People magazine
Formerly the "big girl" on "
American Idol,"
Jennifer Hudson is loving her new size 6 body.
The
Weight Watchers spokesperson is in the best shape of her life, and showing it off on the latest cover of
People magazine.
Unlike some celebs who may reach their ideal weight through
detox diets or extreme exercise, the songstress-turned-actress slimmed down using Weight Watchers and training with
Harley Pasternak after the birth of her son last August. She has since taken off even more weight to get ready for her upcoming role as Winnie Mandela, wife of Nelson Mandela.
"Whatever it takes to morph into a character I'll do it," Hudson
told People.
Still, Hudson once
told Us Weekly that she has "never really felt pressure to say, 'OK, I need to be a size 2, a size 0."
Before taking on this role, she said she had been asked to stay the same size.
Despite the excitement over Hudson's weight loss, many challenges await. Weight Watchers, which promotes a lifestyle change and a reliance on a point-based system, is easy to follow with familiar foods. But once the actress reaches South Africa, she'll be eating new cuisine which may be more difficult to decode on her number-based system.
"She will need to investigate every new product on this new continent," Liz Josefsberg, Hudson's Weight Watchers counselor,
told People. "I am not the least bit worried about Jennifer ... She is an amazing and resilient personality who will be just fine in her surroundings."
The Oscar winner, who once gained more than 20 pounds for her role in "
Dreamgirls," will still be able to complete some of her favorite workouts -- she's a huge fan of
running stairs -- while filming, which should help alleviate fears about her ability to track her points. Additionally, Hudson is no stranger to weight-loss and weight-maintenance programs. Following her role in "Dreamgirls," she lost 60 pounds.
After shedding those pounds, she
told OK! magazine: "I eat as best as I can to maintain my thickness. I don't want to be too thin, so it's OK not to work out every once in awhile."
Jennifer isn't the only star who's shown off a fabulous post-baby body. Click on the gallery below to find out how other Hollywood moms lost their pregnancy pounds.
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How Famous Moms Lose Baby Weight
Michael Kovac, FilmMagic
Getty Images North America
Celebrity Moms Weight Loss
By Jennifer Fields,Vicki Salemi and Christina Parrella
Nicole Richie gained an estimated 35 pounds, which is a healthy, normal amount for expectant moms, while pregnant with son Sparrow James Midnight Madden. Richie admitted that while pregnant with her second child, she had late-night fast food cravings. Us Weekly reported that she would send boyfriend Joel Madden out to pick up In-N-Out Burger at 2 or 3 a.m.
Celebrity Moms Weight Loss
While she may have given into pregnancy cravings, Nicole Richie traded in burgers for sushi soon after giving birth to Sparrow. The swap paid off, because shortly after her son was born in September, Richie was spotted looking slim and trim. While Richie hasn't spoken on how she shed the post-baby pounds so quickly, she credited her weight loss after having daughter Harlow in 2008 to breastfeeding and eating "bland" foods, like soup and fish. Us Weekly also notes that regular Pilates classes helped Richie slim down.
Celebrity Moms Weight Loss
Voted FHM's Sexiest Woman in the World in 2007, Jessica Alba admitted in an interview with Cosmopolitan UK that during her pregnancy she's never felt less sexy and couldn't wait to lose all her baby weight. Jessica gained 25 pounds while pregnant and said she craved all food in general but told Fit Pregnancy that she had a sudden desire for citrus based foods like lemonade and oranges.
Celebrity Moms Weight Loss
How did Jessica Alba manage to look so slim shortly after giving birth to her daughter Honor Marie? "I wore a girdle," the star confessed in a recent issue of Elle. "Eight weeks after my girlfriend had her baby, you could see her six-pack. She told me to put an elastic band around my waist -- any kind of band or girdle works."
The actress did, however, have to hit the gym to shape up to shoot Club Campari's annual calendar. "[The workouts] were horrible," she told the magazine.
It was reported in People that Jessica shed the baby weight on celebrity trainer Ramona Braganza's 321 Baby Bulge Be Gone plan. On it, Jessica opted for a low-fat, low-carb diet and worked out with her trainer six days a week.
Celebrity Moms Weight Loss
You'd think there would be no surprises after having four kids, but supermodel Heidi Klum is still amazed at how her body changes during pregnancy. "The last month is unbelievable, how rapidly your stomach goes. It's huge," Klum told Page Six magazine. "The thighs, the butt -- everything explodes in the end." Klum told People she continued eating a clean diet that was light on carbs throughout her pregnancy.
Celebrity Moms Weight Loss
Klum has reportedly been eating sensibly and working out in order to get back into shape. "I wouldn't say I'm back in shape yet. Everything changes when you get older. It was different when I was 31 with the first one and now being 36 with the fourth one." Klum famously walked the runway for the Victoria's Secret fashion show less than two months after having son Henry in 2005, and just hit the catwalk again -- only six weeks after giving birth to new daughter, Lou.
Celebrity Moms Weight Loss
During her pregnancy with twins Dolly and Charlie, Rebecca Romijn told Page Six Magazine, "I can't move anymore...I'm a beached whale!" According to her husband, Jerry O'Connell, the supermodel and "Ugly Betty" star reportedly craved "a lot of ice cream."
Celebrity Moms Weight Loss
Just one month after giving birth, Romijn was spotted looking svelte while out and about in Calabasas, Calif. wearing a form-fitting top and yoga pants.
Celebrity Moms Weight Loss
Carrying twins is no small task, though Jennifer Lopez, our favorite Bronx-born songstress managed to do it in style -- even after reportedly gaining over 40 pounds.
Celebrity Moms Weight Loss
It was widely reported that Lopez began construction on a gym for her New York home before the babies were even born. After she got the okay from her doctor, the new mom began intense workouts with celeb trainer Gunnar Peterson that included cardio and strength-training using her own body weight as resistance. Jennifer also has been said to have avoided red meat and eaten four mini-meals a day that consisted of fruit, raw vegetables and lean protein. Another slimming secret: Ordering from Fresh Mommy, an all-natural food-delivery program for expectant or new moms.
Celebrity Moms Weight Loss
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