RHONJ’s Lauren Manzo Shuts Down Critics Who Say She Lost Too Much Weight

Lauren Manzo isn’t a fan of people commenting on her body following her 100-pound weight loss journey.

On Friday, May 3, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 36, took to Instagram to share clips of her before and after losing weight. While Manzo seems content with her progress, several people took to the comment section, criticizing her for the way her body looks.

“I wish you would also promote the important [sic] of dieting and exercising on top of the body sculpting! Sculpting doesn’t prevent heart disease! Healthy dieting and exercise does!” one user wrote with Manzo replying that she does “talk constantly about functional medicine” with her doctor and also made “major lifestyle changes” on top of body sculpting.

Another user claimed that it doesn’t seem like Manzo even “looks[s] like [herself] anymore,” and Manzo once again defended herself, writing, “I was 100 lbs heavier and very unhealthy. So I hope not.”

Following the body-shaming, the Bravo personality posted a TikTok talking about the harmful comments she received — and how the criticism has affected her.

“People making mean comments says more about them than it does about me,” she shared before addressing the people who say she’s “too skinny.” “You’re right, I do think I am too skinny right now. I’ve been doing certain things to gain weight but also maintain. I’ve yo-yoed still. I definitely still do not have a healthy relationship with my weight, and I’m willing to admit that.”

@laurenmanzo

Replying to @sharonholmes926 #fyp #bully another long rant

♬ original sound – Lauren Scalia

Manzo went on to share that just because she is a “public figure” doesn’t make it OK to comment hateful things on her posts.

“When I was 100 lbs heavier, the same people that are commenting stuff like, ‘She looks like a skeleton. She looks terrible,’ are the same people that were commenting that I looked like a fat whale when I was 200 lbs,” she explained in the clip, adding that she “can’t win.”

“Truthfully, I am happy … I don’t really know why anybody thinks that they have the right to comment something terrible on my stuff or anybody else’s,” Manzo noted.

Manzo has continued to be candid about her weight loss journey over the past year. In May 2023, she opened up about how the weight loss drug Mounjaro helped her lose 30 lbs.

“I went gluten [and] dairy-free over a year ago. I had the Lap-Band; I got it removed again. I got up to 208 pounds,” she explained on Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast at the time. “I lost 50 pounds. I couldn’t lose any more. And my pharmacist was like, ‘Well, I heard Mounjaro works,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ll do anything.’”

Within four months, Manzo revealed that she lost 30 pounds from the injection that she says is “the same as Ozempic.”

“Honestly, I really do believe that obesity and things like that — they are a major issue with people. It is causing mental health issues for me,” she shared. “You guys have seen the struggle with this since I’m 20 years old, and it’s been really hard for me.”