As she was obese with a large wide body, Torres had to do humorous roles that somehow weren't marked by her talent or love for acting. And such roles made her a place in the industry she is in now.
However, she gained the strong role of Miss Patty in both the series Gilmore Girls and Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life out of her acting abilities. Nobody could replace her, even in the reboot, due to her professionalism and sincerity toward her character.
Truly, the reboot stunned fans as they were expecting to see the same heavyweight Miss Patty, but there was a younger-looking lady with a smelter physique. And they wondered what led to such an amazing transformation.
Liz Torres (Miss Patty) and Sally Struthers (Babette) talking to Rory and Lorelai on Gilmore Girls: A Year In Life (Source: Youtube)
Torres' weight loss journey began, importantly, in 2006, as she realized that she had to lose weight. As a result, fans noticed changes in her physique for the first time in season 7 in 2007.
As per Torres, she always wanted to look slim and lose weight because of being overlooked by her fellow celebrities. She was bothered of being unheard and unseen just because of her appearance.
Critically, she was often overlooked for strong roles given to thinner actresses. Instead, she usually played a maid, clown, and other generic roles. Hence, it was always her wish to shed pounds.
But the tasks at hand weren't easy for the talented actress. She weighs over 250 pounds, making her feel confused about where to get started. She became a victim of anxiety and depression, resulting in more weight gain as she had fewer physical activities and couldn't get an effective diet.
Finally, in 2008, she made up her dreams by losing 50 pounds in just two years. She proved that she was focused on losing weight and wasn't only keeping it as something that had always been on the back of her mind.
Back in the '90s, she had even acknowledged to the LA Times that she didn't enjoy how she appeared because she appeared "heavy."
I’m heavy. This is the reality. I don’t kick myself about it, but I don’t think I look fabulous in my clothes. I know that in my suits I look like a box walking down the street. That’s the thing that hurts me most. Thank God, there’s a product out there that you can wear that’s passable. It’s corrective dressing, but it’s not who I am and ultimately that’s very hard.
The situation was so dire that Torres refrained from even looking at fashion magazines because they featured clothing that she couldn't even think of wearing. In the same interview, she shared that she had always wanted to lose weight and understood that being overweight could take a huge toll on one's body.
