Anne Hathaway’s weight loss journey: anti-inflammatory diet, intense exercise key to actress’ transformation for Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises

Anne Hathaway’s weight has fluctuated throughout her career. The Devil Wears Prada and The Princess Diaries actress shed the pounds in a number of ways
She did an intense exercise regimen to prepare for the role of Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises – and lost 25 pounds by dieting and detox for Les Misérables

Wellness

Audrey Chan

Published: 6:15pm, 8 Mar 2024

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Anne Hathaway is no stranger to extreme physical transformations. In 2012, The Princess Diaries actress famously lost weight to play Fantine in Les Misérables and Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises.

But, just as the A-lister’s weight has fluctuated throughout her career, so have her methods for controlling it. Here is how Hathaway shed the pounds to get into character over the years and maintains her figure.

Gym workouts

In a 2011 interview with fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar, the actress said it took an intense exercise regimen, stunt training, plus an hour and a half of dance five days a week to prepare for the role of Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. “I’ve always thought that skinny was the goal, but with this job, I also have to be strong,” she said.

Hathaway as Catwoman in a still from The Dark Knight Rises. Photo: Warner Bros

The actress maintained her fitness routine after becoming a mother, although it was not as rigorous as in her Catwoman training days. Within eight weeks of giving birth to her son Jonathan in 2016, Hathaway had managed to hit the gym three times.

“Yeah, I work out with five-pound [2.3kg] weights, but I pushed a baby out of my body,” she said on talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “I feel good right now.”

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Anti-inflammatory, high-protein diet

Hathaway’s personal nutrition coach Jackie Keller once told US fitness magazine Shape that the actress followed an almost vegan, anti-inflammatory diet to get ready for her Catwoman scenes.

To control her blood sugar, Hathaway ate avocados, almonds, sesame seeds, plain chocolate, bright red and orange vegetables high in antioxidants such as yams, dark leafy greens, plus ginger and turmeric.

Keller also introduced seitan and tempeh to the actress’ meal plan to give her the high protein levels she needed to build muscle during her workout sessions.

To control her blood sugar, Hathaway ate avocados, almonds, sesame seeds, plain chocolate, bright red and orange vegetables high in antioxidants like yams, dark leafy greens, plus ginger and turmeric. Photo: Shutterstock

According to Shape, Hathaway enjoyed meals like miso soup, tempeh club avocado sandwiches on gluten-free bread, Tuscan brown rice salad, egg white frittatas, and vegetarian egg rolls while preparing for the movie.

Keller added that vegetables generally covered half of Hathaway’s plate while she was filming as Catwoman, whereas the protein and carbohydrates made up the other half. She also encouraged Hathaway to stay hydrated.

The outlet reports that, during production, the actress was eating six or seven meals, plus a soup or salad, daily.

Hathaway continually fuelled her body by eating every two to three hours, getting her to around 1,500 to 1,800 calories a day. And, if she ever got peckish, she would snack on all-natural, reduced-fat peanut butter rolled with dried fruit on wholegrain lavash, a thin flatbread.

Hathaway on the set of The Devil Wears Prada. Photo: Getty Images

Extreme dieting

Despite Hathaway’s generally slim frame, she lost 25 pounds for her role as the tuberculosis-stricken Fantine in Les Misérables, according to Business Insider.

In a process the actress described as “obsessive” and “a little nuts”, she first lost 10 pounds with a detoxifying cleanse.

“I’m on day six of detox …” Hathaway told Allure magazine. “This diet makes me break out, so I love that. Nothing like living on hummus and radishes, and then be all, ‘And I got a pimple!’”

Hathaway in a still from Les Misérables. Photo: Universal Pictures

Afterwards, the actress lost an additional 15 pounds by spending two weeks eating nothing but two thin pieces of oatmeal paste a day. “The idea was to look near death,” said Hathaway.

She admitted that the diet was a break from reality, but one she felt necessary to fully embody her character.

When filming wrapped, Hathaway was in a state of physical and emotional deprivation. “I couldn’t react to the chaos of the world without being overwhelmed. It took me weeks till I felt like myself again,” she said, confirming that she would not be returning to the oatmeal paste diet.

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A healthy diet outside work

One particular recommendation Hathaway made in 2017 stands out: Dr Habib Sadeghi’s “clarity cleanse”. This cleanse, detailed in Sadeghi’s book of the same name, focuses on detoxifying both the body and mind.

It involves a combination of dietary changes and emotional processing to “reduce congestion in the liver, gallbladder, lungs, kidneys, and pancreas – the organs most affected by feelings such as resentment and anger”.

Hathaway’s fitness journey in Hollywood has not been without its challenges: she has faced her fair share of comments for gaining weight.

“If my body is different than what you’re used to or what you think it should be, that’s yours,” Hathaway said during a 2018 talk show appearance. “And my experience is mine, and I’m loving it.”

The actress took to Instagram in 2016 to declare that: “[T]here is no shame in gaining weight during pregnancy (or ever). There is no disgrace if it takes longer than you think it will to lose the weight (if you want to lose it at all) … Bodies change. Bodies grow. Bodies shrink. It’s all love (don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.)”

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