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Liz Torres Weight Loss: How Did Miss Patty Lose So Much?

By Norma Ector · · Updated

Liz Torres in 2003
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Photo by John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

You might know Liz Torres as Miss Patty, the Stars Hollow dance teacher on "Gilmore Girls." Fans who watched the 2016 Netflix revival noticed she looked very different, and many want to know how she lost weight.

But…

The honest answer is that she has never shared a detailed plan. What we do know comes from her past interviews and from photos over the years.

Read on for what has been reported about the Liz Torres weight loss story, what is rumor, and what works for people who want to lose weight themselves.

Who is Liz Torres?

Born on September 27, 1947, Liz Torres is a Puerto Rican actress and singer whose career spans several decades. According to Life & Style, she began her career singing alongside Bette Midler.

She also played Mahalia Sanchez on "The John Larroquette Show."

Her best-known role is Miss Patty, the spirited dance teacher on "Gilmore Girls," where she was a series regular from 2000 to 2007. She later appeared on shows including "Ugly Betty," "Desperate Housewives," and "Scandal."

Recognizing the Problem and Starting a Solution

Torres has talked openly about how her weight affected her career.

Hollywood has often typecast heavier actors, and Torres has said it happened to her.

In a 1997 Los Angeles Times interview quoted by Life & Style, she said she was "always striving to lose weight." She also said that once she gained weight, she ended up playing a lot of maids.

According to Life & Style, she began losing weight around 2008, after her role on Gilmore Girls ended.

Earlier versions of this article said she weighed over 250 pounds and struggled with anxiety and depression. We found no source for those claims and have removed them. Research does link obesity with conditions like anxiety and depression in general, but that says nothing about her personally.

By 2010, she looked noticeably slimmer at the opening night of a stage production of "It Must Be Him."

In 2016, Netflix released Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Many viewers noticed her transformation, and Life & Style described her as looking stunning.

Some people speculated that she had gastric bypass surgery. Gastric bypass is a procedure that changes the stomach and small intestine to help with weight loss. Torres has never confirmed having any weight-loss surgery, so treat that as rumor.

Know The Secrets to Liz Torres Weight Loss

There's no confirmed secret. Torres has not publicly described a diet or exercise plan, and the specific routines attributed to her online do not come from her own words.

Exercise Doesn't Have to be Too Intense

If you're starting your own weight loss journey, exercise matters, and it doesn't have to be extreme.

Earlier versions of this article described her walking with a neighbor and using a stationary bike and treadmill. We found no source for those details and have removed them.

For general guidance, the CDC recommends that adults get about 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, such as brisk walking, plus muscle-strengthening work on at least 2 days.

Cutting Back on Food

Exercise alone rarely leads to large weight loss. Most people also need to eat fewer calories than they burn.

Claims online that Torres ate whole wheat toast with fake butter each morning, drank Cuban coffee, and ate only organic food do not trace back to her.

Many people do use a low-calorie diet, which involves limiting daily calories to manage weight. We could not confirm that Torres followed one.

Organic food can be part of a healthy diet, but it is not lower in calories than conventional food. For weight loss, the amount and type of food matter more than whether it is organic.

Determined to Keep Her Weight

Based on her public appearances from 2010 through the 2016 revival, Torres appears to have kept the weight off for years.

Keeping weight off is often harder than losing it. The CDC notes that people who lose weight gradually, about 1 to 2 pounds a week, are more likely to keep it off.

Setbacks are normal. The key is getting back on track quickly rather than giving up.

Liz Torres Weight Loss: An Inspiration Beyond Hollywood

Liz Torres has been honest for decades about how weight affected her career, and her visible change later in life inspired many fans.

We don't know exactly how she did it. There are rumors about surgery, but nothing has been confirmed, and the specific diets and routines attributed to her online are unverified.

FAQs

How did Liz Torres lose weight?

She has not publicly described a specific diet or workout plan. Reports say she began losing weight after Gilmore Girls ended, and she looked much slimmer at public events in 2010 and in the 2016 Netflix revival.

How many pounds did Liz Torres lose?

There is no confirmed number. Figures such as 50 or 100 pounds that circulate online do not come from her.

Did Liz Torres follow a specific diet to lose weight?

No specific diet has been confirmed. Claims that she followed a low-calorie or organic diet are not backed by anything she has said publicly.

Sources

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