Amanda Bynes gives rare update on her weight loss journey, reveals she walked 6.60 miles in a single day
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Amanda Bynes recently shared a positive update on her health journey, posting a screenshot from her step counter app on Instagram on November 5.
The 38-year-old former actress revealed that she walked 14,895 steps, covering 6.60 miles in a single day and burning 481 calories, surpassing her fitness goal and celebrating her progress by noting, “Down 6lbs! 154lbs now."
Amanda Bynes' process of overcoming mental health challenges and depression
Earlier this year, Amanda Bynes opened up on the challenges she faced with her mental health, revealing that her battle with depression had led to weight gain.
In a March Instagram Story, she shared, “I’ve gained over 20 lbs in the past few months from being depressed.”
She also explained how she’s worked to manage her health, saying, “I’m doing a lot better now and have learned to do opposite action when I don’t feel like working out or eating clean.”
Bynes, who weighed 162 pounds at the time, expressed a goal to return to her pre-depression weight. “I want to get back to 110 lbs.,” she noted.
Amanda Bynes reflects on body image struggles and past addiction
Amanda Bynes has previously been open about the body image struggles she experienced at the height of her career, a period that eventually contributed to her decision to step away from acting.
In a 2018 interview with Paper magazine, she recalled that her role in 'She’s the Man' had a profound impact on her self-esteem.
Bynes portrayed a girl pretending to be her twin brother, a transformation that included short hair and sideburns.
“When the movie came out and I saw it, I went into a deep depression for 4-6 months because I didn’t like how I looked when I was a boy,” she admitted.
The experience, she described, was “a super strange and out-of-body experience” that left her struggling emotionally.
To cope, Bynes turned to drugs, including ecstasy and cocaine, and developed an addiction to Adderall while trying to lose weight.
This struggle continued with subsequent roles in 'Hall Pass' and 'Easy A' in 2010, eventually leading her to retire from acting in 2012.
Amanda Bynes' legal troubles and a turning point
Following her decision to leave Hollywood, Amanda Bynes’ struggles escalated into several legal issues, including arrests for drug possession, DUI, and reckless driving.
Her mental health challenges reached a peak in 2013 when she was hospitalized for an involuntary psychiatric stay, according to People.
Bynes’s parents extended her stay to nearly six months, explaining to the court that she was “obsessed with the idea that she and others are ‘ugly,’” and frequently discussed cosmetic surgeries that concerned them.
They feared the procedures were potentially “dangerous and detrimental to her health.”
Since her release from the psychiatric hospital, Bynes has embraced a quieter life, working on her sobriety and gradually reemerging into the public eye.