Rebel Wilson’s DIY Health Challenges + Walking Help Her Maintain Her 80-Lb Weight Loss
The 'Pitch Perfect' actress says prioritizing her mental and physical health was key
Rebel Wilson made waves in her breakout role in Pitch Perfect, which has stood the test of time as a comforting coming of age movie. Today, she’s making headlines for her impressive health transformation. Here we break down Rebel Wilson’s 80-pound weight loss, including new details on how she feels about the reaction to her health journey.
The public response to Rebel Wilson’s weight loss surprised her
In the June 4 episode of the Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa podcast, Wilson discussed her marriage, career, all things Pitch Perfect—and her weight loss. Wilson shared that the public interest in her weight loss came as a surprise to her.
“I was kind of shocked with how much attention I got just for losing weight when I’d done so many things in my life,” Wilson told Ripa. Her surprise was fueled by the lack of focus on her other accomplishments, such as her education and creative endeavours.
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“I’ve got two degrees from university and done a lot of great work as an actor and producer and everything, but that—losing weight—was the thing that people seem to be really interested in,” Wilson said.
Although Wilson made her surprise at the response clear, she also acknowledged that she “probably reinforced” the attention by posting instagram photos more consistently, and added that she wasn’t immune to weight loss curiosity herself.
“When I watched people that I really like, like Oprah, and whenever she was doing an episode about weight loss or something, I’d be so intrigued,” Wilson told Ripa. “So I kind of get the fascination with it.”
She started a new six-week health challenge
In the podcast Wilson shared that despite already achieving major weight loss success, she still prioritizes her health by challenging herself.
She’s currently on a “six-week Rebel health challenge” that she created for herself. “I just made it up. I’m not a medical expert or anything, but I just was feeling…a bit gross in myself after Easter, especially.”
Wilson shared that her personal health challenge involves nutritional changes as well as prioritizing her health both physically and mentally.
“In my six week challenge, I mean, up to week two I’ve just had no chocolate and ice cream,” Wilson told Ripa. “It doesn’t mean no—there’s other things I can have obviously if I’m really desperate. But those two things, which were my biggest biases this year, I was trying to stay off them for six weeks and then do something positive every day for my mental or physical health.”
Walking helped Rebel Wilson lose 80 pounds
Wilson shared that her current physical health challenge leans on a lot of walking. “This week, it’s walking 10,000 steps every day,” she told Ripa.
If you’re not familiar with Wilson’s original fitness journey, walking has been a staple from the beginning. When the actress first set out to lose weight, she focused on daily exercise, a good night’s sleep (aiming for eight hours a night), journaling and eating high-protein meals.
In her memoir Rebel Rising, Wilson shares her typical fitness routine: “Exercise for about two hours—one hour with a trainer focused on strength and conditioning, and one hour doing my own cardio (which was usually walking).” She also shared that she’s tried hikes, sprints, stair training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). But her favorite way to get moving? Walking.
“I got all these high-tech tests done on me during my year of health,” she said in an interview with People. “They said that walking was actually the best way for me to lose unnecessary body fat.”
And while the star confirmed she used Ozempic to help maintain her weight, she told US Weekly: “There’s no magic fix.” Wilson’s gradual approach to weight loss—which ultimately helped her shed over 80 pounds—prioritized balance and long-term success. “Sometimes the simplest thing like getting out and walking for an hour a day is the kindest thing to your body, and your body will respond to that,” the actress said during the season three premiere of Apple Fitness+’s Time to Walk series.
How walking boosts weight loss
“If walking long distances or times isn’t feasible, start by incorporating shorter sessions throughout your day,” says Chris Hudson, CPT, CES, CNC, fitness trainer and advisor for BlissTrax. “Break your walks into 10 to 15 minute increments.”
Walking is a low-intensity exercise, meaning it allows you to move without straining your muscles or joints. “Low-intensity exercise can be done more frequently, making it easier to stay consistent,” says Cara Dobbertin, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Practitionr.
If you want to lose weight, walking helps by burning calories and keeping you active. Dobbertin adds that consistent walking builds endurance over time and supports healthy habits, making it easier to stick to your weight-loss goals.
Rebel Wilson-inspired walking tips for weight loss success
While walking longer can encourage more weight loss, it’s still possible to reap the benefits in shorter increments. Here’s how short, creative strolls can help you lose weight:
Try a micro-walk
Micro walks involve short bursts of walking for about 10 to 30 seconds followed by a brief break in between. “These ‘count’ [toward your daily walking total],’ so all the steps you take throughout the day add up,” says Milica McDowell, PT, DPT, a certified exercise physiologist and VP of operations at Gait Happens.
Add inclines or declines
Walking the same route and terrain can sometimes get dull. That’s why Joy Puleo NPCP, ACSM certified education director at Balanced Body, suggests adding inclines and declines. You can still do a short walk, but “inclines and declines will increase the challenge and change the routine while keeping the mind in tune with the body and elevating heart rate,” she says.
That could mean simply switching up the incline on your treadmill or strolling through a part of your neighborhood that has more hills.
Incorporate other exercises
To get the most weight loss benefits out of your walk, Puleo recommends adding squats or lunges to mix up your routine. “For every 15 minutes of walking, stop and do a set of 10 to 15 bodyweight squats and/or lunges, then continue,” she says. “Adding some lower body fitness moments will go a long way in developing strength while you also increase your cardio capacity.”
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