Star Jones Opens Up About The Emotional Side Of Her 160-Pound Weight Loss

Star Jones opened up to Oprah Winfrey about the emotional trek that she’s taken from obesity through gastric bypass surgery to her current weight.

“I got emotionally strong while I got physically strong.”

Star said that she was always full-figured, but her weight spun out of control at age 40, during the most successful year of her career. By age 41, she had gained an additional 75 pounds, bringing her weight to 307. While a host of The View, and in her private life, Star said that she hid behind a larger-than-life persona in her words, actions and even her fashion choices.

“The hair, the lashes, the nails…This is the first time since I’ve been doing television that I’ve worn my natural nails, because I’m confident enough to not need big long acrylics.”

As a lawyer and accomplished professional, Star was frustrated that she couldn’t control her weight.

“I could stare a murderer down in a courtroom. I thought to myself, ‘I should be able to control this.’”

She opted for gastric bypass surgery but hid her procedure from her fans while she appeared on The View, asking that her co-hosts do the same. Star says she never lied, just spoke carefully about the truth, as she feared opening up.

“I’m a lawyer-I know how to couch my words. I would say ‘medical intervention.’”

Barbara Walters has said that she was uncomfortable hiding the surgery behind Star’s weight loss. Star eventually left The View in 2006.

Today, although Star admits that sometimes she is still ‘300 pounds in her head,’ she says she feels and acts like a different person.

“I don’t have to be as loud. I don’t have to be as boisterous. I’m healthy. I can breathe. I can walk up stairs.”

After her surgery, Star adopted a workout plan that includes Pilates, and she is currently in the best shape of her life. Speaking honestly about her experiences seems to complete her amazing transformation.

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