Gabourey Sidibe is embracing her new transformation.
The 33-year-old actress underwent weight loss surgery last year and is now opening up about her experience, along with the struggles she faced with depression, anxiety and bulimia in her new memoir, This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare," due to be released in May.
I just didnt want to worry, explained the Empire star to PEOPLE Magazine on choosing to get laproscopic bariatric surgery after her older brother, 34-year-old Ahmen, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I truly didnt want to worry about all the effects that go along with diabetes. I genuinely [would] worry all the time about losing my toes.
'EMPIRE' STAR REVEALED SHE AUDITIONED FOR ROLE IN 'PRECIOUS'
The celebrity news publication reported that Sidibe, best known for her role in the 2009 film Precious, tried for more than a decade to lose weight naturally before going secretly under the knife in May 2016.
My surgeon said theyd cut my stomach in half, she explained in her upcoming book. This would limit my hunger and capacity to eat. My brain chemistry would change and Id want to eat healthier. Ill take it! My lifelong relationship with food had to change. The surgery wasnt the easy way out. I wasnt cheating by getting it done. I wouldnt have been able to lose as much as Ive lost without it.
Sidibes weight-loss journey didnt end after the surgery. Since the procedure, she began working with a nutritionist to help her revamp her eating habits and started working out with a trainer. In addition, she swims and rides a tricycle around the Empire set.
Ten months after the procedure, Sidibe continues to lose weight.
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I have a goal right now, and Im almost there, she said. And then once Ive got it, Ill set another. But my starting weight and my goal weight, theyre personal. If too many people are involved, Ill shut down.
Sidibe also revealed that despite the dramatic change, she has come to appreciate her appearance, no matter her size.
There is nothing ugly about me, she added. Anyone trying to convince me that I am and its usually me is wasting their time. I was in a war with my body for a long time. If Id started treating it better sooner, I wouldnt have spent so many years hating myself. But I love my body now.
More:
Gabourey Sidibe gets candid about undergoing weight-loss surgery - Fox News
