Kathy Batesis shedding pounds and shedding old habits. At 76, Bates recently revealed she's lost 100 pounds and mentioned toPeopleon Thursday, May 8, that she's since been reworking her wardrobe to match her newfound confidence. When it comes to fitness, Bates keeps things simple with walking, which she considers her go-to exercise. "It's great for me," she said, adding that she also has a treadmill at home. Though she's been advised to incorporate weight training, Bates joked about her struggle with using the equipment, mentioning her "stretchy thing" that she still hasn't quite figured out. Bates has opened up in the past about how her weight loss, which occurred gradually over the years, has drastically improved her quality of life. Reflecting on her time filmingHarry's Lawwiththe outlet in March, Bates admitted that she had to sit between every take due to her size, something she now regrets. "I had to sit down in between every take, and it was awful. I'm ashamed to have put myself through that, to be honest," she said. "But now that I've been able to get really healthy, I can move, I can breathe, I can have fun." Her journey to health was sparked by her 2017type 2 diabetes diagnosis, which pushed her to take her health seriously. "[Diabetes] runs in my family, and I'd seen what my father had gone through. He had had a leg amputation. One of my sisters is dealing with it very seriously, and it terrified me. It scared me straight," Bates explained. Weight loss isn't the only achievement on Bates' impressive resume. TheAmerican Horror Storyalum recently revealed that she'll bedirecting an episodeofMatlock, adding to her already growing list of directorial projects. "I'm very excited," Bates shared during a panel at Deadline'sContenders TV. In addition to her upcoming work onMatlock, Bates has previously directed episodes ofSix Feet Underfor HBO, as well asEverwood,Oz,Fargo, and more.
