Adele’s Weight Loss Journey – How The Singer Lost 100 Pounds
April 30, 2023
Adele, 34, was recently at (just another) monumental point in her career. The singer-songwriter was performing Weekends with Adele, a 4-month residency at the Colosseum at Ceasar’s Palace in Vegasand was up for a whopping seven nominations for her album 30, at the 2023 Grammy Awards. Now, she’s riding around in a car with James Corden for his very last “Carpool Karaoke” episode. Talk about a wild ride.
Still, she seems to be enjoying her life right now, leaning into her relationship with Rich Paul, singing her heart out, and reconnecting with fans at her residency shows (she even teared up on stage because of a sweet fan interaction). Yes, Adele is, as always, living her best life.
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.”
Here’s everything to know about Adele’s healthy lifestyle:
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 first responders and essential workers “to keep 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. “Thank you Queen for always making us all feel so loved through your art ♥️♥️,” she wrote in her caption.
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. “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London 🇬🇧🇯🇲,” she wrote in the caption. One commenter added: “We’re happy she’s out here living her best life…. You look great hun….”
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. “I know I look really, really different since you last saw me,” Adele said. “But actually, because of all the Covid restrictions…I had to travel light and I could only bring half of me, and this is the half I chose.”
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In July 2021, she showed off her happy and healthy self wearing a t-shirt to support the England national football team: “You did us so proud! You brought our game home and brought us all together. ,” she captioned the pic:
Adele’s weight loss is primarily due to her fitness routine.
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. Go off, Adele! It’s worth noting that experts say it’s optimal to work out three to four times a week total for weight loss training.
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 it boxing. “I’ve got a left hook that could kill you,” she told Oprah.
Adele also confirmed that any rumors suggesting she lost weight by dieting were false. “No intermittent fasting. Nothing. If anything I eat more than I used to because I work out so hard,” she said told British Vogue.
Exercise helped improve her mental health, too.
For Adele, embracing a healthy lifestyle wasn’t just about reaching a goal weight. “It was because of my anxiety,” she told British Vogue. “Working out, I would just feel better.” 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. “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 what was 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.
As of August 2022, Adele is now happily in a new relationship with sports agent Rich Paul, per Elle.
She said that she put 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 it turned on that she started doing double sessions,” he told Vogue.
She has always been body positive.
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. “People have been talking about my body for 12 years,” she said back in 2021. They used to talk about it before I lost weight. But yeah, whatever, I don’t care … You don’t need to be overweight to be body positive, you can be any shape or size.”
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’ don’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. “I feel terrible for some people who feel like other people’s comments meant that they weren’t looking good or that they weren’t beautiful,” she said, per Insiders.
She’s prioritizing happiness these days
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, it seems Adele is prioritizing happiness these days. And really, that’s all that matters.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamor, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
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Olivia Evans (she/her) is an editorial assistant at Women’s Health. Her work has previously appeared in The Cut and Teen Vogue. She loves covering topics where culture and wellness intersect. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, running and watching rom-coms.