Adele's significant weight loss has captured global attention, but her transformation is rooted in a journey toward strength, mental well-being, and reclaiming personal time. Speaking to British Vogue in 2021, Adele stated, "It was never about losing weight. It was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone." This transformation unfolded over two years.
Adele's Transformation: A Timeline
Adele's journey became a talking point in May 2020 when she shared a rare photo on social media celebrating her 32nd birthday. The photo revealed a slimmer Adele. She acknowledged the attention, writing, “Thank you for the birthday love. I hope you’re all staying safe and sane during this crazy time.”
In 2021, she addressed the intense focus on her physical appearance, stating, “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."
Tackling Anxiety Through Fitness
Following her divorce, Adele experienced anxiety attacks. She found solace in the gym, noting, “The gym became my time. I realized that when I was working out, I didn’t have any anxiety." She further explained her thought process to Vogue, “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." In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, she shared that these anxiety attacks "paralyzed me completely."
An Addiction to Working Out
Adele's transformation was gradual. “I think one of the reasons people lost the plot was because actually, it was over a two-year period,” she told British Vogue. She admitted to becoming “quite addicted” to working out. She also clarified, “Ain’t done that. No intermittent fasting. Nothing.”
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Addressing Criticism
Adele has spoken out against double standards. She addressed the backlash to her weight loss in an interview with Vogue, stating, “The most brutal conversations were being had by other women about my body. I was very f*** disappointed with that.”
Body Positivity: A Constant Mantra
Adele has consistently promoted body positivity. “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. She reminded fans, “You don’t need to be overweight to be body positive.” Echoing this sentiment to Oprah Winfrey, Adele added, “I was body positive then and I'm body positive now.”
How Adele Lost Weight
Adele's weight loss journey was about feeling better physically and mentally. Adele revealed that her weight loss happened over two years. “I did it for myself and not anybody else,” she said. The more she moved, the better she felt. Another key to Adele’s weight loss was breaking up her workouts throughout the day.
Adele doesn’t deny herself the foods she craves. According to a video interview with British Vogue, McDonald’s is her constant craving. “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 [meal]." By making gradual changes to her daily routine, the singer was able to shed an impressive amount of weight-and ease her anxiety and back pain in the process.
The Benefits of Exercise
Exercise helps you stay healthy physically, but it can also benefit your mind. “Physically, exercising can increase energy levels, improve sleep quality and prevent loss of functionality [as we age],” says Trista Best MPH, RDN, LD, a registered dietitian at Balance One Supplements. Better sleep has been proven to help with weight loss.
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“I’m definitely really happy now,” Adele told The Face in 2021. “But it’s not because of my weight, it’s because of the dedication I gave to my brain." “I’ve been in pain with my back for…half of my life,” she told The Face. “It flares up, normally due to stress or from a stupid bit of posture. But [when] I got my tummy strong… my back [doesn’t] play up as much. A study published in The Spine Journal found that a 20-minute walk at the onset of backaches cuts back pain in half. The gentle movement of walking helps realign the spine and loosen back muscles that can trigger pain.
You don’t need to carve out time for multiple long, grueling workouts to reap the weight loss rewards. Simply splitting up your regular short workouts-like walking your dog or doing yoga in your living room-throughout the day can help with weight loss. Why? Best says this method boosts metabolism and keeps energy levels up for longer. It’s also important to pick a manageable schedule, explains Angel Casas, CPT, owner of No More Fear Coaching. He recommends starting slow and paying attention to your body’s needs.
Have the urge to chow down on a comfort meal or satisfy your sweet tooth? The good news is that it’s okay to give in to those cravings now and then. “Allowing yourself a ‘cheat meal’ or satisfying a craving occasionally theoretically can help you stick to your diet more easily and prevent feelings of deprivation,” says Mohr. However, avoid calling it a “cheat meal”. Instead, the key is moderation and balance.
Adele shared that her weight loss didn’t happen overnight: It took time and hard work to achieve her goals. “Healthy weight loss is a slow and gradual process that needs lots of patience and persistence,” says Mohr. Casas also recommends having fun with it rather than putting too much pressure on yourself. “Starting a workout routine should not be like standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, but rather your local park.
What Adele Has Shared About Losing Weight
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.
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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."In the process of having lost all of that weight, that definitely really contributed towards me getting my mind right," she told Oprah.
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.
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. In an Instagram caption, Miele celebrated Adele's health and fitness journey writing, "I told you Adele, ‘It’s never going to get easier, you just have to get stronger’. And that was the sole/soul goal, period. To just…get…stronger, inside-and-out."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.
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.
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.
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."
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's not fazed by the interest in her body since it's always been that way, she told Oprah. And to those who had something negative to say about her transformation, she had this to say: "It's not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies." She had sympathy for those who felt triggered by the change in her appearance but she emphasized that the change was personal and she's sorting her own life out. "I can't have another worry," she added.
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.
Adele's Healthy Lifestyle
The singer’s healthy lifestyle goes beyond drawing boundaries in her career. In 2021, Adele made waves after speaking publicly about her 100-pound weight loss-which made headlines in 2019. Since then, she's shared the strategies that helped her reach her health goals and combat her anxiety. Spoiler: There was no magic diet fad involved. She lost weight over the course of two years by consistently lifting weights and doing circuit training.
“My body has been objectified my entire career,” she said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. The singer went on to say that her weight loss journey was something personal, and that she never felt like she “needed” to lose weight. “I was body positive [before my weight loss], and I’m body positive now.”
Adele made headlines for her weight loss in 2019. The singer first turned heads at Drake's birthday party in October of 2019, per Page Six. She later posted a photo of herself, presumably at the shindig, captioning it: "I used to cry but now I sweat 😂." Then, for her 32nd birthday in May 2020, Adele posted a more dramatic photo to thank her fans for all the love and well wishes, as well as the first responders and essential workers "for keeping us safe."
Fans hardly recognized the singer in August 2020, when she posted a photo to congratulate Beyoncé on the release of Black Is King. Adele also posted a photo of herself in a bikini top with the Jamaican flag in 2020, as a tribute to the Notting Hill Carnival. Adele appeared on SNL in October 2020, and fans were quick to comment on the singer's weight loss. She joked about it in her opening monologue as well. In July 2021, she showed off her happy and healthy self wearing a t-shirt to support the England national football team.
The singer’s intense exercise regimen includes weight lifting and circuit training-moves she's been working on for years, according to Vogue. In another interview with British Vogue, Adele said that during the initial COVID quarantine, she worked out three times a day: “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. She added that she works with trainers like Greg Miele at Heart & Hustle gym in Los Angeles, California to get the most out of her sweat sessions, per Vogue. During her conversation with Oprah in 2021, Adele said she's also gotten into deadlifting. Starting with just ten pounds, she slowly worked her way up to a majorly impressive 170 pounds, which she lifts on the regular. "I'm an athlete," she said. "I love it." And, the "Rolling In The Deep" singer mentioned that she also enjoys boxing.
For Adele, embracing a healthy lifestyle wasn't just about reaching a goal weight. The singer also said that "it was never about losing weight, it was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone. I got quite addicted to it."
Adele explained to Oprah that her anxiety was rooted in her divorce. As of August 2022, Adele is now happily in a new relationship with sports agent Rich Paul, per Elle. She said that she placed a lot of trust in her trainer and felt more at ease while at the gym. Working out every day gave Adele "discipline" and helped fill her otherwise empty schedule. Miele agreed that Adele's aim "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 told Vogue.
When asked why she didn't share more about her weight loss journey on social media, Adele told British Vogue: "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.” Adele has said she remains confident and body-positive, no matter what. Adele explained further, "it's not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies. I feel bad that it's made anyone feel horrible about themselves, but that's not my job. I'm trying to sort my own life out. I can't add another worry."
However, the "Easy on Me" singer did express concern for how her weight loss affected her fans' struggles with their own body image in an interview with BBC Radio 4 in July 2022.
Adele posts on social media pretty sparingly (aside from highlights of her residency shows), but she updated her fans on her health journey for her 34th birthday in May of 2022, writing, “If time keeps healing and smoothing out all the creases in my life like it does as the years fly by, then I can’t wait to be 60! I’ve never been happier!”Weight loss or not, is seems Adele is prioritizing happiness these days. And really, that’s all that matters.
Fitness Is About So Much More Than Weight Loss
Adele told British Vogue that she didn’t start exercising as a way to lose weight, but rather as a way to manage her mental health. “It was because of my anxiety,” the singer said. “Working out, I would just feel better.”
There is evidence that exercise can help decrease anxiety, Atkinson says. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2018 in BMC Health Services Research analyzed data from 15 previous studies and found that both high-intensity and low-intensity exercise reduced anxiety among participants (although high-intensity exercise had a greater effect).
It’s also important to note that you don’t need to lose weight to reap these benefits. In fact, a review published in September 2021 in iScience found that increased physical activity and fitness significantly improved the health and longevity of adults classified as obese, even when they didn't lose weight (which many people do not). On the other hand, weight loss alone isn't consistently associated with these benefits.
It’s More Effective to Focus on What You Want to Gain, Rather Than What You Want to Lose
Although the rest of the world is talking about Adele’s weight loss, she herself is focused on other changes. “It was never about losing weight, it was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone,” she told British Vogue. She explained later in the interview that she didn’t follow a diet, and that the weight loss happened over the course of two years through exercise.
“I appreciate that Adele wanted to move her body more - that’s so rad,” Atkinson says. In addition to helping with anxiety, carving out time to exercise can be a great way to feel connected to your body without distraction. Exercising to feel good can help bolster this sense of connection with your body, whereas exercising for the sole purpose of losing weight might undermine it. Since so much of the messaging about fitness focuses on weight loss, Atkinson says that it can be hard to separate the two. But finding other motivations for moving your body - to gain strength and flexibility, to de-stress, or to keep up with your kids, for example - is hugely beneficial.
Obsession With Weight Sends the Wrong Message
Atkinson warns that praising someone’s weight loss, even if you mean well, can be harmful. “To say that weight loss is positively reinforced is the understatement of the century,” she says. “Our culture is obsessed with the idea that people in small bodies are superior to people in large bodies.” Celebrating Adele’s weight, rather than any other aspect of her fitness journey, such as her increased strength or stamina or mental health gains, sends the message that the only attribute that matters is how much a person weighs.
The truth is that most people who lose weight will gain it back. Past research has found that although most people who diet slim down in the short-term, the average amount of weight lost after two years was just two pounds. A review published in the BMJ in February 2020 looked at data from 121 trials, with a total of 21,942 participants, and found that although most dieters lost weight in the first six months, that weight loss, and any health benefits that accompanied it, had disappeared by the one-year mark.
When someone regains weight, which is inevitable for most people, they’ll remember all the praise they got when they were thinner. And this, Atkinson says, will just make them feel worse about their larger body.
Weight Is More Than a Matter of Willpower
Celebrities, it turns out, are not just like us. In her interview with British Vogue, Adele readily admits that she had a lot of help in her fitness journey. “'I was basically unemployed when I was doing it,'” she told the magazine. "'And I do it with trainers.' She very much gets that it’s a rich person’s game. ‘It’s not doable for a lot of people,’ she says, a bit embarrassed,” the article states.
Because of her wealth, Adele was able to spend much of her time and energy on improving her health. Most people aren’t able to hire a team of people to help them that way, nor are they able to carve huge chunks of time out of their day to devote to exercise. “Most people who are able to keep weight off, it’s because their lives are devoted to that. They typically have to exercise for at least an hour a day, every day, and keep [eating very few calories],” Atkinson says. “Their number-one priority has to be keeping their body small.”
Your Body Is Your Business
“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,” Adele told British Vogue, adding that people have been talking about her body since the start of her career, long before she lost weight."I'm not shocked or even fazed by it, because my body has been objectified my entire career," she said in a subsequent interview with Oprah on CBS in November.
Many people are, understandably, upset that Adele has lost this weight. “It’s just like when Lizzo was on her juice cleanse and people got upset,” Atkinson says. “It feels like a betrayal, because we have so few celebrities who are not participating in the body hierarchy that we have.”
Ultimately, Adele (or Lizzo, or any other celebrity) doesn’t owe her body to us. “Fundamentally I believe in body autonomy,” Atkinson says. "If Adele wants to make lifestyle changes to improve her health, that’s great. And if she wants to make her body smaller, that’s also just fine. She doesn’t need to explain her motivations to anyone."Adele has said the same. "It's not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies," she said in the interview with Oprah. "I'm trying to sort my own life out."Atkinson hopes that celebrities in larger bodies who lose weight will use their platform to speak out against “the oppression and the marginalization” that they experienced before weight loss.
Adele's Focus on Mental Health
During her “Adele, One Night Only” TV special with Oprah, the musician gave rare insight into her battle with anxiety following her divorce from Simon Konecki and the COVID-19 pandemic. Adele says she turned to exercise for relief, which led to her weight loss. “It really contributed towards me getting my mind right,” she told Oprah.
In an October interview with British Vogue, the “Hello” singer shed even more light on the changes she made to her health-and why she chose to keep her “100-pound” weight loss to herself.
Now, Adele-who was hurt most by the “brutal conversations” other women had about her body, she told Vogue-is pushing back against the reaction to her weight loss. “It’s not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies,” the “Easy on Me” singer told Oprah. “I feel bad if anyone feels horrible about themselves, but that’s not my job. I’m trying to sort my own life out. I can’t have another worry.”
“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 in the British Vogue interview. “I couldn’t give a flying f**k. 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.”