Did Adele Undergo Weight Loss Surgery? Or Just Plastic Surgery?

Weight Loss & Diets | Written by Nathan Petitpas | Updated on 12 July 2023

On the right is overweight Adele holding trophies and on the right is Adele after her weight loss journey which shows she is much thinner around the waist.

When it comes to 34-year-old English singer and songwriter Adele, weight loss surgery and plastic surgery rumors have been swirling since she underwent an incredible physical transformation in what seemed a very short time; so did Adele lose weight naturally or have bariatric surgery?

We’ll dive into how much weight she lost, what the media has reported, and what Adele herself has claimed. We will also show before and after photos of this major change and assess her diet and workout routine to see if it’s even possible that she could have lost all of this weight without surgical intervention.

Before & After Photos of Adele’s Weight Loss Journey

To begin, let’s take a look at some photos of Adele prior to her impressive weight loss and then some more recent pictures of her when she’s drastically and undeniably slimmer.

The first photo shows Adele back in 2013 with a curvier physique and pronounced cheeks, as well as wider hips that reflect her size at the time.

Adele posing at the 85th Academy Awards Show in Hollywood in February 2013

The next photo is from the same night at the 85th Annual Academy Awards Show as she accepted an Oscar for “Best Original Song” given for her hit “Skyfall.”

Here too, you can see her glowing but with significantly more weight held in her face than in the following, more recent photos.

Accepting her Oscar award for “Skyfall”, Adele is seen beaming in red lipstick and a glittery black dress

Next, we have Adele posing for the paparazzi at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards held in L.A. in 2017. Though her dress is flattering, we can still see a significant difference between her stature and physique here versus her recently debuted, much thinner body.

As you can see, her face continues to hold more puffiness as her higher weight is distributed all over, including in her hips that are visible below the dress’s cinched waistline.

Adele smiles for the photographers at the 2017 GRAMMYs in Los Angeles

Now for the real shocker–Adele showing up and showing out with her newer, leaner look at the 2022 BRIT Awards in London where she was one of the brightest stars of the night taking home the trifecta of Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Artist of the Year.

With her waist, face, and whole body looking noticeably more slender and toned and her collarbones prominent, Adele was breath-taking and dazzling both physically and musically.

Taking the #1 spot for three major categories, Adele wows everyone in her classy black dress and plunging V-neckline

How Much Weight Did Adele Lose and How Long Did It Take?

Regarding Adele, weight loss surgery or not, her weight loss transformation has been nothing short of astounding–but how much weight did Adele lose?

The world famous “Hello from the Other Side” artist truly said hello from the other side–of an incredible 100 pounds (over 7 stone) of excess fat loss in just 2 years (2019-2021).

She noted that when getting ready to tour for her “25” album back at the end of 2015, she began losing some extra pounds through preparation, even if inadvertently.

Though she never seemed to hit her heaviest weight again, the number on the scale may have fluctuated some between then and 2020. In 2021, she revealed her new figure and has seemed to maintain that much lower weight since.

So all in all with her ups and downs, it would appear this weight loss journey lasted for about 5-6 years or so ranging from the end of 2015 to 2021, with over 100 pounds lost just in the final 2 year window of 2019 to 2021, then switching to maintenance.

What Instigated Adele’s Impressive Weight Transformation?

Adele’s physical transformation was no small feat, and one that prompts fans to question if something or someone prompted such a huge change.

Adele has always been very body positive and has asserted that her weight and looks have nothing to do with her career, but also acknowledged being hurt and offended by many other women’s condescending and judgmental comments on her body and weight throughout her musical career.

After her divorce from Simon Konecki and a massive struggle with anxiety that hit its peak in early to mid-2020, Adele took time during the pandemic lockdown to focus on her physical and mental health simultaneously by working out 2-3 times per day which was therapeutic for her and became almost an obsession as she felt its positive effects.

She also mentioned wanting to get healthier and to be here for a long time to come for her son Angelo (now 10 years old) to see him grow up, fall in love, and be loved in return.

Adele’s Workout Routine–How Strength Training & Cardio Helped Shed Excess Pounds

Though Adele doesn’t seem to follow any strict regimen or specific workout routine, she has talked about falling in love with moving her body more, staying active, and ensuring she gets in a couple of exercises or workout sessions each day.

Some of her favorite go to cardio activities are hiking and boxing, but Adele has incorporated strength training as well to get more toned muscles and simultaneously burn more calories.

Though maintaining a calorie deficit without exercise is certainly possible and can lead to weight loss, regular vigorous physical exercise including both cardio and weight lifting combined with a caloric deficit will vastly expedite fat burning.

Regarding Adele–weight loss surgery or natural weight loss debate aside–nobody can argue that she hasn’t put in the work to gain and maintain her toned physique.

Adele’s Eating Habits–Is She Following a Particular Diet?

Though there was speculation that Adele may be following a strict Sirtfood diet or high caloric deficit, she debunked these musings in an interview with Oprah and stated that she actually is not following any set diet, meal plan, or fasting.

In contrast, she noted that she’s actually probably eating more now than at her highest weight because she needs so much more energy from constantly working out.

Adele’s eating habits are much more laissez faire than one may imagine or assume given her amazing and fairly quick transformation, but she raved about her love of McDonald’s and noted she still enjoyed their chicken nuggets regularly. Losing so much weight happened through drastically increasing her calorie burning rather than restricting calorie intake or cutting back on any certain food groups.

Did Adele Lose Weight Naturally or Have Bariatric Surgery? Adele: Weight Loss Surgery or Plastic Surgery?

Adele holding her GRAMMY awards in 2009 at the 51st annual awards show; here, we can see a distinct difference in the weight she holds in her face compared to a more recent post-weight loss photo below.

Though there has been endless speculation and google searching about “Adele: weight loss surgery or plastic surgery” since her weight loss transformation reveal, it remains both unproven and unconfirmed whether Adele had any type of bariatric or aesthetic surgery to change her body figure.

For Adele, weight loss surgery does seem viable given her seeming lack of loose skin or hardly any remaining body fat, but on the other hand 2 years is a quite reasonable and doable amount of time to lose 100 pounds so it could go either way.

Without confirmation from Adele herself, any claims or speculations are just that–speculative. Anyone’s guess could be right but is it truly important whether she lost all of the weight naturally or had some help from a gastric sleeve or something of the sort?

No matter what, she’s shown hard work, effort and dedication to her physical workouts to get in shape and maintain her healthier, toned body. For that, Adele should be extremely proud as such a massive change is no minor success.

She has only publicly mentioned natural weight loss, not any type of weight loss or plastic surgeries but there are theories and gossip that she may have at least had some contouring work done on her nose and jawline to remove excess skin after her weight loss.

Of course her transformation seemed drastic to many and is very inspirational, but it seemed more shocking because she did not document her entire weight loss journey on social media.

Instead, she took time leading up to and during the pandemic to focus on her mental and physical health and most of us saw only the before and after photos–making it seem very abrupt and drastic even though she lost the weight over years.

Even Adele herself said she didn’t want to have a branded diet sponsorship or be a weight loss role model, as she felt this was a private journey and nothing that needed to be more public.

Adele makes a stunning appearance at the BRIT Awards in London, United Kingdom in 2022 with a slim and glowing face. She’s been awarded an impressive 12 BRIT awards to date.

How Mental Health Played a Role in Adele’s Physical Transformation

Though we touched on Adele’s anxiety getting the best of her at the start of the pandemic, she goes more in depth to say that she was addicted to her phone and was chronically online–another victim of Covid lockdown doom scrolling.

She initially began her intensive workouts several times per day without the purpose or goal of weight loss at all, but to try to decrease her anxiety, cut time on her phone, and increase her mental health and well being.

Adele asserted her reasons why the scale doesn’t matter anywhere near as much as being here for Angelo and being healthy and fit to keep up with him and watch him grow up, as she and ex-husband Simon are still on very friendly terms, live across the street from one another, and now share custody of their son.

Though some fans felt disappointed in her drastic change and showed disdain for her no longer being a plus-sized, body positive role model, Adele has no patience for that.

Instead, she reassures fans she’s always been 100% body positive at any size and that this is about her and only her, stating she’s doing this for her own emotional, mental, and physical health and claiming she was never changing her habits due to shame about her looks or size.

Adele Weight Loss Surgery Speculations Are False So Give Her a Break

Without any confirmation from Adele, weight loss surgery cannot be given credit for her spectacular evolution and certainly neither can plastic surgery. After all, even if she had minor skin removal or tightening surgery after her hard work and success with natural weight loss solutions, does it negate her efforts in any way?

Of course not; rather, let’s celebrate her ability to recognize when she needed to address her mental health and for taking those steps.

Adele has made a world-renowned name for herself and has built her career from the ground up on pure talent and she continues to be wildly successful; any focus on or speculation about her body is simply a side show which she herself doesn’t entertain rumors about.

Since Adele made a comment in her interview with Oprah about her body being scrutinized and mocked her entire life, constant rumors and hypotheses on her more slender look were certainly nothing new.

Perhaps we should all simply be grateful and proud of her as she’s improved her mental and emotional health and has become more fit and healthy along the way.

Adele’s impressive weight transformation is certainly that–incredibly impressive. I think we can all take a moment to admire the tenacity of Adele, weight loss surgery or not.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Adele Have a Personal Trainer?

Yes, Adele actually works with several but her primary personal trainer for the past 3 years is a man by the name of Gregg Miele based in Los Angeles. In fact, Adele joked that she probably spent more time with Gregg than anyone else throughout the entire pandemic during their training sessions 2-3 times daily.

What Are the Types of Cosmetic Surgeries Adele Has Had?

The internet has been abuzz since Adele revealed her amazing weight loss transformation about how she did it, what type of diets she followed, and what types of cosmetic surgeries Adele has had.

Though there’s been unending theorizing from media and the public alike, you might be surprised to learn that Adele has never confirmed nor denied any type of bariatric or cosmetic surgeries. She certainly has been working hard in consistent strength training and cardio workouts so let’s all take her word for it and simply be glad for her progress and improved mental health.

What Are the Safest Forms of Bariatric Surgery?

A gastric sleeve or a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass operation are widely considered the safest options for weight loss surgery due to their minimally invasive nature, fewest complications, and highest success rates.

About the Author

Nathan Petitpas

Nathan has been a fitness enthusiast for the past 12 years and jumps between several types of training such as bodybuilding, powerlifting, cycling, gymnastics, and backcountry hiking. Due to the varying caloric needs of numerous sports, he has cycled between all types of diets and currently eats a whole food diet. In addition, Nathan lives with several injuries such as hip impingement, spondylolisthesis, and scoliosis, so he underwent self-rehabilitation and no longer lives with debilitating pain.