Marie Osmond, the only girl out of nine children from a famous musical family, has always stood out. From singing that she's "a little bit country" with her brother on "Donny & Marie" to wowing the crowd at "Dancing with the Stars," it's hard to miss the 49-year-old celeb's appeal.

While Osmond's dazzling white smile and hearty laugh make it easy to like her, she admits she did not always like herself. From the early days on "Donny & Marie," Marie Osmond was made to feel self-conscious about her body. Weighing only 110 pounds at the time, producers told her to lose weight or the show would be canceled. From then on, Osmond faced an ongoing struggle with body image and a healthy lifestyle.

Marie Osmond admitted that she tried everything to drop the pounds including diet pills, bulimia and starving herself. She also spent many of her younger years worrying about her weight. After giving birth to her last child, the mother of eight said the weight just kept coming. Caring for a large family, trying to save a struggling marriage, enduring the death of her parents and battling postpartum depression had taken its toll. The once skinny public icon had gained 45 pounds and was in the worst shape of her life.

It was her oldest son who served as a much needed wake-up call.

Marie signed up for NutriSystem, started walking and eventually got herself in good enough shape to start dancing again. She was on "Dancing in the Stars" in 2007, which helped her with her weight loss.

Marie lost most of the 45 pounds by eating right and working out. Now a svelte size-two and spokesperson for NutriSystem, the country icon maintains her figure by hitting the gym and performing with brother Donny at a dance competition in Las Vegas. Donny Osmond has also followed his younger sister's lead and has shaped up with "Dancing with the Stars."

If you want to steal more get-fit secrets from Reality TV stars, check out what we've learned from The Biggest Loser.

When the first season of Dancing With the Stars started, I thought it would be terribly cheesy. Kind of like this decade's version of Circus of the Stars. (Do you remember that? Or did I just age myself terribly?) Well, Dancing With the Stars is terribly cheesy, but it's also oddly enjoyable. If you've watched the show, you've probably seen celebrities like Joey Fatone and Marie Osmond lose weight during the season. All their hours of rehearsal and hard work paid off on the scale.

Dancing is a fun and effective way to exercise. It adds variety to your routine. You can join a dance class if you'd like, or, if you're a bit shy about dancing in front of others, try one of the many dance fitness DVDs on the market. There are options ranging from hip-hop to latin to bellydance to ballroom.

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Entertainment Tonight closed a recent show with a blurb about Marie Osmond and her recent weight loss. A brand new Marie Osmond, the hosts called her just prior to flashing before and after photographs of the former Dancing with the Stars contestant.

Forty pounds this Osmond girl has lost and boy is she proud. She's never looking back, she says, and is simply in awe that she has a waistline again.

A combination of dancing and Nutrisystem is what helped Osmond combat her out-of-shape and too-much-weight condition. She looks great. Congratulations to her.

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Heart Disease is something few talk about, even though its touched many of our lives. But one notable star has spoken up about how heart disease has affected her life--Marie Osmond. The child star, who recently competed on Dancing With The Stars, talked with Everyday Health about matters of the heart. Here are the highlights:

• (On changing her unhealthy habits) : I started by exercising with my kids - taking long walks, riding bikes, even playing outside games. Then I kicked it all up a big notch by appearing on Dancing With the Stars. My mother told me a couple of months before she passed away (from heart disease,) "Marie, don't do what I did. Take the time to take care of yourself."
• (On passing on healthy habits): My 10-year-old daughter will order a salad instead of pizza. Even my 5-year-old surprised me when she chose an orange once after being offered a bag of chips. They still love their video games, but physical activity is a part of every day.
• (On her advice to other women): Most women spend 90 percent of their time taking care of others, so we put ourselves last on the priority list. I think women have to stop and decide that it's better for everyone in the long run if they take care of themselves in healthy ways every day.
  

Read more here.

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