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Kathy Bates says mindfulness helped her lose 60 pounds

Kathy Bates has dropped 60 pounds, and the secret to her weight-loss success is simple. "Mindfulness," the actress told Us Weekly earlier this month. "Just knowing when to push my plate away."

The "American Horror Story" actress spoke to the magazine while attending WebMD's Health Heroes event in New York City. The 70-year-old revealed that  her niece tipped her off to the weight-loss secret.

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Kathy Bates lost 60 pounds, according to Us Weekly. She says the weight loss took place over several years. Theo Wargo/Getty Images and Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Lymphatic Education & Research Network

"My niece told me this little secret, I guess it's no secret, it's a biological thing, that at some point when you're eating, you have this involuntary sigh and that's really your brain and your stomach communicating that you've had enough," Bates told Us Weekly. "The trick is to pay attention to that and push your plate away."

Bates admits that this approach to weight loss does not work overnight. "It took a few years," she said. The star also avoided junk food and soda, she told the magazine.

"I would say you have to be really patient … I don't like the word willpower, but I like the word determination," she said.

The Oscar winner has battled both ovarian cancer and breast cancer. She also opened up to CBS "Sunday Morning" in 2016 about dealing with lymphedema, a complication resulting from her cancer treatment.

Kathy Bates takes CBS to the doctor's office 06:13

Now, Bates said she has never been in such good health. "I just had a physical. I'm doing great," she said, "I feel like a completely different person. I can move, I can walk. I just wish I had done it years ago."

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