In 2017, Kelly Ripa, co-host of ‘Live with Kelly and Mark,’ decided to eliminate alcohol from her diet. Reflecting on her journey nearly eight years later, she revealed her initial expectations of weight loss were unmet.
Despite assumptions from others that she would become too skinny, Ripa instead gained 12 pounds.
She attributed this unexpected weight gain to increased sugar consumption, pointing out that alcohol contains more sugar than people typically realize.
During an episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan in January 2020, Ripa shared that her decision to quit alcohol started with a sober month challenge with friends.
The positive effects she experienced, such as feeling and looking better, motivated her to continue.
Even though she wasn’t a heavy drinker, she noted that even a couple of glasses of wine would affect her the next day. Unlike her struggle to quit smoking in the early ’90s, giving up alcohol was an easy choice for Ripa.
She found that she felt better and had no desire to return to drinking, leading her to make the change permanent.