Maria was a Greek-American soprano. She was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century.
Throughout her music career, Callas received a lot of accolades and honors. Maria’s repertoire includes opera seria, bel canto, bellini, and Rossini.
Callas was a great soprano and there’s no doubt about that, however, throughout her life, she had to face a problem. In the old days, the world wasn’t so progressive, so if you were a little different than others, you might’ve been criticized for that. Even though there was nothing you could do about that.
Maria had to face the same situation. Maria was a little overweight as compared to other singers. So, when she joined the world of music, she was criticized brutally for this difference. However, this criticism didn’t help Callas at all.
If anything, it made her more nervous about her weight. As a result of which, Callas started overeating and gained even more weight.
Well, there did come a change and Callas succeeded in shedding extra pounds. How did she do that? We are going to discuss that in detail here.
Find out how Jerod Mixon lost 300 pounds in less than a year.
Maria Callas’ Weight Loss Journey
In her interview with Edward Downes, Maria said about her weight, “Heavy, one can say. Yes, I was; but I’m also a tall woman, 5 ft 8 inches (1.74 m), and I used to weigh no more than 200 pounds (91 kilograms).” But the problem didn’t stop there Callas gained even more weight.
As mentioned earlier, Callas was criticized for her weight too often. During the recording of Lucia in Florance, Serafin commented on Callas’ appearance saying that she was overweight. Maria denied it and said that she wasn’t. In reply to this, Serafin said, “Why not put the matter to test?”
Maria stepped on a weighing machine and after seeing the results, she became silent. However, in 1953, while recording Cherubini’s Medea, Callas admitted that she was overweight to play the role. “I was getting so heavy that even my vocalizing was getting heavy. I was tiring myself, I was perspiring too much, and I was really working too hard. And I wasn’t really well, as in health. I couldn’t move freely,” Maria later said.
She added, “And then I was tired of playing a game, for instance playing this beautiful young woman, and I was heavy and uncomfortable to move around. I’ve studied all my life to put things right musically, so why don’t I diet and put myself into a certain condition where I’m presentable.”
How did Maria Lose Weight?
After admitting her shortcomings, Callas committed to changing her physique for the good and embarked on her weight loss journey. Although there are many opinions on how did Maria lose weight, she didn’t share much information about her weight loss journey.
Some people suggested that Callas lost weight by swallowing tapeworms. While Rome’s Panatella Mill claimed that Maria lost weight by eating their “Psychological Pasta”, in response to that, Callas filed a suit against the company.
When Callas was asked how she lost weight, Maria said that she lost weight by eating a low-calorie diet, which consisted of salads and chicken. Along with that, Callas also engaged in working out activities such as swimming and cycling.
By eating healthy food and working out, Maria succeeded in losing more than 80 pounds. Her weight loss had such a big impact on Maria’s appearance that she was called “possibly the most beautiful woman on the stage” by Roscigno.
Maria successfully kept this slim figure until her death in 1977. She died of a heart attack. There’s no doubt that Callas will always be remembered in the world of music for her “magical voice”.
Before & After Weight Loss
Before Maria started losing weight, she weighed more than 200 pounds. However, after shedding 80 pounds, she weighed nearly 130 pounds. This significant weight loss had a profound impact on Maria’s life. It didn’t just make her look different; it also made her feel healthier and opened up new opportunities for her.
Final Words
Fat shaming someone is very wrong but the line between fat shaming and advising someone is very thin. Although Callas was criticized for her weight a lot, shedding some pounds proved to be in her favor.
It is a good thing that fat shaming is considered bad in our society today but we shouldn’t lose track of our health.
