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Orange Is The New Black's Lea DeLaria reveals dramatic 50lb weight loss... and credits her new regimen after diabetes diagnosis

Published: 17:19 EST, 3 April 2015 | Updated: 19:24 EST, 3 April 2015

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Comedian and actress Lea DeLaria has revealed that her dramatic weight loss is due to a health issue.

The 56-year-old, who plays Big Boo on Orange Is The New Black, discussed her 50 lbs weight loss on Thursday night in New York.

Speaking about the condition, she joked when asked by People about her changing appearance: 'What you need to do is, first contract diabetes. Two, take the medication that they give you for diabetes.'

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Slimmer and trimmer: Lea DeLaria's dramatic weight loss was plain to see as she attended an event in New York on Thursday with fiancee Chelsea Fairless

DeLaria said doctors told her: 'You can either eat potatoes or have beer. So I went with beer. So here I am. It is what it is.'

The openly gay comic was one of the guests at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center's annual dinner at Cipriani Wall Street and she was accompanied by her fiancee Chelsea Fairless.

She joked that her fashion editor girlfriend, who she proposed to in February, is jealous of the ease with which she's shedding the pounds.

Lea DeLaria holds her SAG Award for Orange Is The New Black

Living large: The outspoken gay comic, a vocal critic of the industry's obsession with thinness, was much bulkier five years ago, she's pictured here at a gala in New York in April 2010

Looking good: DeLaria, seen here with actress Mary Louise Parker, wore a loose-fitting suit and an orange and white polka dot bow tie to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center's annual dinner

Before and after: The comedienne and actress, pictured in 2013 (left) and on Thursday (right), revealed she's lost 50 pounds since last September after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes

'One: I have no appetite. Two: When I finally do get an appetite, I take two bites of it. Three: Anything I eat comes right out again because of the medication,' DeLaria told People. 'My fiancée is like, 'You're living my dream!' It ain't my dream – I'd rather eat a steak, let's be honest.'

The wise-cracking OITNB actress said that her weight began to drop last fall due to the illness and medication.

She's lost 50 lbs since September, of which 25 lbs has melted away in the past few weeks, she said.

Reaching a new audience: DeLaria, who famously and controversially became the first gay comic to appear on a late night TV talk show in the US in 1993, has won new fans in her role as Big Boo on the Netflix series OITNB

Taking care of herself: DeLaria, who posed on the red carpet at Thursday's event with activist Edie Windsor, said she takes insulin shots and pills to control her diabetes and has cut back on carbs and sugar

Before she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, DeLaria said she had been feeling 'really weird' for about a year.

A simple blood test showed she was diabetic and as a result, she takes shots and pills to control the condition and has changed her diet to reduce the amount of carbs and sugar she takes in.

'Now I've got my energy back. I feel like me and everything is great,' she said.

The third series of Orange Is The New Black premieres on Netflix's streaming service on June 12.

Selfie in the @vfiles hall on the way to The Center dinner with @female_trouble. I've lost too much weight and need to tailor my @saintharridan suit. #firstworldproblems

A photo posted by Lea DeLaria (@realleadelaria) on Apr 3, 2015 at 11:42am PDT