The self-proclaimed “queen of southern cuisine,” Paula Deen, made some major changes in her life over the past several years, and now she’s healthier than ever after a major weight loss!Find out how she slimmed down and got her diabetes under control, despite the buttery dishes her fans have come to know and love her for, below.
Paula was a mainstay on Food Network for years, making her luxurious (and brutally unhealthy) southern dishes.
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2007
Unfortunately, she began feeling the effects of her unbalanced diet in her early 60s.
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2008
While Paula was always silly and happy-go-lucky on TV, she was battling a dark secret.
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2010
In 2009, she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. “I was in denial for about a year and a half. I said, that doctor is wrong, nobody in my family has diabetes!” she admitted on The Doctors in 2018.
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2011
For that reason, she didn’t change anything, and things only got worse. “After my third six months check up I said maybe she’s right. Then I got serious.”
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2012
In 2012, Paula changed her whole life. “I went into my kitchen and I threw every white food out, except cauliflower. Cauliflower became my very good friend, cause you can make mashed potatoes and pretend. But then, after I did that, I got the weight off, then I started practicing moderation,” she explained on the program. By 2013, she was down 30 pounds!
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2015
“It’s about moderation. I just needed to learn to eat a normal portion size and not overindulge,” she told Women’s Day. “I want to be here for my grandchildren. I think about them every day. My daddy was dead at 40. My mother was dead at 44. And look—I’m 65 and I’m still here! Go, 65! Waking up every morning is very exciting for me, to see what the day is going to bring.”
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2015
Paula is now 71, and she’s lost another ten pounds! Her health is way better, and she enjoys doing things like walking on the treadmill and painting. Her son Bobby even has his own show re-making her decadent meals in a healthier way.
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2017
Paula still indulges once and a while, but she has all the tools now to live a long, happy, healthy life!