Michelle Visage reveals how she's lost 45lbs in a year (2024)

She's a gay icon who is loved for her sassy Ru Paul's Drag Race judging critiques.

And on Tuesday,Michelle Visage, 54, revealed that she's lost 45lbs in a year thanks to following a strict The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet and weightlifting, after struggling with perimenopause.

Speaking on her BBC Sounds podcast Rule Breakers, Michelle announced that she has shifted over three stone in weight, before taking to Instagram to celebrate her 'healthiversary,' and insisted:'I never wanted to be skinny, I wanted muscles!'

According to healthline.com: 'The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet is an elimination diet designed to help reduce inflammation or other symptoms caused by autoimmune disorders.'

Speaking on her podcast, Michelle admitted: 'Menopause was a big wake-up for me. It shook me. I new nothing. I went into it not knowing a thing. It was the worst thing I experienced in my life.

'It's by far the worst thing I've experienced. I'm not a weak person and I was like ''I'm gonna give up soon if I don't get help''.

'This past year when I got my breast plants taken out, I had to take them out. Perimenopause, breast plant illness, all at the same time.

'Weightlifting has changed my life over the past year: I lost 45 pounds, that's three stone, which left her guestCarol Vorderman, 62, gasping at the figure.

Carol asserted: 'But there's nothing of you!' to which the DragRace star responded: 'I'll show you pictures of before.'

Michelle continued: 'I'm so proud of my change. I did it with a commitment to heavy weight lifting - being a woman of a certain age that is really gonna fend off the doctors, because resistance training is key.

'People think it's cardio and running - no! It's getting into that gym. Do not care what people think about you. I do it with YouTube and I do it from home with weights as well,' before reminding people: 'It's all free online!'

Michelle then took to Instagram and posted a range of photographs to document her weight loss journey, showing the different in her size and shape in just one year.

The star - who has Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune disease in which the thyroid gland is gradually destroyed - also explained why she needed to make a change.

'1 year 'healthiversary' update. This is not to brag, gloat or trigger. This is just me sharing what many of you have been asking about.

'For those who know what I've been going thru being an advocate for my own health, hoping to live to a healthy centurion and attempting to reverse my Hashimoto's, this is for you.

Jan 10, 2022 out of nowhere my panic attacks started to come back after years of me keeping them at bay.

'Because of my autoimmune, my body gets puffy and I gain weight very easily when I eat poorly with high inflammation foods, and to be honest, that's what I love and crave but my endocrine system does not.

'The food that I had been consuming was now backfiring and my system was attacking itself. I needed a change and that change for me was switching to a very strict AIP regimen.

'I had to make a change and start including some movement at the same time or my life was going to be difficult day after day.

'I started with 5 mins of yoga watching @yoga_with_kassandra and her videos on YouTube with a small towel in a quarantine hotel room.

'I was so out of shape and I am technically not good at all at yoga but that didn't deter me. I was committed to healing.

'I then hired a virtual trainer who worked me out in any and every situation. @soniajonesfitness knew I could do it and she pushed me through every workout.

'I never wanted to be skinny, I WANT MUSCLES! Weights are so important to change your body, especially for us women of a certain age. It's a game changer!

'DO NOT BE AFRAID OF LIFTING HEAVY (ish) WEIGHTS! Embrace it, it's what's gonna bring change in your body composition!

'I'm now weight training 6 days a week and the days I don't have Sonia I train with @carolinegirvan on YouTube so I get it ALL IN!

'I'm very proud of my journey and for the record, I love myself bigger and smaller, but this has always been about health and blood labs. Explanting was the best decision leading into this and my journey is just beginning!

'I hope this inspires you in some way to show you that it's never too late to reclaim your health. It won't be fast but it'll be worth the journey. HERE'S TO HEALTH!

'Photos are where it began down to where I am currently.