In February 2021, The Southern Charm mom decided to explain her decision to seek out a plastic surgeon. At the time, her weight was at its higher ever. So, the reason for Leva Southern Charm’s weight loss experience is surgery.
Now, Leva tried to shed some pounds before going under the knife. But surgery was the best option for her. Today, we will try to explain how and why surgery was the best option.
Leva Bonaparte, the actress from Southern Charm, posted on social media about how and why she wanted to share her weight loss experience. She said, “she is naturally a pretty private person”. Yet, after an influx of questions about her appearance, she decided to open up.
Southern Charm is a television series revealing a world of exclusivity, money, and scandal, dating back through generations of families in Charleston, SC. It follows people in the city that pursue their personal and professional life while trying to preserve their family names.
Story Stages
Get to Know Leva
How much do you know about Leva from Southern Charm? Born Leva Bonaparte to Indian and Persian parents in May 1979, she grew up in Bolivia and Canada. Leva is of Persian ethnicity and has a sister. Her Tamil parents immigrated to the United States in the 1970s and settled in California, where she spent most of her childhood.
In her childhood, Leva grew up in a multicultural household and was exposed to different cultures, languages, and traditions. As a result, she learned to speak Tamil, English, and French. Her family put a high emphasis on education. The Southern Charm mom got her primary and secondary education in California. After graduating from high school, she moved to Charleston, South Carolina.
There, she attended the College of Charleston, which is how she became eligible for appearing in the Southern Charm TV show.
The television personality got her Bachelor’s degree in political science and international studies from the College of Charleston. During her time at college, she got involved in student organizations and even studied abroad in France and Egypt.
Following her graduation, Leva tried to begin a career in the hospitality industry. She worked for several restaurants and bars in Charleston and quickly became famous for her ability to manage teams.
In 2015, Leva co-founded the company Charleston Hospitality Group, which manages several restaurants and bars in the city.
In 2020, after several years of trying, Bravo TV finally got her to join the reality show Southern Charm. After joining, she quickly became a fan favorite because of her outspokenness and passion for social justice.
Fun fact: Bravo wanted Leva to join the TV show for a while. But she became a member in the seventh season. She also appeared in season 8 of the series, talking about racism, social justice, and white privilege. The TV personality will be part of the spin-off series, Southern Hospitality.
Since her debut on television, Leva has been candid about her business and personal life. The business owner has been married to her husband Lamar Bonaparte since 2013. Together, they have one child. But they also share several businesses. Leva and Lamar Bonaparte are owners of a sushi and Mexican fusion restaurant and three high-end bars in Charleston.
Leva Before Weight Loss
On social media, Leva revealed that she had been putting on weight for years. And that escalated when she was pregnant with her first child. Viewers commented on her weight.
So, she revealed, “She has always been a girl that generally watches what she eats, exercises, and carried an hourglass shape figure”. Yet, different hormone treatments while getting pregnant caused her to gain weight.
During this period, she wore less revealing clothes, trying to hide her weight. But after losing weight, fans and critics have been complementing her new look and body.
Why Did She Lose Weight?
Leva Bonaparte shared a photo on Instagram telling people why she decided to lose weight. She wanted to clear the air and make sure fans read from her.
In the lengthy caption, she talked about plastic surgery and why she got it after giving birth to her son, Lamar Jr.
The business owner is a fairly private person but wanted to be candid about her elective surgery. Followers and fans kept asking about her recent weight loss, so the Southern Charm star wanted to tell her story.
In the post, Leva explained her history of weight gain over the years, including how she got more than 70 pounds heavier during her pregnancy. She reached her highest weight during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Initially, diet and exercise helped her shed some pounds, or in her words, “a good bit”, but there were still “stubborn areas”. So she reached to Dr Clayton Crantford, who helped her get the body she wanted.
In her journey toward a healthier lifestyle and maintaining her post-surgery figure, Leva also emphasizes the importance of nutrition alongside her regular diet and exercise routine. For those inspired by her story and looking for wholesome, energizing snacks that support an active lifestyle, shop now for organic, hand-rolled energy bars. These tasty bars are perfect for anyone needing a nutritious boost, just like Leva, to complement their wellness goals.
How Did She Lose Weight?
So, as we said before, the secret to Leva Southern Charm weight loss is all about plastic surgery. She began losing weight with diet and exercise, but it wasn’t enough. So, a plastic surgeon helped her tweak her physique.
The reality star got to her heaviest during pregnancy with her son Lamar Jr. He was born in January 2018. After giving birth, she wanted to get rid of the baby weight. Yet, one year after, the Covid-19 pandemic hit. She found herself back at square one and was even heavier than before.
Opening Up About Plastic Surgery
Now let’s talk about how and why Leva chose plastic surgery. She began her post on Instagram by saying, “Sitting in my office in thought about unrealistic images – despite being naturally a pretty private person… but also a brutally honest and transparent person-I def. think body and emotions are incredibly sacred and private things”.
In the post, she wrote that her transparency is in response to all the DMs of people asking her about the weight loss experience.
She said, “I had never had any type of elective surgery in my life. I have always been a girl that generally watches what she eats, exercises and carried an hour glass shape figure. FF- I found myself struggling to get pregnant in my mid 30s after years of being poked and prodded… anxiety ridden… gone through cycles of the clomid crazies etc.. and different hormone treatments and with a weight gain of 15 lbs but it was all worth it- found my self blessed beyond measure to be pregnant with my angel boy”.
After trying cardio and changing her diet, she realized it wasn’t enough. At the time, she was doing 40 minutes of cardio five times per week. The reality TV star also cut all carbs, and still couldn’t get to the point she was happy.
She says, “But also my body was not what it was before my son and I still have some stubborn areas I couldn’t lose. So I went to see Dr Clayton Crantford and we went over all the things that I wanted to improve. Went in full of anxiety-but after seeing his work- I trusted his judgment completely -He exceeded my expectations!”
Leva suggested to all mothers to do what makes them happy. But with the right doctor.
Changing Her Body, Improved Confidence
In Southern Charm season 9, the reality TV star looked completely different. Fans quickly noticed it from Episode 1. Her face looked thinner, and one fan wrote, “OK I need to know, what is up with Leva’s look? It is so totally different from last season, it can’t just be weight loss, has to be more. She’s had something done for sure”.
Leva says she made a change to boost her confidence and perspective. As we all know, weight loss can improve confidence in several ways. For starters, once you shed some pounds, you feel a sense of achievement and accomplishment. It can boost self-esteem greatly.
And then, losing weight improves physical appearance, making you feel even more confident. Weight loss can also improve overall health and energy levels.
The reality star got all that thanks to her Leva Southern Charm weight loss experience.
As weight loss alone cannot guarantee increased self-confidence, individuals often turn to plastic surgery as an additional strategy to refine their appearance and boost self-assurance. Rhinoplasty, liposuction or facelift surgeries may complement weight loss efforts by correcting aesthetic elements that diet and exercise alone might miss. In particular, rhinoplasty recovery is relatively short, and can significantly improve facial symmetry and balance, while facelifts provide more youthful looking features. The goal is the same with either method: feeling more at ease within one’s own skin!
