When Adele shared a photo of her dramatic weight loss in 2020, some fans worried that she’d taken drastic measures. But the British singer has been open about what she did — and what she didn't do —to lose 100 lbs.
She also made it clear that the change didn't happen overnight.
“I think one of the reasons people lost the plot was because actually, it was over a two-year period,” she told British Vogue in 2021.
“People are shocked because I didn’t share my ‘journey.’ They’re used to people documenting everything on Instagram, and most people in my position would get a big deal with a diet brand,” she said. “I couldn’t give a flying f***. I did it for myself and not anyone else. So why would I ever share it? I don’t find it fascinating. It’s my body."
Although Adele didn't document her weight loss as it happened, she has since been candid about how she worked towards transformation. Here are the lessons Adele has shared about losing weight:
She started working out to feel better
Adele began working out regularly for her mental health.
“It was because of my anxiety. Working out, I would just feel better," she told British Vogue.
While speaking with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, the star explained why her anxiety had reached such a breaking point.
“I had the most terrifying anxiety attacks after I left my marriage. They paralyzed me completely and made me so confused because I wouldn’t be able to have any control over my body, but I was aware of that happening because it was kind of still very much there while my whole body was just like, on another planet it felt like,” she said.
For this very reason, workouts became a form of “me” time for the singer.
“I realized that when I was working out, I didn’t have any anxiety. It was never about losing weight. I thought, ‘If I can make my body physically strong, and I can feel that and see that, then maybe one day I can make my emotions and my mind physically strong,’” she said during an interview with Vogue.
She divided her workouts
Adele divided her workouts into several routines per day to achieve her weight loss goals.
"I got quite addicted to it," she admitted to British Vogue in 2021.
“So I do my weights in the morning, then I normally hike or I box in the afternoon, and then I go and do my cardio at night," she said.
Working out also helped Adele cope with some ongoing pain she’d endured for years.
“I’ve been in pain with my back for, like, half of my life, really. It flares up, normally due to stress or from a stupid bit of posture. But where I got my tummy strong, down at the bottom, which I never had before, my back don’t play up as much. It means I can do more, I can run around with my kid a little bit more,” she told The Face in 2021.
She fell in love with strength training
When you build muscle, you burn more calories, TODAY.com previously reported, so strength training is a smart way to get results. However, Adele's trainer, Gregg Miele, told Vogue that the main goal when she started strength training wasn't weight loss.
“It was getting stronger, physically and mentally. She got really turned on to movement, and especially strength training. So turned on that she started doing double sessions," he said.
While talking with Winfrey in 2021, Adele said she felt like she "could've been in the Olympics" when she was at the peak of her strength training regimen.
“On a deadlift, we were getting up to 160, 170 (pounds). I love it. But it started out at 10 pounds,” she said.
She doesn’t do intermittent fasting or follow a particular diet
Adele hasn’t revealed a meal plan or any particular diet that she followed to lose weight. However, she has denied trying the Sirtfood diet and intermittent fasting.
“Ain’t done that. No intermittent fasting. Nothing. If anything I eat more than I used to because I work out so hard, she told British Vogue in 2021.
She doesn't equate weight loss with happiness
So many people think they'll finally be happy when they reach their goal weight, but Adele has spoken extensively about the joy that came from her weight loss journey versus the final results.
"I’m definitely really happy now. But it’s not because of my weight, it’s because of the dedication I gave to my brain with therapy and stuff like that, and a lot of crying. Maybe that’s a saying I made up: I used to cry but now I sweat. It really did save me," she told The Face.
She gives in to her fast food craving once a week
Adele gives in to her cravings on occasion. In a video interview for British Vogue, she revealed that she has a soft spot for one particular McDonald's meal.
“My ideal meal, my death row meal, my last meal, would be a McChicken Nugget with a Big Mac and then fries,” she said. “That’s my three-course. I eat it at least once a week."
She knows how to brush off her critics
When Adele showed off a more svelte figure, many of her fans showered her with praise. But there were still some haters.
“My body’s been objectified my entire career. It’s not just now. I understand why it’s a shock. I understand why some women especially were hurt. Visually I represented a lot of women. But I’m still the same person,” she told Vogue.
Rather than letting her critics get to her, Adele has chosen to brush them off and tap into her own self confidence.
“People have been talking about my body for 12 years. They used to talk about it before I lost weight. But yeah, whatever, I don’t care,” she told British Vogue. “You don’t need to be overweight to be body positive, you can be any shape or size.”
She says having a trainer was a big part of her success
Getting fit is certainly easier when you have a lot of time and money, and Adele is the first to admit that she was privileged enough to be able to dedicate so much time to her weight loss journey.
“I was basically unemployed when I was doing it. And I do it with trainers... It’s not doable for a lot of people,” she told British Vogue.
Not everyone can afford a trainer, but if your local gym offers complimentary sessions or you can get a discounted rate on a session or two, it's worth it to pick up some valuable workout tips tailored to your lifestyle.
Chrissy Callahan
Chrissy Callahan covers a range of topics for TODAY.com, including fashion, beauty, pop culture and food. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, watching bad reality TV and consuming copious amounts of cookiedough.
