As she walked the red carpet on eldest son Parker's arm earlier this week, Rosie O'Donnell was beaming – and looking slimmer than ever after losing more than 50 lbs.
The talk-show host – out in New York Monday for the Rosie's Theater Kids gala, benefiting her namesake nonprofit – spoke candidly on The View about the stressful side of watching her own body change so drastically. But she also shared with PEOPLE the upside of her weight loss.
O’Donnell joins growing list of celebrities to undergo gastric sleeve surgery for overall wellbeing
While attending a sponsored American Heart Surgery Association luncheon on Valentine’s Day, Rosie O’Donnell announced that she underwent weight loss surgery. After a severe heart attack in 2012, the 5-foot-7-inch comedian was prompted to undergo bariatric surgery. She had the procedure in July 2013.
O’Donnell was considered pre-diabetic by doctors and suffered from high blood pressure and cholesterol. She said that she turned to gastric sleeve surgery after limited results in weight loss and overall health with diet and exercise alone.
With gastric sleeve surgery, about 80 percent of the stomach is removed. This immensely limits portion size, while increasing the patient’s chances for significant weight loss. In just over six months, O’Donnell dropped from 230 to 190 pounds. Doctors still recommend that she lose another 40 pounds.
"In my opinion, [this surgery is] something that needs a little more attention for people who have suffered with morbid obesity their whole lives," she said of the vertical gastric sleeve surgery she had in July 2013. "This has really, really helped me"
While acknowledging some people think surgery is a shortcut to weight loss, or an easy way out, O'Donnell, 52, said the experience is far from a breeze.
"Everyone has to approach it in a way that feels right with them, [but] once you have the surgery, it's not a magic pill," she said. "It's still hard. You have to risk your life, and you're in severe discomfort for a couple of months, and it forces you to modify your behavior when you haven't been able to before."
After suffering a heart attack in 2012, she now says the operation is helping to save her life. "I think, for me, always having a weight issue and struggling with weight my whole life, to the point I had a heart attack that almost killed me and [until] the doctor said, 'You have to do this,' I don't think I would have done it ever," she said.
Another benefit, hopefully: less bullying, something she says she fell victim to a few years ago when she and Donald Trump verbally sparred in the media.
"Probably the Trump stuff was the most bullying I ever experienced in my life, including as a child," she said. "It was national, and it was sanctioned societally. Whether I deserved it is up to your own interpretation."
The 51-year-old comedian follows a healthy diet and takes walks regularly, while hoping her bariatric surgery will inspire others to lose weight and overhaul their diets and exercise. Since heart disease is the number one killer of women, with victims often experiencing less life-threatening signs, O’Donnell wants women to be aware of heart attack symptoms and be vigilant about their health.
“You are worth it, take care of yourself, and know the symptoms of America’s leading killer of women and men,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell joins the growing list of celebrities to undergo weight loss surgery, including, Al Roker, Lisa Lampanelli, Randy Jackson, and others. The burgeoning popularity of bariatric surgery is due to its success in patients who can’t lose weight or increase health with just diet and exercise. This surgery gives these patients the head start they need to lose weight and get on the right track towards better health.
Stay Tuned~ Nat
Body/Mind Under Construction
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