How Sasha Pieterse Learned to Manage Her PCOS and Love Her Body Again
Originally appeared on E! Online
It's no pretty little lie: A lot of work goes into making sure intimate scenes don't feel awkward AF. Just ask Sasha Pieterse.
Tasked with getting up close and very personal with costar Parker Young as his girlfriend Anna and her twin sister Zoe in their mystery thriller The Image of You, "We literally had so many mints," the actress recounted in an exclusive interview with E! News. "I don't know how many gum packets we went through during this process."
The Pretty Little Liars alum also relied on a costumer who was very understanding when the mom to 3-year-old Hendrix went in "and was like, 'Okay well, I have stretch marks, I have a couple things you just cannot show.'"
But perhaps the most crucial secret weapon for the South Africa-bred star was a confidence she wasn't sure she'd ever rediscover when her undiagnosed polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) made her gain 70 pounds seemingly "for no reason" when she was 17.
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Psyching herself up to shoot those bedroom scenes, "It was just like, 'Okay, I've gotten my spray tan, I'm comfortable with what I've got on and I'm just going to drink a lot of coffee and own it,'" she recalled. "You really have to remind yourself, 'I'm not playing myself. This is somebody else. And this is something fun, so I'm just gonna go for it.'"
What a difference a decade and a seemingly endless slate of doctors' appointments makes.
"I went to 17 gynecologists," Pieterse recounted of the work she did to unearth exactly what was happening with her metabolism. "I finally went to an endocrinologist who took me seriously and was the one that told me about PCOS. I'd never heard about it before."
But she's sure done her research since. In an effort to ensure others aren't kept in the dark, the 28-year-old launched her Women in the Nude podcast last year to tackle the sorts of seemingly taboo topics that affect women. Her goal was to create a sense of community with others and show them "that no matter who you are, where you are, women are going through all of these difficult things."
Because after she discovered what was going on with her body, "I realized how many women I knew personally that had it," she said of PCOS, "and either didn't know or never talked about it."
The main issue is that PCOS "can look different on every woman," she continued of the hormonal disorder. "That means some people are not showing on the outside, like weight gain or cystic acne. Some people are having terrible gastro issues. Some people have cysts on their ovaries. Some people are struggling with infertility. It's such an interesting disease because it doesn't have a lot of clear markers. And I think that's part of the problem. And that's why so many women are not taken seriously about what they're feeling."
For Pieterse, this looked like trying to figure out why "doing all the right things, or at least the ones that I thought were right," like committing to tons of cardio and healthy greens, did nothing to address the sudden weight gain. "In fact, it was getting worse. I would do cardio and I would almost faint every time. I would go and throw up almost immediately after I ate something healthy."
And when she tried to address this with a doctor, "They kind of laugh at you, and they don't take you seriously," she continued. "And so I really felt like I was going crazy."
Which is why she advocates for anyone in a similar position to ask for the blood test that uncovered the mystery of her PCOS.
"When I got my diagnosis, my doctor was like, okay, so you need to look at this differently," she said, explaining how she traded in cardio-heavy sessions for low-impact workouts and a restrictive, low-fat diet for the high-protein, low-carb fare that's helped kickstart her metabolism and regulate her hormones.
And while she stressed that the solutions for PCOS are as unique as the individuals themselves, her toolkit has included diet, exercise, a medication that helps keep her periods regular and, surprisingly, the 2020 arrival of her and husband Hudson Sheaffer's son Hendrix.
"It was a shock for me," she acknowledged, while noting that having a baby isn't exactly a you-should-try-this-at-home cure-all. "That happens to a really small percentage of women with PCOS. But because of all the hormones that go through your body when you're pregnant, when your body tries to get back on its normal schedule, sometimes it gets on track."
Though, of course, that postpartum stretch comes with its own set of challenges.
"It's a totally different body that you're walking in," Pieterse stressed. "I really hate the term 'snapback', because that is just impossible. You won't. And I think that society placing that need on you is just so unfair. Your body is different. So many things have happened that make you not be able to go back."
Even simply growing older means that "certain diets don't work anymore, exercises don't work anymore," she continued. "You have to adjust certain things for each new phase of your life. It's about being okay to pivot and understand that your body is operating differently than it used to."
And while "learning to love your body is a huge part" of the process, she noted, it's definitely an easier said than done situation.
When you're staring at an entirely new postpartum figure "it's okay, in the beginning, especially, to not be happy about it," she stressed. Oftentimes there's pressure to both return to your pre-baby shape and to love this body that "gave you this great gift," continued Pieterse. "And it's like, yeah it did, but also, I hate what I look like right now. And that should also be okay. We can get to that point, but it's not going to happen overnight."
It's not as if she's been penning love letters to the stretch marks on her stomach that pregnancy gifted her. "Immediately, I was not fond of that," said Pieterse, who's also launching her cannabis-infused social tonic Hippie Water in June. "Learning to love those new things about your body is difficult. And I don't think we should ever put it on women that it's easy, or that we should just be grateful, or this is just a part of life."
Regardless of her feelings about her midsection, when she read The Image of You's script with its didn't-see-that-coming twist, Pieterse was ready to disrobe, both figuratively and literally.
"It did feel nice," she said of tackling both an R-rated flick and the challenge of playing two different characters. At the same time, she continued, "it was also slightly terrifying to go, 'Okay, well, everything is out there and I have to pretend that I'm super happy about it."
But thank goodness for a skilled intimacy coordinator and piles of breath-freshening mints. "At the end of the day, it's all about playing a character and I have to just jump into it," Pieterse explained. "And I think actually, in lots of ways, it helped me in that process. It's like, okay, I was hired to be this type of role and I can be confident in my body."
And she's not the only star to bare all about her body. See what other stars have said about the journey to love their shape.
Kelly Clarkson
Yep, the talk show host is standing a little taller these days. Informed by doctors she was pre-diabetic, "I dropped weight because I've been listening to my doctor—a couple years I didn't," the singer explained to People. "And 90 percent of the time I'm really good at it because a protein diet is good for me anyway."
She is a Texas girlie after all, "so I like meat—sorry, vegetarians in the world!"
The mom to River and Remington is also enjoying exploring her new life in NYC. “Walking in the city is quite the workout,” she added. “And I’m really into infrared saunas right now. And I just got a cold plunge because everybody wore me down.”
Oprah Winfrey
You get some health advice! And you get some health advice! Because now that the media legend is feeling better than ever, she's dishing out her best tips. "It's not one thing," she stressed to Entertainment Tonight of her treadmill workouts, hikes, water consumption and nutritious eats, "it's everything."
While Winfrey hasn't named the weight loss medication she's using, she told People in December, "The fact that there's a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for," she explained of adding that particular tool to her arsenal. "I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself."
Tarek El Moussa
Living proof that you can, in fact, flip your life, the HGTV personality detailed his two-year fitness journey in a July 2023 Instagram post.
"Sometimes you think you’re doing the right thing but what you actually need is redirection in order to see growth," he wrote. While his previous regimen included the occasional hot yoga class with wife Heather Rae El Moussa, the reality star noted that he wasn't following a particular routine, tracking his protein intake or receiving any sort of guidance.
Enter: nutritionist Sean Torbati. Now, "I’m eating the right food & Hot yoga 1-2 times a week which is so good for my mental & physical state," the dad of three explained. "It all comes down to motivation and perseverance."
For him, "Once I realized how BADLY I wanted to feel good and be healthy—for myself, my wife, my kids, and my longevity—was the second I put my head down and got to work!!"
Whoopi Goldberg
The View cohost revealed she used Mounjaro—a type 2 diabetes medication—to slim down after gaining weight in 2021.
"I weighed almost 300 pounds when I made Till," she said on the March 19 episode of the daytime talk show. "I had taken all those steroids, I was on all this stuff, and one of the things that's helped me drop the weight is Mounjaro. That's what I use."
Whitney Way Thore
The reality star knows she's fabulous with or without your compliments thank you very much. Responding to speculation that she had undergone a dramatic body transformation, the My Big Fat Fabulous Life star responded in a February Instagram post, "I hate addressing this, but no, I have not had medical intervention to lose weight."
And while she noted she had dropped 100 pounds from her previously 385-pound frame, including 50 after mom Barbara "Babs" Thore's December 2022 death, "I weigh 285 pounds and I have been this weight for almost a year now."
Bottom line, she continued, "Thank you for the compliments, but I really don't like obsessing over my body and I don't like it when others do it either."
Valerie Bertinelli
Well aware that she's hot in Cleveland, L.A. or wherever else she happens to be, the actress gave her refreshing take on body image with a February Instagram post.
"This is a 150lb body on a 5'4 frame," the Food Network host wrote, sharing a 2014 bikini photo. "I don't weigh myself anymore because this is considered overweight by who's [sic] standards, I don't know. It's stupid and I believed them for far too long."
Fully removed from the pressures of dieting, "I now, finally, know that I am a kind, considerate, funny, thoughtful woman," she continued. "So please remember, who you are and what your character is, should never be overshadowed by what size you are or how much you weigh. You are enough. Just the way you are."
As for anyone that might not agree, she summed up, "F--k ‘em."
Post Malone
Man, the musician feels just like a rockstar since dropping 55 pounds. "I've had a lot of people ask me about my weight loss and i'd suppose, performance on stage," he acknowledged in an April 2023 Instagram post. "i'm having a lot of fun performing, and have never felt healthier."
His inspiration, he continued, was the daughter he welcomed in 2022: "i guess dad life kicked in and i decided to kick soda, and start eating better so i can be around for a long time for this little angel. next up is smokes and brews, but i like to consider myself a patient man."
Kelly Osbourne
Why, yes, she did feel the pressure to snap back after welcoming son Sidney in November 2022. "It became my mission," she told E! News of dropping 85 pounds in that initial postpartum period. "I was obsessed with it because I didn't even want to get brought into the conversation, I just wanted to be left alone."
Not that she's recommending her strict AF approach. "It was a lot of work," she said. "It was miserable. I was hungry all the time, but I'm really happy with the results."
John Goodman
The Roseanne alum has hit a lot of highs and lows throughout his health journey. "In the old days, I would take three months out, lose 60 or 70 pounds, and then reward myself with a six-pack or whatever and just go back to my old habits," he explained in 2017. "This time I wanted to do it slowly. Move, exercise. I'm getting to the age where I can't afford to sit still anymore."
His sensible approach—lots of walking and a Mediterranean diet heavy on fish, vegetables and nuts—has helped him maintain a 200-pound weight loss. "It's a life of rehab," he admitted to Men's Health. "But it's a labor of love."
Drew Carey
After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and losing both his dad and brother to heart attacks, The Price Is Right host decided to take a spin at healthier eating.
“No carbs,” he told Entertainment Tonight of his winning formula that also included a lot of daily cardio. “I have cheated a couple times, but basically no carbs, not even a cracker. No bread at all. No pizza, nothing. No corn, no beans, no starches of any kind. Egg whites in the morning or like, Greek yogurt, cut some fruit.”
And to wash it all down, “I don’t drink anything but water,” he said. “No coffee, no tea, no soda.”
Tammy Slaton
A huge loss has led to some pretty big gains for the 1000-lb Sisters star. Since shedding a remarkable 440 pounds, she's celebrated a series of milestones, documented on her TLC show: Flying for the first time, being able to buckle her seatbelt on a plane and ride in the front seat of a car, inside a hot air balloon and on rides at Disney World.
"Some people take small things for granted," Slaton explained in a February TikTok. "Like being able to buckle a seatbelt and not have to use an extender. It's big for me. Because I hadn't been able to do that stuff in years."
Now, continued the reality star, "I'm more or less like giving myself a pat on the back for achieving something and doing it. Getting the weight off and living. That's what I'm doing. I can finally say I'm living life."
Brittany Cartwright
Raise your glasses high to this healthy take from the Vanderpump Rules alum. While the Jenny Craig brand ambassador is hoping to see some results now that she's recommitted to the meal plan, "I'm also just trying to maintain and be the best version of myself for my son," she explained to E! News in February. Because while she "would definitely love to lose some weight," it's more important to model healthy habits for her and Jax Taylor's son Cruz.
"I just think it's important to show him a healthy routine," said the future star of The Valley. "Working out is so important to me and for my mental health. I just think that being involved in a good healthy journey is super important for me."
Megan Thee Stallion
All that work on her body-ody-ody-ody-ody has paid off for the musician who has dedicated herself to going hard on strength training.
"I'm really proud of my journey," the star told People in 2023. "Fitness has become a part of my lifestyle. I've been disciplined and committed to working out on a regular basis and investing in my health."
And with all the work she's been putting in, she continued, “I might have to drop a Hottie Bootcamp sometime soon." A little sample: A heart-pounding mix of deadlifts, jump-roping, forward lunges and mountain climbers. "This s--t burn like a motherf--ker," she said in one video. "But I know you see them thighs popping."
Shay Mitchell
When the world shut down in March 2020, mere months after the Pretty Little Liars alum gave birth to her first daughter Atlas, "I felt the least motivated I ever have," she shared with E! News. "Everything had kind of come to a halt and so truly I just thought, well, eff it."
Workout plans were tossed out the window along with her long-held "everything in moderation" way of eating. Having slid from the first few months of postpartum into the free-for-all that was 2020 "eating 100 percent s---ty food" had taken a toll and she missed feeling good about her body.
Approached with the idea of signing on for Openfit's 4 Weeks of Focus with trainer Kelsey Heenan, she was pumped but skeptical.
After four straight weeks kicking off her mornings with lemon-infused warm water and a 30-minute sweat session ("It included HIIT, it included cardio, it included strength training," she said of the varied full-body routines) and recommitting to healthy meal choices ("If I want pizza, I'll have pizza and dump some spinach on it") she was a convert. "I was like, 'Hoooooly...' you know," she admitted. "I've been active my entire life. I have never lifted a 40-pound weight, lifted a 50-pound."
Lexi Reed
Though the fitness influencer does a fair amount of sweating, it's never about the small stuff. The social media star—also known as Fat Girl Fed Up online—revealed in a December Instagram that she didn't quite hit her goal of getting under 200 pounds. But she still felt like celebrating.
"I have to keep reminding myself progress is progress, no matter how small," she noted. "I just know I worked really hard this week. But it's OK, because I didn't gain all that weight overnight, I'm not gonna lose it overnight either. So keep going, no matter what."
Because she knows all of her health goals are within reach. "I will get to wonderland," she said. "Whether it's next week or next year, we're gonna get there, eventually. Keep going, believe in yourself, progress not perfection."
Jonathan Van Ness
Wanting to get stronger so they could tumble into a more intense gymnastics routine, the Queer Eye star truly stuck the landing when it came to their health journey.
"I got a nutritionist back in April. I've lost 35 lbs," they shared in an August 2022 TikTok, showing off their body transformation. "Here's the thing, I wanted to change my body size because of my gymnastics and my career."
However, they cautioned, don't assume you're going to nail that metaphorical aerial on your first try. "It took three weeks before I saw any change," the Love That Story author admitted. "So, if you're wanting to make a change, literally three weeks of working out and eating differently before I saw any change."
Dylan Sprouse
Before turning 30 in 2022, the Disney Channel alum made the choice to dive into a new training regimen.
"Used to wear a shirt in the pool as a kid so I decided in my late twenties I wanted to change my body and become a meat head," the actor, wed to model Barbara Palvin, captioned an Instagram post that April. "This is my meat head post."
Between hitting the weights and the kettlebells, it was "a long slog," he continued, "but I'm proud of the progress I've made and I ain't done yet."
Rebel Wilson
Sometimes you're hitting every high note, sometimes you're admitting life isn't always pitch perfect. Such was the case when the actress revealed in a candid January 2024 Instagram post that she'd regained 30 pounds after hitting her 75-kilogram goal weight in 2020.
With filming committments making it harder to keep up with her grueling boxing and hiking workouts, "I’ve lost focus on my healthy lifestyle," said Wilson, who's spoken about the work she'd put in to ditch her emotional eating habits and trade a carb-heavy diet for more protein.
The extra stress leading to extra pounds, "It makes me feel bad about myself," Wilson admitted, "it shouldn’t…but it does."
Chris Pratt
Saying buh-bye to his favorite beers? Fine. Committing to “three to four hours a day of just consistent, ass-kicking hard work," as he described his P90X, kickboxing and running sessions to Men's Journal? Sure.
But for Pratt, the toughest part of his 60-pound transformation from Parks and Recreation's Andy Dwyer to Guardians of the Galaxy superhero was all the water—drinking an ounce a day for every pound he weighed.
“I was peeing all day long, every day," he explained. "That part was a nightmare,”
Paul Rudd
Though he was already "kind of a Baldwin" as Cher Horowitz would note, the Clueless alum understood why fans were shocked to hear he would be crawling into Ant-Man's suit as the the Marvel's latest hero.
“When people heard that I was cast in this movie, I think most people’s reactions were ‘Huh? Paul Rudd as a superhero? Really?'” Rudd admitted to Variety in 2015.
So he knew what he had to do. The ageless star "took the Chris Pratt approach to training for an action movie," he shared. "Eliminate anything fun for a year and then you can play a hero.”
Jessie James Decker
The Just Eat author has turned to her tried-and-true South Beach diet to feel more herself after the births of her older children. "I saw results instantly," she told E! News of the protein-heavy plan. "I got on the program and I worked out and it was just like, okay."
But first she soaks up every second of the postpartum period. "I always tell mothers, like, that should be the last thing on your mind," stressed Decker, mom to Vivianne, Eric Jr., Forrest and February 2024 arrival Denver. "After you have a baby, please do not think about trying to lose weight. Just feed your baby. Love on your baby. You have a newborn. Your body is trying to heal. You will know when your body is ready. Don't listen to your brain telling you, 'Lose weight, lose weight.' You'll know when you physically feel like, 'Okay, I feel like I'm ready to kind of have that energy and can run around.'"
Nolan Gould
Sure, the six-pack has been a nice benefit of the Modern Family alum's 90-minute training sessions and healthier diet ("What I get is actually really healthy food for you: Lean protein, eating as many vegetables as you want and staying away from things like soda," he described to People).
But completing an ambitious bucket list is really what drives him. "A lot of my life goals outside of acting have to do with the outdoors—I know I want to climb big rock walls in Yosemite, and so, I want to get fit for that," he explained. "One of my big life goals is to do the Pacific Crest Trail, which is up the coast of America, Mexico to Canada and back."
Ashley Greene
Following the September 2022 birth of daughter Kingsley, the Twilight alum sunk her teeth into a hard truth: "I don't think my body will ever be quite 'the same,'" she shared in a January 2023 Instagram post, "and I'm learning to be ok with that."
And should she find herself struggling, she's picked up a strategy every bit as important as the workout routine she recommitted herself to postpartum.
"I go and pick up my child," she told E! News of her "sweet angel" daughter. Staring into Kingsley's eyes "allows you to be grateful versus kind of nitpicking yourself," she explained of her strategy. "And so that is one of my hacks that I do because no matter what you put out there, it's hard not to be self-critical."
