Ricki Lake has spent the past four months quietly turning her health and wellness around with the help of husband Ross Burningham. Lake, 55, has lost over 30 pounds since November, and is adamant pharmaceuticals had nothing to do with it. “On October 26th, 2023 I made a commitment to myself to get healthier,” she captioned an Instagram post with before and after pictures of her weight loss. “My husband, Ross joined me in this effort. Together we have each lost 30+ lbs. I really want to share, because we did this without relying on a pharmaceutical. (Not that there is anything wrong with that.) But neither of us were pre diabetic and both of us felt like we wanted to at least try and do it on our own. Being 55 and in perimenopause, I was a bit worried, that my body would not drop the lbs like it had in the past.” Lake has famously battled with weight issues in the past—here’s how she’s finally made it happen.
Lake says she did lots of hiking to help burn the excess fat she was carrying. Hiking is a fantastic weight loss exercise, combining decent fat burning and cardio with the benefits of being outside in nature. “Some people who eschew exercise will gladly go for a hike,” Dr. Edward Phillips, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, tells Harvard Health. “If you ever want to hook someone on hiking, go to Acadia National Park in Maine. An hour-long hike there can take you up 400 feet to a peak where you get a panoramic view of the ocean below.”
Lake responded to an accusation made on an Instagram post, where she was accused of lying about taking Ozempic. “I do NOT LIE. I have worked my ass off. Literally,” she responded to the commenter. “Depending on your individual situation, and without sustained lifestyle changes, it is likely you would need to be on these medications indefinitely to maintain weight loss,” Dr. Cecilia Low Wang, a UCHealth expert in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, told UC Health.org.
Lake knows first hand that losing weight during perimenopause can be tricky—but as she is proof, it can be done. “Scientists have not found a one-size-fits-all diet for perimenopausal women, and calorie-restrictive diets are often not an effective long-term solution. Instead, focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods,” Trisha Pasricha, MD, tells the Washington Post.
Lake spent lots of time walking on the beach with her beloved rescue pup Dolly. “The color blue has been found by an overwhelming amount of people to be associated with feelings of calm and peace,” Richard Shuster, PsyD, clinical psychologist and host of The Daily Helping podcast tells NBC News. “Staring at the ocean actually changes our brain waves’ frequency and puts us into a mild meditative state.”
Lake is planning on going into further detail about her weight loss efforts, but for now, she is justifiably proud of herself and husband Ross. “I am so so proud of us. I feel amazing. I feel strong. 💪 I will go in depth in another post of what I did exactly, but suffice to say this is the healthiest way I’ve lost weight in all of my years. First pic -taken today on our daily hike. Second pic and third pic 11/3/23 (I only started weighing myself on 11/15/23) guessing I was about 170 when I started. I’m 5’3″.”