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Although she no longer owns a scale, Cheryl Burke says she’s lost about 30 to 35 lbs. in recent months
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The DWTS alum said she achieved her weight loss through intermittent fasting and regular exercise
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She shut down critics of her new appearance and stressed that she’s not sick, hasn’t gotten plastic surgery and doesn’t take Ozempic
Cheryl Burke is setting the record straight when it comes to her recent weight loss.
The Dancing with the Stars alum, 41, opened up to PEOPLE about finally being confident in how she feels and how her new appearance is simply the result of that.
She says that living a healthy lifestyle was always a priority for her, but things changed once she entered her 40s.
“I’ve noticed not only my skin changing into mature skin, but also just my metabolism has changed quite a lot,” she tells PEOPLE. “I’ve noticed my feet cramping randomly if I’m not moving often. Obviously, I’m not as active as I was when I was on the show, but it’s just been a whole change for me.”
As someone who struggled with body image in the past, the professional dancer — who left DWTS in 2022 after 26 seasons — knew she couldn’t approach her health the same way she did when she was younger. Back then she was “obsessive” over the number on the scale.
“As a dancer, we were stuck in front of mirrors constantly, it was important to stay at a certain weight, and my dance coaches were really strict,” she explains. “It has always been something that kind of weighed on me.”
Eric McCandless/ABC/Getty;Phillip Faraone/Getty
Cheryl Burke during and after Dancing with the Stars
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“It would really affect my mood on a daily basis if I didn’t feel like I was skinny enough,” she continues. “Just being consistently chastised about my weight, it wasn’t fun. I even used to travel with a scale. That’s how obsessive I was. So it’s just not healthy.”
So, Burke decided to shift her focus moving forward.
“For me, it’s all about starting from within first instead of the aesthetic of what I look like from the outside,” she says. “My goal wasn’t to lose a certain amount of weight.”
What made the biggest difference in her journey was intermittent fasting, and sticking to clean foods through her fresh food delivery service. She recalls overcoming her “weakness” of skipping breakfast and eating really late at night.
Additionally, Burke often takes 2-mile walks with her dog and walks on the treadmill at home while she’s working on her laptop. She also uses the Fitbit app, taking the different workout and mindfulness classes offered.
“I just like to continue to move my body and be active,” she adds.
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Between her improved diet and regular exercise, she says, “I have so much more energy than I ever have.” And although she hasn’t kept a scale in her house in several years, Burke notes that as a result of her efforts, she’s probably lost between 30 to 35 lbs. in recent months.
Despite feeling better than ever, Burke says she has been hurt by relentless online criticism. Her social media comments have been filled with messages accusing her of taking Ozempic for weight loss, losing too much weight, ditching her brand of promoting body positivity and more.
“What’s hurtful, I think, with seeing all these comments is that it’s mainly women attacking women. It’s such a shame,” she tells PEOPLE. “Just because I’ve lost weight aesthetically doesn’t mean I don’t still represent body positivity. People, for some reason, think that, oh, now that she’s lost weight, what type of example is she setting?”
“These are all assumptions that people have thrown at me, as far as Ozempic, my face,” she continues. “I’ve always had criticism, but what’s shocking is that this is worse than when I gained weight. These are really mean and cruel messages.”
So, Burke is shutting down the rumors and criticism once and for all.
“I just want people to know that I’m not sick and I have never gone under the knife for anything. I didn’t get a brow lift, I didn’t get a face transplant. This is my body and this is how I feel best in it today,” she explains.
“Now is it going to stay like this? I fluctuate constantly. But for me, it’s about putting my own mental health first. Really working on myself, being able to just love myself honestly and then grow a relationship with whatever I saw in the mirror.”
“I could easily just mute my comments and all of it, but it doesn’t affect me to the point where I have to do that,” she adds. “I honestly have no interest in really clapping back more than I already have.”
Read the original article on People
