal throughout the year, keeping fans updated on her progress as she pushed towards that goal. But she's made it clear from the start that her journey is much more about how she feels holistically than it is about a number on a scale.

"You never want it to be about the number, because it really isn't about that," she told People. "It's [really] about: I was doing some unhealthy things to my body, and I just wanted to change it and become a healthier person."

"I would say to everyone out there don't be obsessed about how much you actually weigh," she added. "It's more about all the healthy practices, and then the changes to your whole lifestyle."

Scrolling through her Instagram, it's clear that Rebel began working with a fitness trainer at some point this year, challenging herself with intense sessions at the gym (and even outside!). But many people may not be aware that she also began working with a nutritionist, as People reports, to reform her diet. She told the press that she was "probably eating 3,000 calories most days" of things like desserts ("I love desserts!") and sugary treats. A dietitian helped Rebel restructure her diet to swap sources of empty carbs for high-protein staples and rich sources of fiber, a change that she'll stick to in the future.

On fad diets and emotional eating:

Speaking with Barrymore, Rebel revealed that she had attempted many "fads and diets" in her past to lead a healthier lifestyle, but these failed to address aspects of her holistic health. This year, she focused on her mental health and wellness overall, and felt an immediate change. "I think what I really suffered from was emotional eating and dealing with the stress of becoming famous internationally," she told Barrymore. "I was going all around the world, jet-setting everywhere and eating a ton of sugar, that was kind of my vice. I have a very sweet tooth… There is a lot of stress that comes with it, and I guess my way of dealing with it was just eating doughnuts."

But as she approached her "Year of Health," Rebel said she realized it was time to also put work into her emotional wellbeing. "I was working on the mental side of things, of 'Why was I doing that? Why was I not valuing myself and having better self-worth?'"

On how focusing on health changed her career:

"I love my curves and stuff, I don't think I'll ever go too skinny — but I feel so much healthier," Rebel said on the Drew Barrymore Show, adding that she's "really coming into my own" in her professional life.

"I feel more in control… I get to produce movies now, which is amazing, and have more control over the content. Everything seems to be coming together. Maybe I was a late bloomer or something, but I'm slowly getting it together."

On how moderation is key:

While the VivaMayr diet is restrictive in some ways, it seems that Rebel has found what she calls a "healthy balance" between sticking to the diet's principles and also enjoying her favorite foods from time to time. "I'm just trying to go for overall balance, overall healthy balance," she told People in a recent interview. "I have this state of being, which is not my quote, but I go: 'Nothing is forbidden.' We'll be like, 'Should we get In-N-Out burgers?' And I'm like 'Nothing is forbidden,'" she explains.

"I can go there, I just might eat half of what I used to eat before. You know? And I'll have a burger, and a few fries, and then you feel fine."

On how protein has revolutionized her diet:

Working with a nutritionist and heading to VivaMayr, it's clear that Rebel has learned a thing or two on how to fuel her body while enjoying her diet. And it seems that lean protein — everything from chicken breast to salmon — is at the top of her list, as she's told People that a "high protein diet was the way to go" when she was working on losing weight this year. "My body just responds well to protein," she said, adding that she turned to a 1,500 calorie meal plan in week-long periods throughout the year.

After hitting her goal weight, she's focusing on keeping strong on the fitness front and maintaining a new protein-forward diet in the long term. "It'll probably be about 2,000 to 2,500 [calories] because I do work out like a beast, so I do need a little bit more now that I've hit my goal weight, and I'm maintaining it."

On how fitness keeps the spark alive:

In September, Rebel revealed to Instagram fans that she had been dating Jacob Busch, 31, a member of the same family behind the brewing conglomerate Anheuser-Busch. It became quickly clear that the two spend a lot of time together, as Jacob popped up in a multitude of Instagram shots filled with quippy captions. "We do a lot of exercise together," one cheeky post reads.

But in all seriousness, it seems that Rebel's newfound love for exercise is a chance for her and her boyfriend to have a bit of fun. A source tells People that the couple have spent a lot of time this year working out together. "Jacob is also very health conscious and they've been motivating each other with their health journeys,” they said. “He's a gentleman, has very old school manners and treats her well."

On pushing through the physical pain:

Starting a new fitness routine isn't a walk in the park for most, Rebel included. Throughout the year, she's admitted that she thought about giving up — but pushing through to do even just a brief walk helped her through. "Even if you have to crawl towards your goals, keep going x it will be worth it," she wrote in an Instagram in May, adding that she was planning on spending the year working on producing a film, as E! News reported. "Try and give a little bit of effort each day… I know some days are frustrating as hell, you feel like giving up, you get annoyed at the lack of progress… but good things are coming your way."

On why her relationship isn't tied to her weight:

It's clear that Rebel's boyfriend Jacob shares a passion for fitness, and also enjoys pushing the limits in shared workouts. But Rebel says this is just a shared interest — and not the reason why her relationship started in the first place. During her recent hour-long Instagram Live, Rebel revealed that she had actually started dating Jacob long before her "Year of Health" began. The decision to unveil their relationship to the public this September didn't revolve around Rebel's ever slimming figure.

"He's a very private person, so I don't like to give away too much in that department," Rebel told fans. "But I will say we dated before I started any of this health journey, as well as now." She added, with chagrin: "So that goes to show you, ladies: You don't have to be a certain size to get a boyfriend."

A friend tells People magazine that Rebel's love for Jacob has a lot more to do with shared interests rather than just working out. "This is the first guy she's met who is a match for her humor and personality," a source said. "Someone who has his own life and success, and isn't intimidated by her… He's entrepreneurial and they're both very business-minded."

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