Melissa Joan Hart Says Two Small Changes Helped Her Drop 20 Pounds
The actress reports feeling “stronger and better” as she approaches 50.
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Actress Melissa Joan Hart revealed the pair of minor changes she made to help her reach her health and fitness goals at 49.
“I actually feel stronger and better than I have in a really long time,” Hart, who played the title roles in TV shows Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, told People.
She credits her “longevity journey” with catalyzing changes to her nutrition and exercise regimens, particularly two big cuts she made from her diet: sugar and alcohol. As a result of the shifts, Hart lost 18 pounds in a year.
Caroline Rhea, Melissa Joan Hart, and Beth Broderick in Sabrina the Teenage Witch in 1996.
IMDb/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
“I really didn’t think I could lose weight anymore, being in midlife and perimenopause and all those things,” she said. “I was like, ‘Can I really lose weight? I don’t think I can.’“
Weight gain during menopause is common due to hormonal changes and the natural slowing down of metabolism with age, according to the Mayo Clinic. That is why lifestyle changes, like increasing exercise or modifying one’s diet, can be helpful during midlife.
The weight loss, however, came secondary to Hart’s main focus, which was improving her overall wellness.
“I just wanted to feel better,” the former Dancing With the Stars contestant said. “And in doing that and discovering fasting and cutting sugars and cutting alcohol.”
Intermittent fasting is the practise of eating one’s food during set hours of the day. (For example, eating the last meal of the day at 6 p.m. and fasting until the next morning.) This practice can help with weight control and blood cholesterol levels.
Melissa Joan Hart at the 20 anniversary celebration of "Dancing With the Stars" on November 11, 2025.
Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images
“I haven’t had a drink in over a year. I just don’t even enjoy drinking. So why bother?” Hart said. “So I cut these things out of my life, and I started to feel better. And in doing that, I lost a lot of weight and kind of feel great.”
Still, not all healthy habits resonate with Hart.
“My husband says when I drink a glass of water, I make a face like it’s the most disgusting thing on earth,” she said. “I’ll do hot tea, cold tea, green tea, peppermint tea, any kind of tea.”
Melissa Joan Hart with husband Mark Wilkerson and son Mason Wilkerson in 2007.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc for Variety Magazin
Hart married musician Mark Wilkerson, 49, in 2003. The couple has three children, sons Mason, 20, Braydon, 17, and Tucker, 13, whom she regularly posts about on her Instagram.