The 'American Idol' alum talks about conquering her body issues and her fitness regime after giving birth to her first child.
- October 15, 2015
AceShowbiz -
Carrie Underwood discusses her struggle with body image. The "American Idol" alum reveals she used to take diet pills to maintain her weight. "I was taking things with ephedra in it," she opens up on the latest issue of PEOPLE magazine. "It wasn't the best way."
"I knew that I weighed more than I had ever weighed before," she recalls. "But then as soon as you start making little tweaks, people immediately go, 'You look so great!' Then you start wondering, 'How bad did I look before?' Then it's like, 'Well, I guess I should keep on going.' Then you start eating less."
"I wasn't eating enough calories," she says before quickly adding, "but it wasn't because I was trying to starve myself. I just didn't know how many calories I should be eating." She adds, "If I could go back and talk to myself I'd be like, 'Here's how you do it the right way.' "
Now the mother of one relies on a vegan diet and daily workout to stay fit. "I weigh more than I did when I was at my smallest, but I have a lot more muscle tone," so she says.
Underwood, 32, gave birth to a baby boy in February this year. "After I had Isaiah, my goal was to take control of my body again," she told Shape magazine. "I was lucky: I gained only 30 pounds, which is the recommended amount, and I exercised throughout my pregnancy."
"I did have a C-section, which meant waiting six weeks before working out. Within 10 days, though, I was able to begin walking slowly on the treadmill and around my neighborhood. It felt so good to be active."
"Now we box and we hike trails, among other things. I like to continually mix up my routines to stay motivated," she continues. "But my favorite workout is Tabata, which I can do at home in about a half hour. I'm in love with it! It's hard, but it really works."
The singer also shares the secret to her flat belly, "I'm vegan and I love bread, but recently, I started making dinner a breadless meal. I'll have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, and I'll make a sandwich on Ezekiel bread for lunch, but in the evening I'll have protein and vegetables and no bread. When I wake up, my belly is flat!"
Carrie Underwood also graces the front page of Shape magazines.
