One of the perils of being heralded as a body positivity icon is the amount of attention – and criticism – you receive if you lose weight. This is something Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, knows all too well.

The singer first appeared noticeably slimmer in late 2024, with several fans calling her ‘unrecognisable’ under one of her Instagram posts in November and probing about her methods. Earlier this year, she revealed that she had lowered her body mass index (BMI) by 10.5 and had lost a percentage of body fat.

During a recent appearance on the Just Trish podcast, Lizzo was asked about her weight-loss journey by host Trisha Paytas and openly discussed the methods she’s tried. ‘I feel like I worked really, really hard and was intentional with what I did with my body,’ the singer explained. ‘So when I get compliments, I really receive it. I don’t take it any weird way because I tried to do this.’ It’s true that for any negative comment about Lizzo’s appearance on social media, there are twice as many singing her praises.

After months of speculation, the ‘Good As Hell’ singer admitted that she has previously tried weight loss injections as part of her bid to change shape. ‘I’ve tried everything,’ she posited. ‘It’s just the science for me. Calories in vs calories out. Ozempic works because you eat less food – it makes you feel full. So if you can just do that on your own and get mind over matter, it’s the same.’ Ozempic is an injection to treat diabetes that has become popular for its appetite suppressant properties. However, that is not the jab’s intended use, and it can have harmful side effects, including extreme nausea. It should not be used without consulting first with a doctor.

While weight-loss injections didn’t work for her long-term, Lizzo was quick to defend those who have reaped the benefits. There are several varieties that can be prescribed to people with obesity, which can be incredibly effective, even if slimmer people decry the method as ‘cheating’, she says. ‘I think it’s their way of being fat phobic when you’re telling someone they’re cheating,’ Lizzo said.

Ultimately, though, it wasn’t injectables that helped Lizzo lose weight. ‘What did it for me was, well, actually not being vegan,’ she admitted. ‘When I was vegan, I was consuming a lot of fake meats. I was eating a lot of bread. I was eating a lot of rice, and I had to eat a lot of it to stay full, but really I was consuming like 3,000 to 5,000 calories a day.’

Lizzo was vegetarian for 10 years before becoming vegan in 2020 and ultimately giving both up in 2023. ‘I started actually eating whole foods and eating, like, beef and chicken and fish, like, I was actually full and not expanding my stomach by putting a lot of fake things in there that wasn’t actually filling me up.’ She first started eating meat again on a trip to Japan after hearing it was the healthiest diet in the world. ‘My body was so happy,’ she crooned. ‘My body was like, “More, more please!”’

The singer was quick to add that what has worked for her won’t necessarily work for everyone else. ‘Everybody’s body’s different!’ she pointed out. ‘I don’t know what your bloodwork is like. I don’t know how your body breaks down food, sugar. I don’t know. But I know for me, I just had to start eating meat again.’

Of course, she has also been following a strict workout routine too. As well as her job as a performer, Lizzo is a regular in the gym, opting for skipping, Pilates, battle ropes, weighted squats and personal training sessions. While she has been committed to a healthier lifestyle for a long time, Lizzo insists her efforts are not to become ‘thin’. ‘A lot of people see a fat person that way and immediately just assume everything they’re doing is to be thin,’ she said in 2023. ‘I’m not trying to be thin. I don’t ever want to be thin. Will my body fluctuate from this size? Will I get a little smaller depending on some choices I make or a littler bigger, depending on some of the choices I make in my life. Yes, I’m used to fluctuating.’

However, in January of this year Lizzo revealed that she had reached her ‘goal weight’,
marking the occasion with a post on social media. ‘I did it,’ she wrote on Instagram. ‘Today when I stepped on my scale, I reached my weight release goal. I haven’t seen this number since 2014. Let this be a reminder you can do anything you put your mind to. Time for new goals.’ Luckily, despite some of the usual trolling, the comment section was largely supportive. ‘Queen!! Absolutely slaying at ANY shape and size,’ wrote one user. ‘This is what happens when you trust the process,’ reads another comment. ‘This wasn’t just physical, it was mental and emotional as well.’