‘RHOA’: Kandi Burruss’ Daughter Riley Opens Up About Her Weight Loss
The kids of The Real Housewives of Atlanta are just as beloved as the full-time cast members. Fans have watched them grow up in front of their eyes and develop into their own people. A beautiful transition to witness for many has been the growth of Kandi Burruss’ daughter, Riley. She’s grown from a shy adolescent to an empowered young woman. And she’s been open about how her struggles with how her weight impacted her self-esteem at times. She’s since lost weight and is opening up about how things are going.
Riley Burruss has openly struggled with her weight
The now 20-year-old began appearing on RHOA in Season 2. As seasons progressed, Riley, who seemingly always preferred to be out of the spotlight, began to open up about her personal insecurities. As a teenager, she began working with a trainer and nutritionist to assist in her weight loss.
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Kandi gushed over Riley’s dedication. “I’m so proud of my baby,” she wrote, per Women’s Health Magazine. “Last year (around September, I think) Riley decided to get serious about being fit.”
Her trainer at the time was Kory Phillips (a.k.a. @iamthekingoffitness), who documented Riley’s workouts on his social media. She seemingly gained weight back during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She says she’s learned not to focus on the scale since losing weight the second time around
When Riley was 15, she lost 52 pounds, going from 220lbs to 168lbs. She documented her first journey on her YouTube channel when she was a teenager. But this time around, she took a different approach and didn’t chronicle everything on social media.
“Honestly, I will say after the first time you lose weight, you try not to look at the numbers because it’s more about a mental thing, so I tried not to do the number thing,” she said per PEOPLE while attending 2022 BravoCon. “I feel like when you’re bigger, you don’t realize what size you are until after, so I don’t even really remember. It’s been a minute, so I’ve had to keep getting new clothes.”
She says fans have been stunned by her transition because she hasn’t been in the spotlight as much as she’s focused on her life in the Big Apple while attending NYU. “Everyone saw my process when I was younger, like 16,” she added, noting that her weight loss this time around isn’t based on how much she loses but about how she feels.
“I feel like it’s a lot more shocking for people because I haven’t been in the spotlight recently,” she said. “So I’m not saying no one’s been paying attention to me, but no one’s been checking. But I’ve just been working, trying to figure things out. I’ve done it before, so it was more about getting my own goal.”
Kandi Burruss says online bullying affected Riley
The mother of four has shared her life willingly on the Bravo reality series, but she doesn’t appreciate the attacks Riley has come under over the years. “People would make comments on her body and say things about her personal look, and it really boils my blood. You can deal with anything for yourself, but you don’t want your kids to be bullied online,” Burruss said previously. “It’s just really terrible.”
