Weight Loss & Weight Gain

The woman who claims Alaska Airlines gave her the boot because she was too fat has drastically slimmed down ... going under the knife to shed hundreds of pounds.

Ray Lin Howard tells TMZ … she weighed 420 pounds when she was removed from an Alaska flight back in September, and she's since lost 181 pounds following a surgical procedure and changes to her diet and exercise routine.

Ray Lin says she's down to 239 pounds and credits the gastric sleeve surgery performed by Dr. Samuel Kashani ... combined with healthier eating habits and daily walks.

Remember ... RLH claims she got kicked off her flight for being too fat for her sports bra, alleging harassment and discrimination and saying it was the worst case of "fatphobia" in her life.

But, she used the incident as a turning point, telling us she decided to make a change in her lifestyle following all the headlines.

TMZ broke the story ... Dr. Kashani reached out to Ray Lin after he saw her airline story, with the Bev Hills surgeon offering to perform the gastric sleeve surgery for free -- a sweet deal because it normally goes for $42,000.

Ray Lin says she's happy she went through with the procedure, and while she still loves her curves ... she does want to remove some excess skin after the weight loss.

One more big change for her -- she separated from her husband when she returned home from the surgery.

Lori Harvey is the latest celeb to get dragged through the mud for detailing her weight-loss journey -- which serves as just another lesson for the rich and famous ... don't say anything.

The model and influencer hopped on TikTok recently to outline a diet/exercise regimen she went on to lose a ton of weight -- upwards of 15 pounds, and perhaps more, she explains -- which she says she gained after first getting with Michael B. Jordan.

In wanting to share some knowledge ... LH spills the tea, but it completely backfired. She says she's been doing Pilates consistently for the past year or so -- but when she was in weight-loss mode, she was doing more than just that ... including lots of cardio.

Then, the true secret comes out -- Lori says she went on a calorie deficit, taking in just 1,200 or so during this period, she adds, and it's here where she's catching a ton of flak.

Many are criticizing her for promoting what they consider unhealthy crash dieting methods ... which folks argue is actually hurtful for normies who might follow Lori's lead, seeing how many followers/fans she has and how influential she is.

There's also some chiming in about society's fear of fat, claiming that Hollywood is obsessed with a warped and unrealistic body image that also does a lot of harm to society at large.

You'll recall ... Kim Kardashian was also blasted, of late, for announcing she dropped 16 pounds in a matter of two weeks just to fit into the Marilyn Monroe dress for the Met Gala.

While it's unclear how fast Lori lost his weight, she's receiving the same reception -- but funny enough, it appears just as many people are defending her ... arguing she simply answered a question her fans wanted to know, and that this diet worked for her specifically.

It looks like Lori predicted this, because she followed up on her video with a comment ... essentially saying this plan worked for her, and that she's not necessarily encouraging others to do the same ... as everyone's body and nutrition needs are vastly different.

Jessica Simpson had a 2-step diet plan -- lose the weight, and then show it off, and she has now done both in pretty spectacular form.

Jessica was leaving her office in L.A. Thursday and she had heads turning for several reasons. She looks pretty incredible and was wearing precisely what best shows off the results of a pretty intense regime.

The other thing that's striking ... JS is channeling Farrah Fawcett with her long, flowing locks. It's a look that propelled Farrah into legendary status, and it's not doing bad for Jessica.

Simpson's been showing off the results of dropping 100 lbs for the 3rd time. She posted pics recently of her Cabo vacay ... posing for the camera in a 2-piece. She was there with hubby Eric Johnson and their 3 kids, 9-year-old Maxwell, 8-year-old Ace and 3-year-old Birdie Mae.

Kylie Jenner has snapped back 3 months after giving birth to the little boy whose name still remains a mystery ... and she looks pretty spectacular.

Kylie, who's on vacay in Turks and Caicos with Travis Scott and their 2 kids, was out in a bikini, catching rays in the beautiful blue sea.

She recently said she dropped 40 lbs after putting on 60 during her second pregnancy ... crediting Pilates cardio workouts.

She and Travis had their second kid on February 2. They named him Wolf at birth, but decided the name didn't fit and 86'd it. They haven't said what name they've chosen in its place.

Travis is set to perform Saturday night in Miami at a Formula 1 Grand Prix event, easing back into taking the stage since the Astroworld tragedy last November.

This is a huge bummer.

UFC lightweight champ Charles Oliveira just missed weight by HALF A POUND at weigh-ins on Friday ... which means he's no longer the lightweight champ.

Oliviera is slated to fight Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 in Phoenix on Saturday ... a fight that many have been excited about for months.

Charles initially weighed in at 155.5 pounds earlier on Friday ... and in title fights, you HAVE to make weight.

Do Bronx was given one hour to shed the 1/2 pound ... but unfortunately, he was unable to make it happen.

Now, if Oliveira wins against The Highlight, the championship will be vacant ... but if Gaethje is able to come out on top, he'll get the belt.

Charles was confident he was going to make weight earlier in the day ... even tweeting, "weight ✔️ peso✔️ #UFC274."

Oliveira is 32-8 in his career ... and just won the belt after beating Michael Chandler in May 2021 at UFC 262. He has one title defense after choking out Dustin Poirier in the 3rd round in December.

Gaethje is the former interim champ, who came up short against Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2020.

Kim Kardashian busted her ass to lose 16 pounds for The Met Gala, and anyone accusing her of doing it in an unhealthy manner just doesn't get it ... so says her longtime trainer.

We got DON-A-MATRIX out in L.A. Wednesday who says Kim dropped some serious lbs the old-fashioned way ... hard work and dieting. Don was with Kim through the three-week process, and says at no point did she "starve" herself.

Not only that, Don says Kim was an animal in the gym -- working out 2 times a day -- and sticking to a well-balanced diet.

He says Kim's not his only client who lost a lot of weight in a short period of time ... other clients have lost even more -- the key is exercise and healthy eating.

TMZ broke the story, when Kim first tried on Marilyn Monroe's "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress back in March, it didn't fit, and The Ripley's Museum actually rejected her request to borrow the dress for the Met Gala.

Determined, Kim dropped the weight, and came back a few weeks later -- and the dress fit, and Ripley's was down with the Met.

Believe it or not, Kim Kardashian was first told she couldn't wear Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress to the Met Gala ... but the museum holding the piece had a change of heart after Kim put in the work.

A spokesperson for Ripley's tells TMZ ... Kim's team reached out a few months ago after doing some research about the dress.

They met in March for a fitting but it didn't go well -- both Kim and the Ripley reps weren't happy with how it fit her, and the museum denied its use. Remember, the dress is 60 years old so the fabric and seams needed to be handled gently.

Determined to make it work, we're told Kim came back to Ripleys a month later, after shedding some weight -- a reported 16 pounds -- and it was a better fit.

As for the Met Gala carpet, Kim wore the actual dress to walk and take photos, but then changed into a replica for the actual event inside -- and returned the OG to Ripley's.

You might think Ripley's would've requested a rental fee ... but we're told instead, Kim's making 2 donations to orgs in the Orlando area on the museum's behalf.

Kim Kardashian rocked Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress at the Met Gala ... but, the struggle was real, when it came to actually getting into the iconic garment.

Kim and her boo, Pete Davidson, hit up Ripley's in Orlando 10 days before the NYC shindig ... and it was a whole process getting it to properly fit.

Check it out ... it takes several minutes and all hands on deck to help her get MM's "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress over her butt.

It's funny ... at first, Pete chats with her from the sidelines, before jumping in to help ... imploring her to relax and breathe.

The basic problem -- the dress wouldn't zip over her butt, and she couldn't alter it. So, the solution ... a white, vintage fur coat that draped over the zipper which was only partially fastened.

Here's the thing ... Kim wore the real MM dress on the red carpet, but then scurried away into a room to change into a replica dress that fit a lot better, and that's what she wore during the event.

BTW ... the real dress apparently was never cleaned after Marilyn wore it ... hence some dirt marks at the very bottom of the dress.

Ripley's gifted Kim a jar of Marilyn's hair, and in the video she says she's gonna sleep with it every night, adding, "Sorry Pete!" Pete laughed out loud ... clearly not threatened!

Kylie Jenner has been something of an open book about her post-pregnancy the second time around, revealing her mental struggles and now her weight.

Kylie says she gained 60 lbs during her recent pregnancy and is not going crazy to lose the weight. She says she's taking her time and has already dropped 40 lbs.

As for how she's doing it ... walking and pilates seem to be doing the trick.

Kylie posted, "Gained 60lbs again this pregnancy." She's essentially saying that's what she gained the first time around with Stormi, but in 2018 she had posted she gained 40 lbs, so the "again" comment is a bit confusing.

Kylie has said she struggled hard with postpartum since the February birth, both mentally and physically ... "I just want to say to my postpartum moms that postpartum has not been easy. It's not been easy, it's very hard, This experience for me, personally, has been a little harder than with my daughter."

She went on ... "It's not easy mentally, physically, spiritually ... it's just crazy. I didn't want to just get back to life without saying that because I think we can look on the Internet and for other moms going through it right now, we can go on the Internet and it might look a lot easier for other people and, like, the pressure on us, but it hasn't been easy for me."

She's now back on the treadmill and seems at least on the surface to be in a better headspace, but she's making it clear ... it's been tough.

Questlove is fresh off his first Oscar for his "Summer Of Soul" documentary, and it sounds like he wants to hand Action Bronson some hardware too ... for his latest album.

As new music releases flooded social media and DSPs Friday, The Roots' drummer, Oscar winner and, let's not forget, all-around hip hop genius ... found his favorite in Action's "Cocodrillo Turbo," and gave it a glowing endorsement on Twitter.

The 10-song project is a fluid offering, finding the colorful New York-bred MC rummaging through his traditional rap bag over production from Griselda's Daringer ... with features from Conway The Machine, Roc Marciano and Meyhem Lauren.

While Quest digs the record, some Twitter mob critics think it lacks hooks, and it's "filled with random phrases that have no meaning and Italian food references over weird jazz beats."

Can't please 'em all, right?

But, AB's loyal fans point out he's been improving his life aura ... chopping down his once familiar 400-pound frame by 160 pounds and even altering his eating habits on his popular show, "F**k, That's Delicious."

As for that album title -- it's Latin for crocodile -- the proud Sagittarian says it's inspired by his time in the water, and he delved into his reptilian side via a freaky short film to tell another story.

Alex Volkanovski wants into the UFC's champ-champ club after his latest dominating performance ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to go up a weight class and fight the winner of Justin Gaethje vs. Charles Oliveira.

We talked to 33-year-old Volkanovski -- who was nearly flawless against the "Korean Zombie" Saturday night at UFC 273 -- and asked him, in a perfect world, what and/or who he wanted next, and without hesitation, Volk dropped this news.

"Lightweight title. Lightweight title. The timing works well cause I want to be active this year. [Gaethje and Oliveira are] fighting in a month. Winner of that title fight fights in August or something like that. That's perfect. That sounds like a great idea to me."

FYI, Alex -- who previously played rugby, weighing up to 214 lbs. -- hasn't lost a fight since May 2013 ... and it was at WELTERWEIGHT. In fact, the 5'6" star has even fought at middleweight (185 lbs.)

Point being, 155 lbs. doesn't seem crazy for the man who's held the featherweight crown since December 2019.

Volkanovski's reign at featherweight (145 lbs.) has been nothing short of dominant. Alex beat Max Holloway twice (who many believe is the featherweight G.O.A.T.), Brian Ortega, Chad Mendes, and Jose Aldo, to name just a few.

As for #1 contender, Justin Gaethje, and lightweight champ, Charles Oliveira ... they're fighting at UFC 274 on May 7.

Gaethje is coming off a win against Michael Chandler at UFC 268. Oliveira successfully defended his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269.

Champ-champ status is clearly something that's important to Alex ... who's been the 145 lb. champ since

"It's a goal that I'm looking for, that double champ status," Volkanovski says.

"Again, I haven't really been pushing for it. I know I've mentioned it, but I've always mentioned it as in the near future. It's only now that I'm mentioning it as in 'I think it's deserving.'"

Will Dana White give Alex a fight at 155?? And, can he join the exclusive club made up of only Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Henry Cejudo??

Jessica Simpson is lovin' the way she looks ... posting another bikini picture from her vacation in Cabo after she dropped 100 pounds for the 3rd time!

The "Open Book" author posted a mirror pic from what seems to be her hotel room in Cabo San Lucas Monday ... rocking a cheetah print 2-piece for the camera.

She's been living it up with her family in Mexico for spring break, posting photos with her husband Eric Johnson, and their children -- 9-year-old Maxwell, 8-year-old Ace, and 3-year-old Birdie Mae.

As you recall, Jessica revealed her drastic weight loss to her fans Friday ... posting another swimsuit pic and saying she has gained and lost 100 pounds three different times.

It sounds like this one is different because she adds, "I never thought this moment could or would happen" ... Jessica chalked it up to hard work, determination and self-love.

Jessica Simpson says her weight is seriously fluctuating, and she just lost 100 pounds ... for the third time!!!

The "Open Book" author was an open book about her weight loss journey, posting a bikini selfie of her and explaining how she lost the weight. She has said she works out 3 days a week, and as for her diet ... 3 meals a day that included fiber, protein and a healthy fat source. Sounds pretty simple, and it clearly worked.

Jessica is chalking it up to hard work, determination and self-love... and she says she's ready for spring break now that she's comfortable again wearing a bikini.

It's pretty crazy ... Jessica says she has gained and lost 100 pounds three different times, but it sounds like this one is different because she adds ... "I never thought this moment could or would happen."

Mama June's ex, Geno Doak, seems to be turning his life around, and taking a lot of weight off his shoulders, literally ... cause he's lost around 70 pounds!!!

Geno tells TMZ ... when he and June split up last August he was around 285 lbs. Fast forward 6 months, and he's down to a much slimmer 215 lbs., and he's crediting his time in rehab for the healthy turnaround.

Geno says the treatment facility he's in has helped him stay on track with getting fit. He tells us the folks there prepare his meals, which also keeps him on a better eating schedule.

As far as eating out and snacking at night, Geno says that's a thing of the past. He says he now eats a lot healthier, cutting out foods like pasta and bread. Instead, he's eating a lot more tuna and chicken.

He's also trying to work out more, but says eating better was the biggest reason for his amazing results.

As we first told you ... Geno checked into rehab last September, after he tried to take his own life by chasing 90 blood pressure pills with lots of booze. After the incident, Mama June actually recommended a rehab center in South Carolina.

Quinton Aaron, best known for his role in "The Blind Side," has dropped a whopping 100 pounds!!!

Quinton tells TMZ ... he gained quite a bit of weight during the pandemic, binge eating at home and developing a hankering for chocolate ... something he didn't have before the virus hit.

He says he would start his morning by eating 2 jumbo-sized KitKat packs and 2 Reese's packs. If he went out to eat, he would end his meal with a chocolate dessert. He also ate a lot of bread ... sometimes 2 large sandwiches in one sitting.

Quinton tells us ... he wanted to make a change because he has a lot of professional goals with his production company and music.

"I used the new year as a way to get a new me," he says ... and that work paid off! He went from 559 pounds to 462 lbs.

He cut candy bars and bread from his diet. He's eating Cobb salads for lunch and sticking to a keto diet ... along with fasting. He's also been walking and doing stretching exercises.

Now, he says he wants to drop another 64 lbs by May 10 to honor his late mom on her birthday -- which was his weight during "The Blind Side" movie.

His overall goal is to get between 300-325 pounds.

Autopsy results are in for Lance Waldroup, the late reality TV star from Discovery's "Moonshiners", and they show his heart gave out ... TMZ has learned.

Lance's official cause of death is listed as congestive heart failure ... according to the autopsy report TMZ obtained. It also shows cardiomyopathy -- which makes it harder for the heart to pump blood -- and morbid obesity (he was 580 lbs.) as contributing factors.

In the docs, the medical examiner notes the famous bootlegger had a history of high blood pressure, suicidal thoughts and was a recovering opioid addict.

Last February, the 30-year-old "Moonshiners" star went outside to smoke, went back inside his home, played video games and was later found unconscious on the bed, by his mom Lynn.

A couple of Suboxone pills -- prescription meds used to treat opioid addiction -- were found in the room, along with crushed white powder. Narcotics are not listed as contributing factors in his death, but the M.E. did find evidence of drug abuse in his body.