Offering some inspiration! Rebel Wilson reflected on her decision to lose weight after a personal struggle that affected her relationship with her body.
“Okay so I know that I normally post flattering photos of myself … but found this old photo in my emails and was like: whoa!” Wilson, 41, captioned a past photo of her with Novak Djokovic via Instagram on Wednesday, August 18. “I remember this was when I was at my most unhealthiest – being overweight and indulging way too much with junk food. Using food to numb my emotions.”
The Pitch Perfect actress noted that she ended up in a bad place after going through a tragedy.
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“My father had passed away of a heart attack and it was such a sad time. I didn’t think highly of myself and wasn’t valuing myself how I should have,” she noted. “It’s interesting that I’m still smiling and still trying to be active … despite being in so much pain.”
Wilson, who in early 2020 revealed that she was starting a fitness journey, explained why she wanted to use her past to help others who may be going through something similar.
“I look back now at that girl and am so proud of what she’s become and achieved. And just wanted to send out some encouragement to everyone out there struggling with weight or body issues or emotional eating. I feel you. I know what it’s like,” she detailed in the post.
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Wilson continued: “But it’s never too late to start improving yourself and trying to be the best version of YOU possible. It’s not a race and it’s not a competition – it’s about respecting yourself and doing what’s best for YOU. So if you’re out there and reading this today, I just wanted to say: keep smiling and keep trying to be active! Love you guys 😘.”
The Australia native has continued to document the lifestyle change that led to her losing more than 60 pounds by November 2020.
After the How to Be Single star reached her goal weight of 165 pounds, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that Wilson was “so proud of her weight loss and her body transformation.”
“Rebel flew past her goal weight and continued to work out after hitting that magic number,” the insider detailed in February about her progress with the help of her personal trainer, Jono Castano. “Rebel didn’t only work out six days a week with Jono but would also do mini at-home workouts. Rebel clearly had a mission to lose weight and she did in spades. She feels stronger, more confident.”
Three months later, Wilson opened up about regretting not going on her health journey sooner after seeing how successful she could be.
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“Now that I know I can do it, sometimes I feel sad that I didn’t do it earlier,” the Isn’t It Romantic actress told InStyle in May. “Maybe I should have tried when I was 30, not 40.”
Although Wilson wondered what it would have been like if she reached her goal earlier, she noted that the most important thing is that she got to where she wanted to be.
“But everybody’s journey is different, and it’s not a race or competition. I’ve always been a bit of a late developer,” Wilson added. “I started acting when I was turning 19, which is quite late. And when I came to America as an actress, I was almost 30, which again, is quite late. So I try not to compare myself to other people.”
At the time, Wilson also discussed her decision to share her experience online with the knowledge that not everyone has the same access to the resources that she did during her “year of health.”
“But I have a natural empathy for anyone who struggles with weight issues because that’s something I’ve always struggled with. And that’s why I put things on Instagram about my journey,” she mentioned. “Obviously, I have access to some amazing high-tech treatments, but what I learned is it’s really the little things that I do every day that make a difference.”