Rosie O'Donnell and Other Extreme Diet Stars
April 19, 2014— -- intro: Rosie O'Donnell is down nearly 50 pounds.
The comedian and TV personality flaunted her major weight loss in a before-and-after photo of herself posted on Twitter this past Thursday.
"Almost 50 lbs off -- I can see it now," the 52-year-old "View" alum wrote.
O'Donnell recently revealed that she underwent weight-loss surgery a year after she had a heart attack.
Rosie O'Donnell Suffers a Heart Attack
"I did it to save myself," she reportedly told the audience during her keynote address at Detroit's annual Go Red For Women Luncheon, sponsored by the American Heart Association, in February.
O'Donnell reportedly told the crowd that she had undergone a Vertical Gastric Sleeve, a procedure that removes part of the stomach, in July 2013, one year after a near fatal heart attack. Before the procedure, she weighed 220 pounds, she told Detroit's Fox affiliate.
Rosie O'Donnell Defends Dylan Farrow on 'The View'
"I did what many woman do, and I did not take care of myself," O'Donnell told the station. "And that's why I'm here, to try to get women to know you're worth it, take care of yourself and know the symptoms."
O'Donnell is the latest in a line of a stars opting for weight-loss surgery. Click through to read about others.
quicklist:title: Carnie Wilsontext: In 2012, 12 years after documenting her 150-pound weight loss following gastric-bypass surgery, singer Carnie Wilson went under the knife again. This time, she told People magazine, she opted for lap-band surgery. "It was the right decision for me and I'm doing really well so far," the Wilson Phillips singer told the magazine in 2012. "It's all about taking good care of myself." Wilson said that by 2010, she was struggling to keep the weight off, after having two children. media: 23383787
quicklist:title: Star Jonestext: Beginning in 2003, Star Jones, another "View" alum, dropped 160 pounds in three years. While the world speculated about how she did it, Jones was evasive, until finally, in 2007, she admitted in a first-person essay in Glamour magazine to undergoing gastric bypass surgery. "The complete truth is, I was scared of what people might think of me. I was afraid to be vulnerable, and ashamed at not being able to get myself under control without this procedure," Jones wrote.media: 23383507
quicklist:title: Graham Elliottext: MasterChef judge Graham Elliot has been upfront about his struggles with weight and the sleeve gastrectomy he underwent last July after nearly hitting 400 pounds. He told People magazine that the hour-long procedure, where nearly 80 percent of a patient's stomach is removed to create a small sleeve-shaped stomach the size of a banana, allows him to still taste and try ingredients -- a necesity for a chef. By the end of last year, Elliot had completed his first ever 5K run and had posted a before and after photo on Twitter. "Now weighing in at 268lbs, down from 396lbs. Thanks everyone for the continued support!" he wrote. media: 23383636
quicklist: title: Al Rokertext: It took Al Roker months after he shed 100 pounds in 2002 to go public about his gastric bypass surgery. "In this country, if you have an alcohol problem or a drug problem, you can get treatment," the "Today" show weatherman told USA Today in 2002. "If you have a weight problem, it's lack of willpower." He said owning up to the operation "is embarrassing — the ultimate admission of failure. You don't want to talk." But since opening up, Roker has been forthright about the side effects, including an unfortunate bathroom incident at, of all places, the White House that he shared on "Dateline" in 2013.media: 23383735
quicklist:title: Randy Jacksontext: After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, "American Idol" judge and mentor Randy Jackson made the difficult decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery in 2003. "I was having serious issues with becoming a diabetic," Jackson told CBS' "The Early Show" in 2004 after losing over 100 pounds. "So thinking about how to do it, I tried all kinds of diets, everything under the sun. I was like: I really need to do something to nip this in the bud right now. It worked for me, but I hesitate to recommend it for people because it's like a personal life decision. It's a life choice because you change and alter your complete life when you do this." media: 23383569
