Ricki Lake, 55, says she lost 35lbs thanks to her WILLPOWER as she adds she was once 260lbs: 'When I set my mind to something, I do it'

Ricki Lake is opening up about her 35lb weight loss which she did without the use of Ozempic or any other weight loss drug.

'I am not superhuman, but I am someone that when I set my mind to something, I for the most part do it,' she told People.

'I have a lot of willpower. I've been big, I've been skinny. I've been 260lbs; I've been 120lbs,' she added.

Lake adds that she feels different in her 50s as she's not focusing on 'a number on a scale,' adding that 'it's really about feeling as good as we can for as long as we can.'

And getting off the couch to get started on a weight loss and fitness journey doesn't have to include a gym membership or expensive home gym equipment.

Ricki Lake is opening up about her 35-pound weight loss which she did without the use of Ozempic or any other weight loss drug, pictured left in 2024 and right in 2019

'Get out and walk. Get out and be out in nature, rain or shine. I live in Malibu. I go out in these mountains,' the former talk show host advised.

The key, Lake believes, is to get her metabolism going. 

Women's metabolisms naturally slow down as they age and they can be prone to weight gain in their 50s and beyond as a result.

'I hike with my dog and my husband every morning,' Lake added.

'It's meditative for me and it gets your heart rate going, it gets your metabolism going and it's really been a game changer.'

After her doctor told her she wouldn't lose weight without a pill or shot, she saw it as a personal challenge and believes she had success for one big reason: she loves herself.

And that's the advice The Hairspray actress, 55, is giving to others on their own weight loss journey.

'Love yourself first above everything else,' she told People. 

'Like honestly, come to a place of real self love and self acceptance and I think good things come from that.'

After her doctor told her she wouldn't lose weight without a pill or shot, she saw it as a personal challenge and believes she had success for one big reason: she loves herself, pictured in 2001

And that's the advice The Hairspray actress, 55, is giving to others on their own weight loss journey

'Love yourself first above everything else,' she told People. 'Like honestly, come to a place of real self love and self acceptance and I think good things come from that,' pictured in 2007

Lake shared side-by-side photos of herself in the same black skirt 30 years apart

The former talk show host married Ross Bingham in 2022

'I am not superhuman, but I am someone that when I set my mind to something, I for the most part do it,' she continued; seen in April

Lake and Ross started dating in the Fall of 2020 after being introduced by a mutual friend. 

They went Instagram official in December 2020 when she shared a photo of the couple on Instagram and captioned it 'Love,' and got engaged in February 2021.

They married in a small ceremony surrounded by their closest family, friends and combined six kids on January 2, 2022. 

Ricki shares two children — sons Milo, 26, and Owen, 23 — with ex-husband Rob Sussman, while Burningham has four adult children from a previous relationship.