Mila Kunis plays a ballet dancer in the movie Black Swan.
Can't ditch that spare tire around your belly, no matter how hard you try? Try telling that to Mila Kunis.
The 27-year-old actress, who lost 20 pounds for her role as a ballet dancer in the movie Black Swan, says her weight loss has changed the way she thinks about dieting.
In an interview with British Glamour magazine, Ms. Kunis said she was so awestruck by the change in her physique, she no longer believes it when people say they can't slim down, according to AOL.co.uk.
"I don't think I ever fully realized what a human body is capable of doing," Ms. Kunis is quoted as saying. "… I'm a huge foodie, I love food. But when people say, 'I can't lose weight,' no, no, no, you can. Your body can do everything and anything, you just have to want to do it."
It's tough to determine whether her comments are inspiring, or slightly insulting. More than 24 per cent of Canadians are obese, according to data from 2007 to 2009. Surely a lack of desire to lose weight isn't an issue for many of us.
On the other hand, if Hollywood stars can do it, why can't we? Actor Christian Bale reportedly dropped from 173 pounds to a ghastly 110 pounds for his role in the 2004 film The Machinist. Matt Damon put on 30 pounds for the 2009 movie The Informant, then promptly lost it.
How much of their weight loss can be attributed to sheer willpower? How much can be attributed to other factors, such as having access to top-notch trainers and private chefs and the time to workout? And how much does one's ability to lose weight depend on genes?
At any rate, before you decide to adopt Ms. Kunis's diet and exercise regime, note that the actress herself didn't feel attractive after whittling herself down to 95 pounds for Black Swan.
"I would literally look at myself in the mirror and I was like, Oh my God!" she said, according to E! Online. "I had no shape, no boobs, no ass. … All you saw was bone. I was like, This looks gross."
Can anyone lose weight, if they want?
Wency Leung