Kathy Bates candidly opened up about her weight-loss journey. The Oscar-winning actress shed 100 pounds (approximately 45 kilograms) over the past six or seven years to regain her stamina. She reportedly struggled with health issues; however, Kathy has since recuperated, starring in CBS’s Matlock reboot.

“It’s helped me tremendously that, over the last six or seven years, I’ve lost 100 pounds,” Kathy told Variety on Wednesday (September 11). “I don’t think I’ve been this slim since I was in college.”

Between 2011 and 2012, when Kathy played Harriet “Harry” Korn in NBC’s Harry’s Law, the actress recounted being at her heaviest.

She told Variety: “I had to sit down every moment that I could. It was hard for me to walk.

“I’m ashamed I let myself get so out of shape, but now I have a tremendous amount of energy.”

Kathy Bates candidly opened up about her weight-loss journey

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Losing just a few pounds makes a big difference, WebMD reported last year. 5% of your body weight – 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) for a 200 (approximately 91 kilograms)-pound person – can improve all kinds of health problems and make you feel better, too.

Just 10 extra pounds adds 40 pounds (approximately 18 kilograms) of pressure on your knees and other lower body joints, which can wear them out quicker, as per WebMD.

Extra fat can also cause inflammation – when chemicals in your body damage your own tissues over time, including your joints.

The Oscar-winning actress shed 100 pounds (approximately 45 kilograms) 

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Losing even a little weight can ease these effects, according to WebMD. If you keep it off, you’re much less likely to get arthritis later in life.

Kathy also touched on her new lead role for CBS’ reimagining of Matlock, on which she also works as an executive producer.

In the legal drama, which premieres on September 22, the American Horror Story star plays Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a 70-something lawyer who joins an esteemed New York law firm.

She lost weight over the past six or seven years to regain her stamina

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Facing ageism from her colleagues, she uses it to her advantage while harboring hidden motives of her own, as per Variety.

The 76-year-old actress revealed: “There’s a lot of my mother in Matty — or, let’s say, there’s a lot of what I imagine my mother could have been if she had had the opportunity to realize her dreams and become a lawyer.

“I think about that frustration of having that kind of dream and having that dream subverted by the time in which she lived.”

Prior to Matlock, Kathy nearly retired from showbiz after feeling emotionally drained from a difficult movie shoot where she felt her dedication had been overlooked.

Kathy stars in the upcoming in CBS’s Matlock reboot

Nevertheless, the Hollywood star postponed her retirement after being drawn to the script for the Matlock reboot.

“Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it,” Kathy told the New York Times on September 8. “And it’s exhausting.”

She went on to reveal that Matlock will be her final appearance, stating: “This is my last dance.”

“I hope she feels better,” a reader commented