“I Just Felt… Off”: Ree Drummond’s 55-Pound Weight Loss Wasn’t About Vanity—It Was Personal
“I didn’t feel like myself anymore,” Ree Drummond, best known as The Pioneer Woman, confessed in her signature candid tone. “I wasn’t happy with how I felt, how I moved, how I looked in photos—and more than anything, how far away I’d gotten from the woman I used to be.”
If you’ve ever looked at Ree’s butter-loving, cowboy-cooking lifestyle and wondered how she managed to shed over 55 pounds—without any weight loss drugs, trendy detoxes, or starving herself—well, buckle up. Her journey is less about aesthetics and more about reclaiming health, energy, and confidence in her 50s.
“I Wasn’t Sleeping Well. I Didn’t Want to Be in Pictures.”
When Ree opened up on her blog and social media about her health overhaul, fans were stunned. After all, she’s spent years building her brand on hearty meals and comfort food—not calorie counting and gym selfies.
“I wasn’t miserable or suffering,” she clarified. “But I knew I could feel better—and that meant doing something about it.”
She began her weight loss journey in early 2021 and by mid-2022 had lost a staggering 55 pounds. But like many of us, she hit a wall. Life got busy. Priorities shifted. And, as she shared just last week, the weight started to creep back on.
“At the end of 2023, I stopped exercising. I stopped paying attention,” she admitted. “And the pounds? Oh, they noticed.”
The Honest Comeback: “I Went Back to What Worked.”
Ree Drummond’s weight loss is not a fairytale—it’s a realistic reset. When she saw herself drifting from the healthy habits she’d built, she didn’t beat herself up. Instead, she took a deep breath and got back to basics.
“The game changer for me is two-fold,” she wrote. “First, I’m building muscle again. I do lunges, squats, deadlifts, and floor exercises with ankle weights.”
Let’s be clear—there are no fancy machines in her Oklahoma ranch home gym. No personal trainers on call. No Ozempic or Wegovy, either.
“I did not take any weight loss drugs. Not now. Not ever,” Ree confirmed. “I’m not judging those who do, but that wasn’t my story.”
The 3 Pillars of Ree Drummond’s Weight Loss Strategy
1. Strength Training Over Cardio
“I thought I needed to run,” she laughed. “But I hated it. What I love is feeling strong.”
Ree found that simple strength workouts—done consistently—were more sustainable than chasing high-intensity trends. A mix of squats, lunges, deadlifts, and floor work with ankle weights helped her build lean muscle and rev up her metabolism.
2. Portion Control—Without Obsession
“I didn’t give up pasta. I didn’t give up bread. I just… didn’t eat four servings of it.”
By focusing on calorie deficit and keeping her plate balanced with high-protein foods, Ree allowed herself to still enjoy the dishes she loved—just in moderation. No tracking apps. No endless measuring. Just mindfulness.
3. Mindset Shift: Health First, Not a Number on the Scale
Perhaps the biggest transformation wasn’t physical at all.
“I stopped asking, ‘How can I lose weight fast?’ and started asking, ‘How can I feel better every day?’”
She ditched fad diets, reduced alcohol, prioritized sleep, and started eating to fuel, not to punish. That mindset reset, she says, made all the difference.
“Losing 55 Pounds Was Never the Goal. Feeling Alive Again Was.”
And that’s the part people don’t always see in the headlines.
“This wasn’t about chasing a smaller dress size. It was about looking in the mirror and recognizing myself again.”
Ree Drummond’s weight loss journey is a powerful reminder that even the most visible public figures struggle. They fall off the wagon. They feel insecure. They have to start over.
And they can choose to begin again.