Nigella Lawson’s weight loss secrets revealed!

Nigella Lawson’s weight loss has inspired many thanks to the fact that the celebrity chef looks slim and healthy but advocates for a balanced diet that still allows for you to take 'pleasure' from eating foods you love.

Fans first spotted that the 61-year-old star had lost weight in 2017. Nigella then spoke about slimming down from a size 16 to a size 12 in 2019 and the mum-of-two has been continuing her weight loss journey ever since.

Nigella has always been open about her weight and revealed that she lost two stone over two years through a mix of yoga and eating smaller portion sizes.

Despite losing weight, the culinary queen has stayed relatable, encouraging other women not to go on fad or extreme diets. Nigella Lawson's weight loss journey also hasn't been linear, with the brilliant cook assuring the listeners of Women's Hour previously that her weight goes 'up and down'. Just like the rest of us.

Here we take a look at Nigella Lawson's weight loss secrets, picking out her top slimming tips from her favourite exercise to her weight loss mindset.

Nigella Lawson’s weight loss secrets

Yoga

If HIIT workouts and full-on cardio aren't your thing, it seems you could be in luck. The Cook, Eat, Repeat star is an avid fan of Iyengar yoga and has credited it to playing a part in her incredible transformation.

'I do yoga three times a week. I have to do something I enjoy, otherwise I wouldn't do it', she previously told Good Housekeeping in a interview.

The culinary queen also revealed she puts in a stretching workout on days when she's not practicing yoga.

'The older I get the more I realise I have got to do lots of stretching. So even if I'm not doing yoga, I make myself do lots of stretching', she said.

It's not the first time Nigella has opened up about practising Iyengar yoga, which she described as 'a rather slow form of yoga'.

'As you get on in life, you value feeling well as opposed to looking well. Yoga certainly makes you feel great, and you want to carry on feeling great. I just do a bit in a very slow way - sometimes lying down', she said.

Nigella isn't the only star who credits yoga as a part of their routine for staying in shape. Amanda Holden also stays slim using yoga.

Eat your greens

It would be pretty impossible to be the creator of such delicious recipes and the author of so many cookery books filled with sugary treats and not have a taste for the sweet stuff.

But, Nigella insists that although she loves dessert and comfort food, she also loves her greens.

Among the 57-year-old's favourites are superfoods such as kale and avocado, 'I love kale and I'm an avocado obsessive', she says.

Kale is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, whilst the benefits of avocado include essential nutrients and healthy monounsaturated fatty acids that are important for a balanced diet. Have a go at incorporating these greens into your diet by having avocado as a snack or trying some kale recipes.

Don't follow diets or food trends

The very mention of the word diet can send some women into a cold sweat. The weird food pairings, the unachievable goals - is it just us or can being on a diet actually make you want to eat more?

For Nigella, mind set is everything and she admits, 'I have never been on a diet to try to lose weight'.

Not only that, but the chef also believes that 'no-one should be put on this earth to go on a diet'. Touching on the clean eating trend in particular, which essentially means cutting out processed foods, Nigella revealed she thinks the idea can have a negative impact on people's perceptions of food.

Speaking on Women's Hour, the mum-of-two said she's 'disgusted' by the notion of clean eating, because it implies that 'any other form of eating is dirty or shameful'.

Treat yourself

It sounds too good to be true, but when it comes to her food intake Nigella is all about having a balance, and we couldn't agree more.

Turns out she's like the rest of us and likes to indulge in a few treats from time to time, namely a chicken pie.

Speaking about her new book, At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking, the author said: ‘It is a celebration of home cooking. My books come out of my life.

'I love traditional food, and I'm never going to complain about having a pie! Roast chicken is my favourite food.'

'I think in this country we are very open to different tastes and cuisines, and looking at fresh ways to eat. And I think that is something to be celebrated.'

She had previously opened up about not focusing on one type of food group and making room for both healthier and more indulgent meals.

'I wouldn't want a life where I lived on chia seed pudding, just as I wouldn't want to live where I lived on eggs Benedict or steak and chips.'

She continued to say that food should be a pleasure, and without trying to be too extreme, it can be possible to enjoy different kinds of ingredients.

'I don't like extremes. I think that's the real truth. I think that food should not be used as a way of persecuting oneself and I think really one should look to get pleasure about what's good,' she concluded.