Ever notice how the internet treats a woman's body like a public science experiment? One day you’re scrolling through Instagram, and suddenly everyone is an armchair expert on why someone looks different than they did three years ago. Lately, the name Liz Power has been swirling around in these conversations, often tagged with the phrase "weight gain" like it’s some kind of scandal.
But here’s the thing. Life isn’t a static before-and-after photo.
If you’ve been following the world of IndyCar or the broader wellness community, you’ve probably seen Liz Power—the wife of racing legend Will Power—sharing bits of her life. The narrative around Liz Power weight gain is often stripped of its actual human context, which is pretty frustrating when you realize what she’s actually been through. We’re talking about a woman who has stared down life-threatening health crises while the world was busy commenting on her silhouette.
The Reality Behind the "Weight Gain" Rumors
People love a simple story. They see a photo from a race in 2022 and compare it to one from 2024 or 2025 and decide they know exactly what happened. But the truth is way more complex—and honestly, way more harrowing—than just "letting yourself go" or "changing your diet."
In early 2023, Liz Power dealt with a massive health scare. It wasn't just a flu or a bad back. She suffered from a severe infection in her spinal column that nearly took her life. When your body is fighting a systemic infection like that, your entire biology shifts. You aren't worried about hitting the gym or maintaining a specific BMI; you’re worried about whether you’ll be able to walk or see your kids grow up.
Medication and the Body’s Defense
Medical treatments for serious infections often involve heavy-duty steroids and various cocktails of medications. Anyone who has ever been on Prednisone knows the deal: your face swells, your body holds onto water like a sponge, and your metabolism basically takes a nap.
👉 See also: Why a solar powered pool cleaner is actually worth it (and the ones that aren't)
- Fluid Retention: This is a major factor often mistaken for permanent fat gain.
- Hormonal Shifts: Stress and illness mess with cortisol, which loves to deposit weight around the midsection.
- Forced Inactivity: You can't exactly crush a HIIT workout when your spine is recovering from an infection.
Will Power has been vocal about how dire things got. He even mentioned a terrifying moment where Liz began hallucinating due to a mix of medications. When you're in the trenches of a medical emergency, the "weight gain" is actually a sign of survival. It's the body protecting itself while it heals.
Why We Are So Obsessed With the Scale
Honestly, the fixation on Liz Power’s weight says more about our culture than it does about her. We’ve been conditioned to see a few extra pounds as a "failure," even when that person has literally survived a near-death experience.
It’s kinda weird, right? We want our celebrities and public figures to be relatable, but the second they show the physical marks of a hard season of life, we start whispering.
The Wellness Perspective
There's another Liz Power in the digital space—a nutritional therapist and health coach. Sometimes, people confuse the two, which muddies the search results. This Liz Power actually talks quite a bit about the "yo-yo" effect of dieting and how chronic illness impacts the scale.
She often points out that for women in their 40s and 50s, weight gain isn't just about calories. It's about:
- Inflammation: Chronic stress (like a health scare) keeps the body in an inflammatory state.
- Autoimmune issues: Conditions like fibromyalgia or osteoarthritis—which several "Liz Powers" in the public eye have discussed—make movement painful.
- The "Desperation" Cycle: Trying to starve yourself to lose weight often backfires, leading to more gain down the road because the metabolism becomes "brittle."
Moving Beyond the "Before and After"
If you’re looking for a secret diet or a "miracle" reason for why Liz Power looks different today, you’re missing the point. The "miracle" is that she’s still here.
✨ Don't miss: Weather next weekend NYC: What Most People Get Wrong About Late January
Will Power’s victory at Road America in 2024 was deeply emotional because of this journey. The tears weren't about a trophy; they were about the fact that his wife was there to see it after twice nearly losing her life. When you look at her in those winner's circle photos, you aren't looking at "weight gain." You're looking at a survivor.
Actionable Insights for Your Own Journey
If you find yourself in a similar spot—where your body has changed due to illness, medication, or just a really hard couple of years—here is how to navigate it without losing your mind:
- Audit Your Feed: If looking at "perfect" bodies makes you feel like garbage about your own recovery, hit the unfollow button. Your brain doesn't need that noise.
- Focus on Functionality: Can you walk the dog? Can you play with your kids? These are better metrics of health than the number on a scale.
- Be Patient with Meds: If you’re on medication that causes weight gain, don't try to "diet" your way out of it while you're still healing. Your body needs those nutrients to repair tissue.
- Talk to a Functional Pro: Instead of a standard "weight loss coach," look for someone who understands how inflammation and hormones interact with trauma.
The story of Liz Power weight gain isn't a cautionary tale about fitness. It’s a story about resilience. It reminds us that our bodies are meant to change as we move through different seasons of life. Sometimes, "bigger" just means you’ve got more room for the strength it took to keep going.
Focus on nourishing the body you have today. Prioritize sleep, manage your stress levels, and understand that healing isn't a linear process. Whether you're recovering from a physical ailment or an emotional one, your value remains unchanged regardless of what the scale says.