Comedian Lisa Lampanelli recently lost 80 pounds through gastric sleeve surgery, a procedure where the stomach is permanently reduced to about 25% of its former size. (I’ve read that it’s a newer surgery. You can learn more about it at this link.) I’ve seen her all over the place lately talking about her weight loss, and In Touch has a new interview with her that I wanted to share. She’s very candid about what she used to weigh before the surgery, what she used to eat, and what she eats now. It’s rare to see even a minor celebrity be so open about their weight loss and give definite numbers, especially when they aren’t getting paid for it. (And even when they are.) Remember when Star Jones lost all that weight and then tried to play it off like she was doing pilates and portion control? We’ve all seen Kirstie Alley fudge the numbers and try to claim that she was a size 4 with a 22 inch waist. So it’s refreshing to hear Lampanelli tell us what she went through with details that seem honest. She says she’s now a size 12 and she sounds perfectly happy with that. She even uses the “O” word, “obesity.”

Before, on 3-31-12

How long had you struggled with your weight?
Since I was 18. Crazy diets, good diets – you can’t name a diet I didn’t do.

Which one was the craziest?
In college I went to a place where you weighed in seven days a week and ate 500 calories a day. I got boils. My hair fell out. It was insane!

Meanwhile how were you packing on the pounds?
I had a compulsion for sweets, so I’d eat dessert at every meal. Even if I had a healthy breakfast, I’d then get a donut or something. My husband [security professional Jimmy Cannizzaro, who got the surgery two months after Lisa] and I would have omelets and home fries for breakfast, then something sweet. Same with lunch. Dinner would be pasta, meatballs, sausage – and of course, dessert.

Sounds like food was your biggest vice
I’ve never done a drug, and I don’t drink. Food is just what I turned to. Unfortunately, I had a meal card in college, and I knew how to use it.

Why did you decide to get gastric surgery?
Finally I said, “I’ve tried it all, and there’s no shame in taking the next step.” The doctor who ultimately did my procedure explained that obesity risks are much greater than the risks for this surgery.

What was the procedure like?
It was about an hour and 15 minutes and painless.

What was the first thing you ate afterward?
For two weeks I was living on broth, Popsicles, water and Gatorade. Honestly, one day I was giving my dog food – he eats really good dog food cause I’m rich – and I was like, “I’m so jealous of my dog right now!” When I was allowed mushy foods, the first thing I ate was mashed potatoes. I could only keep down one bite, but it was fantastic.

How have your eating habits changed now?
I still go out and order three or four courses, but now I have just a couple bites of each. I eat about three 4-ounce meals a day.

Have you shopped for new clothes?
I hate shopping! But now when I buy stuff online, I know what size I am – a 12, but I’ll probably be a 10 soon – and it actually fits!

What else has it affected – is your sex life better now?
Oh Jimmy hates when I talk about sex! I’d say we can at least get closer. We find the places that are supposed to be touching.

Are you working out?
I can’t do any core work for six months because I’m still healing. So my trainer has me hiking and walking. I hate working out, but if I don’t, I’m going to get flabby skin, so better safe than sorry.

Do you worry about losing fans who see you as the “funny fat girl?”
No. I wasn’t overweight growing up, so I always felt like there was a thin person inside of me. It sounds weird, but internally I didn’t feel fat.

I feel like now I look like I’m supposed to. I probably wouldn’t be more comfortable if I lost more weight either.

Biggest perk of being thinner?
No one recognizes me, so I can be a total bitch everywhere I go!

On Kirstie Alley
She’s up, she’s down. Give it up and just get the operation!

[From In Touch, print edition, October 1, 2012]

That last part about how she can be a total bitch since no one recognizes her made me laugh out loud! I act like that sometimes (when I’m tired or hungry, don’t judge!) but then I end up apologizing or trying to make up for it. As for what she was eating before, that was so unhealthy but I have to hand it to her – she’s telling us like it is. I agree that there’s no shame in getting the surgery, and it doesn’t sound “easy” or like a cop out to me. She was jealous of her dog for eating solid food for God’s sake!

Isn’t it crazy when people lose so much weight you can’t recognize them? That happened to me recently with a guy who works at the post office. It must be so strange for someone to go through that process and suddenly see a new person in the mirror. It’s a positive change, but it seems like such an adjustment too. I like Lampanelli, I’ll admit. Her comedy is so obnoxious, but that’s her job and she does it well.

On 3-22-12 (I do not know if this was before or after her surgery)

On 4-2-12

After, 5-20-12. She seems to have lost weight since, and this was so fast for her!

Photo credit: WENN.com and In Touch