How did Missy Elliott lose so much Weight?

Set of weighing scales to help people lose weight and stay in shape

We are used to seeing stick thin celebrities, raving about this weeks hot new diet, but for Missy Elliott her weight loss wasn’t down to some new fad.

Having reportedly lost 70 pounds, the 43-year-old American rapper displayed a dramatically thinner figure as she performed at Alexander Wang’s H&M Collection launch in New York City.

Missy shared the news that she had been suffering from the thyroid condition, Graves’ Disease, for a number of years. The thyroid gland produces hormones which regulate the body’s metabolism and can affect mood, weight and energy. If an excess of the thyroid hormone is produced it causes a condition known as hyperthyroidism which causes symptoms such as dizzy spells, lumps in the throat, mood swings, hair loss, a fast heart rate, bulging eyes, double vision, muscle weakness and a loss of some motor skills. Missy said, “I couldn’t write because my nervous system was so bad – I couldn’t even use a pen”.

Although there is no cure for the disease and the symptoms are uncomfortable, if it is caught early and treated with suitable medication any long term health effects can be avoided. It is more common in women and usually occurs after the age of 20. Fortunately for Missy, her condition has improved after she underwent radiation therapy. And after having spent more time at the gym, Missy reveals, “I’m 30 pounds lighter because I’ve been exercising. My thyroid is functioning, so I haven’t had to take medication in about nine months. [But] you live with it for the rest of your life”.

It will be six years since the rapper has offered us a new album but Missy claims her long-promised seventh album, reportedly called ‘Block Party’, is truly on its way. Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Missy released a string of offbeat smash hits and landmark music videos including “The Rain” in 1997 to 2001′s “Get Ur Freak On” and 2002′s “Work It”.

She has now been off of her medication for a year and is going from strength to strength.

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