Sara Rue: 50 Pounds Lighter and Loving Running

Posted on Aug 5th 2010 4:00PM by Emily Shetler

Michael Loccisano, Getty Images

Sara Rue just keeps getting thinner. Since becoming a spokesperson for Jenny Craig early last December, the 31-year-old actress has now dropped 50 pounds, reports "People" magazine.

How did she do it? With the help of a Jenny Craig consultant, exercise expert and a team of dietitians, Rue upped her treadmill time to 45-60 minutes, five to six days a week. She has also started training for her first half marathon. That's a long way from just walking the dog around the block for exercise.

"For the first 40 pounds, all I really did was cardio. I walked my dogs, I got my reality TV fix on the treadmill. All I tried to do was get in 10,000 steps a day," Rue told That's Fit.

"When I first started jogging this spring, I thought, how am I going to do this? I've never been a runner. But guess what, it's totally doable. With Jenny's program, I'd jog for one minute, walk for 10 minutes, then do it again until I'd reach the 30 minute mark," she said. "Next time, I'd increase the jogging by a minute until the amount of time I spent walking was smaller than the amount I was running. Not only am I running longer distances, my physique is changing, and guess what? My clothes fit differently and I'm not afraid to go into my closet."

In addition to the cardio, she's been doing toning workouts to whittle down that last 20 pounds. "Lunges, squats, dips, push ups, sit ups. In the past couple of months, I've been doing three sets of 15 reps of each exercise for a total of 30 minutes. I alternate the conditioning workout now with jogging."

It's not just her exercise routines that have gotten better, Rue has been working on portion control and eating healthfully. She also has been adding fiber-rich foods like fruits and vegetables to keep herself satisfied.

"For example, I take Jenny's Cuisine pizza, and add a ton of onions, red peppers, zucchini, spinach, tomatoes, garlic and some spices to the top, add in a side salad and I'm good to go. It's a lot of food, but good food. My favorite dinners to make on my own are vegetable soup, grilled chicken salad, and vegetable stir-fry. I can hardly believe it, but vegetables have become my best friends!"

As That's Fit reported in April, Rue's goal was to keep losing weight after her initial 30 pounds in the first four months.

Her new svelte body will look sharp when she walks down the aisle next spring with fiancee Kevin Price. And she'll be the perfect role model for contestants on the new reality show she's hosting, "Shedding for the Wedding," premiering next season on The CW.

Read more on That's Fit about Sara Rue's weight loss journey.

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Tags: Jenny Craig, sara rue, SaraRue, weight loss

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

dso78jr99 8-06-2010 @ 2:56PM

I thought she was just as beautiful before.

Mara 8-06-2010 @ 3:29PM

I love all of these celebrities getting on Jenny Craig and losing weight. Here's my question--are they going to help pay for those of us who need to lose weight and cannot afford a program like Jenny Craig? This stuff in not cheap and some people cannot afford that kind of thing in this economy.

chuck 8-06-2010 @ 4:10PM

You're right, Mara. They never point out how much easier it is to lose weight on the program when you're a celebrity, rich enough to afford a personal trainer, AND getting paid lots of money for the spokesperson gig.

Sandy 8-06-2010 @ 3:55PM

Good for you Sara!! Keep up the good work!

Tena 8-06-2010 @ 4:46PM

I have always thought Sara Rue was a beautiful young woman. She looks great; congrats to her.

kathy 8-06-2010 @ 4:57PM

I would also love to lose weight like this, but I can't afford it. Does Jenny Craig want to sponsor me?

Stanley 8-06-2010 @ 5:07PM

Jenny Craig is a fraud, as are most weight loss plans. Sure, rich movie stars can afford to lose weight on the program since they get attention far beyond what any ordinary citizen would and are paid for publicity. The truth is, however, that only about 1 out of every 100 people have any lasting results from Jenny Craig, which is the typical statistic for most plans. In truth, Jenny Craig should be revealed for the fraud it is and taken off the market. How many other products are legal when only 1 out of 100 work.

John F.C. Taylor 8-06-2010 @ 5:23PM

Who is this person? Is she from a reality show? If the answer is yes, then she definitely is NOT a star. I'd barely rate her as a celebrity. Why? Simply because reality TV shows are a basic waste of TV air time. They should all be banned out right. That or shoved on to one channel where they can run back to back 24/7 and keep out of the way of quality TV programming.

SaraRueFan 8-06-2010 @ 6:17PM

Sara Rue is NOT a reality show 'star', although she seems to love watching them. Haha.

Her most famous role was the lead on the ABC show Less Than Perfect which ran for 4 seasons. Granted, I never watched a single episode while it was running, but she's been in guest roles on other shows and in a BUNCH of movies.

More info at www.sara-rue.com if you're interested.

cty 8-08-2010 @ 7:09PM

i am currently on JC and have lost 44 pounds in 5 months. i am not rich by any means but am a school teacher. my kids are grown though so it is just my husband and me which makes the expense a little easier. True, it is a little expensive. I don't have a trainer but i do have access to a gym and i try and work out 4 to 5 days a week. i am 59 years old and didn't want to retire overweight. it's takes tons of will power but for me it works. good luck to any one else out there trying to lose it.

bunny 8-06-2010 @ 7:32PM

You don't need Jenny or Weight watchers to lose weight. Put down the twinkies and pick up the veggies! You don't need a personal trainer. You can walk or run outside and work-out to cable programs or even on-line. People have every excuse in the book for being overweight. You are to blame. No one else. If you really want to look a certain way, you will.

Sam 8-16-2010 @ 8:04PM

Good for you! Sara says it in her article too, she adds her own favorite veggies to the food and makes her own side salad to accompany the meals. Ideally Jenny Craig would be a base to get you started while you are learning to eat right and you would take it from there. Ultimately each person is responsible for their own health and fitness. So throw on a pair of sneakers and try her 1 min run/ 10 min walk idea, totally free!

Gerri 8-06-2010 @ 8:01PM

All these diet programs are a lot of money and many can't afford them... The food they give you is costly and you don't learn how to make meals on your own.

HeldenMommyNJ 8-06-2010 @ 11:07PM

Stanley - Jenny Craig is *not* a fraud. I have lost 65 lbs on Jenny Craig. It's the best weight loss program I have found, because I learned portion control and which foods in what quantities i could *fill* up on.

I know, you'll say that you don't need a program to teach you that, but we all learn and understand things in certain ways. This program spoke to me and really worked for me. Yes, of course I exercised also, and yes - it is completely valid that its not inexpensive. I felt in the end it was worth it for me. Is JC the the only way to lose weight? Of *course* not, but it was the right way for me, and obviously is for a lot of folks.

The celebs are paid spokes people. True. But just because they're paid to get the product in front of folks, doesn't mean that it doesn't work..

I think Jenny is great. Course, I'd think she was greater if she paid me too.... ;)

Ms. O 8-26-2010 @ 3:04PM

Dear Sara, I do know how you felt and I know how you feel now. I, too, prefer now. Congratulations on your weight loss and I hope you keep it off. I am sorry that you had to share that you used to feel so ill at ease NOW instead of then. If you are being honest now, then were you lying then?
I was not lying then when I said I loved me just the way I was. I loved my mind, heart and brain, but I did not EVER love my ass of the size of my belly back then.
Just saying...
Thanks for letting me share