Missy Elliott, a groundbreaking figure in hip-hop, has captivated audiences not only with her innovative music but also with her openness about her health journey. Her experiences with weight loss and her battle with Graves' disease have resonated with many, solidifying her status as an inspiration. Because celebrities are in the public eye, their weight-loss journeys can be watched by the world.
The Public Eye and Personal Battles
Elliott's weight loss journey has been watched by the world because celebrities are in the public eye. In 2018, Missy Elliott's new pics had everyone talking because she looks so different. Some fans think she might have had weight loss surgery. But here’s the real kicker - Missy’s journey is about more than just losing weight.
Early Weight Loss Efforts
Elliott had previously lost weight a few years back, which she tweeted about, saying she had been eating healthy and working out to Shaunt Fitness T25 videos.
The Diagnosis: Graves' Disease
In 2008, Missy Elliott received a life-changing diagnosis: Graves' disease. She found out in 2008 when she almost crashed her car! Her leg was shaking so much, she couldn’t brake. This made Missy take a break from music. She told The Guardian, “I couldn’t write because my nervous system was so bad.” It was really hard for her.
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder that leads to the overproduction of thyroid hormones, known as hyperthyroidism. Missy Elliott was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in 2011, an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid. The exact cause of Graves’ disease is still unknown. However, researchers know it is an abnormal immune response that leads the thyroid gland to overproduce the thyroid hormone. Researchers believe some people have a genetic predisposition to the condition, Yale Medicine says. Symptoms develop after exposure to one or more external triggers. Possible triggers for the disease include a variety of viral and bacterial infections, shifting hormone levels, and elevated iodine levels. The disease is most common in women over age 20, but can occur at any age-and affect men as well.
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This condition can trigger a range of symptoms. Missy Elliott has Graves’ disease. It’s when your body attacks your thyroid gland. This causes lots of problems like weight loss, feeling anxious, being tired, and shaky hands. It can even make your eyes bulge out! It can mess with your eyes and skin too. The tricky part? These problems come and go like a rollercoaster. Poor Missy!
Symptoms and Impact
Symptoms include weight loss (despite having an increased appetite), a rapid or irregular heartbeat, fatigue, shaky hands, and trouble tolerating heat, the NIDDK says. She lost weight due to the condition. Missy revealed that she was diagnosed after losing an “extreme” amount of weight in 2008. “It causes hair loss, your eyes bulge,” she told Billboard in 2015. Missy’s friend, rapper-dancer Sharaya J, told the publication that Graves' disease "started to change her way of life." "There were physical changes, extreme headaches, extreme weight loss," she added. "What that does to a person, being a public figure and knowing people are looking, judging? That’s a tough thing."Missy struggles with tremors and high blood pressure.In 2011, she also shared that she began having tremors due to her condition. And she nearly got into a car accident because of them. “I couldn't keep the brake down and almost crashed," she said, per CBS News. Missy added that the tremors were so bad at one point that she “couldn't even use a pen." She's also struggled with high blood pressure, telling Billboard, "My blood pressure was always up from just overworking."The disease even took her ability to physically write songs, she told Good Morning America last year. "I remember Monica coming to the house one day, and I couldn't even hold a pencil," she said. "She wrote the lyrics out for me…I felt helpless."
Missy's Initial Reaction and Hiatus
Missy Elliot weight loss was partly because of Graves’ disease. It can make you lose weight fast. Her friend Sharaya J told Billboard how hard it was for Missy. She said, “There were physical changes, extreme headaches, extreme weight loss.” It was tough for Missy, especially being famous.
After her diagnosis, Missy stepped out of the spotlight for nearly a decade to focus on her health, returning in 2015 to perform at the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show with Katy Perry. Months later, she released her first single in years, "WTF (Where They From)."
Missy later told audiences at Essence’s Black Women in Music event in 2018 that she took some time off since her "nervous system had broken all the way down.""I didn't come up in here in a wheelchair," she said, per ABC News. "Nobody helped me get up here. I'm walking…by the grace of God."And, despite her fame, Missy is “most definitely an introvert,” according to People. She has also struggled with anxiety over the years, and did not mind spending time out of the spotlight. “I’m shy,” Missy told People. When asked how she reconciles her shyness and anxiety with her larger-than-life performances on stage, she doesn’t quite have an answer. “I don’t know,” she said. “It’s one of those things I can’t really explain.”
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Managing Graves' Disease: A Holistic Approach
Missy now manages her Graves’ disease with diet and exercise. Missy currently manages her condition with medication, as well as making lifestyle choices within the realms of diet and exercise, according to ABC News.
The Role of Diet
Missy’s Eating Plan Balancing Act Missy’s all about eating smart. It’s simple! Eating right helps you lose weight. When you pick good foods and watch how much you eat, you burn more than you take in. Plus, these foods keep you full and happy. Size Matters Missy likely watched her portion sizes. This smart move helps control how many calories she eats. Eating less than you burn is key to losing weight. Now, Missy only has two cupcakes a month as a treat. Water, Water Everywhere Missy drinks tons of water. Plus, Missy says all that water makes her skin glow! It’s true - water keeps your skin young and pretty.
She detailed some of the dietary switches on IG in 2018, including drinking more water and cutting out juices and soda, per Parade.
The Importance of Exercise
Want to know how Missy Elliott stays fit? Together? They’re unstoppable! So, ready to rock your body like Missy?
Medication and Other Treatments
According to Yale Medicine, most people are able to manage Graves’ disease with medication and other treatments. Some people are even able to go into remission for the disease, although it may be temporary.Surgery is also an option for those with Graves' disease, but can permanently affect one's voice. This rules out a surgical treatment for someone like Missy.
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Other Celebrities and Graves' Disease
Missy is not the only public figure to struggle with Graves’ disease.Wendy Williams announced she had been diagnosed with Graves’ disease in 2018. She was already aware of another thyroid issue, but it was fans who detected the disease by pointing out her bulging eyes, Health says. Fans noticed Graves’ ophthalmopathy in Wendy, a symptom that results from immune system cells attacking tissues around the eyes. This can cause inflammation and tissue and fat buildup around the eyes, which makes them look like they are bulging, MedPageToday reports. “I'm not crazy! I have graves disease! the shakes, the nerves. THE CRAZY!! goodbye thyroid. I will kill you with radioactivity,” she wrote.President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush also both struggled with disease, announcing it in 1991 and 1989, respectively, per The Washington Post.
Current Status and Future Plans
Missy is 'so much better now.'Missy has been struggling to manage her condition for years, but seems to have finally gotten it under control. “I am feeling so much better now,” she told People. She treats her illness with medication, diet and exercise, according to People and Parade.“Every now and then you get a little ache in the leg or the knee, but outside of that, I feel good." she told People. "Every day I wake, I'm blessed to be here and in good health."
Missy Elliott is “super excited” for her first tour in 16 years. Out of This World - The Missy Elliot Experience will kick off on July 4. She told People that she is “hanging in there,” preparing for the tour as she fights symptoms of Graves’s disease, an illness she was diagnosed with in 2008. “It’s full days, then I go home, and the work continues. But I feel good," Missy Elliott told People. This is Missy’s first time headlining a show. She's going to be joined by long time friends and collaborators Ciara and Busta Rhymes. And she is on a roll following her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Game in November, where she became the first female hip hop artist to be inducted. "This is an incredible time in my life as I am experiencing so many milestone 'firsts,'" the 52-year-old told ABC News. "Fans have been asking me to tour forever but I wanted to wait until I felt the time was right because I knew if I was ever going to do it, I had to do it big, and I had to do it with family."