singer-related stories
'American Idol' Contestant Loses 80 Pounds
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
Photo: Ray Mickshaw, FOX|Jason Merritt, Getty Images
Since the infamous moment when Cowell made a joke about needing a bigger stage to accommodate Hundley -- a moment that, by the way, just won't die thanks to the fact that "American Idol Rewind" chose to include it in the premiere episode -- Hundley's life has changed dramatically. Not only does she have a new album out, titled "Freedom," but the singer has also dropped an astonishing 80 pounds, reports Entertainment Tonight (via MSN TV).
It was the recording of her album, singing songs about being set free, that inspired the change. She told ET that she couldn't help but ask herself, "How can I tell people that God has set them free when I am still bound?" A trip to Mount Rushmore was also a wake-up call -- she found herself breathing heavy and sweating and in pain from walking up the incline, and when she got home, she set to work on changing her eating habits and her life, hiring a personal trainer and seeing a counselor specializing in eating disorders.
Click on the gallery below to see more American Idol stars who are showing off new figures. Story continues after the gallery.
'Shape Magazine' reported that Grammy-winning vegetarian Carrie Underwood has dropped between 15 and 20 pounds since her Idol days by hitting the treadmill, swimming and sticking to healthy eats. Although she admits to a weakness for cheese, Underwood prevents herself from overindulging by keeping a food diary and carrying around whole grain Kashi bars wherever she goes.
American Idol Body Transformations
By Gabrielle Linzer
'Shape Magazine' reported that Grammy-winning vegetarian Carrie Underwood has dropped between 15 and 20 pounds since her Idol days by hitting the treadmill, swimming and sticking to healthy eats. Although she admits to a weakness for cheese, Underwood prevents herself from overindulging by keeping a food diary and carrying around whole grain Kashi bars wherever she goes.
Stephen Shugerman, Getty Images
Though he has dropped almost 100 pounds, American Idol (AI) season 2 victor Ruben Studdard, is as cuddly as ever. According to MSNBC, Studdard kicked his weight loss into high gear in order to avoid being struck by one of numerous diseases that run in his family including diabetes and high blood pressure. By attending a weight management center at Duke University, he was able to learn how to make healthier choices and upon leaving, adopted a vegetarian diet.
Katy Winn, Getty Images
Kelly Clarkson, the original queen of AI, reportedly does not believe in diets. However, we hear that since AI, she has refined her eating habits (focusing on portion control) and amping up her fitness routine instead of following any particular diet plan. Clarkson told 'Us Weekly' that she indulges in her penchant for chocolate, but only to a certain point. and sprints around concert arenas work best for this belting beauty.
Getty Images
Along with his daily 45 minute runs and energetic stage performances, 'People Magazine' reports Taylor Hicks was able to drop 22 pounds, which we think has helped given him an uncanny resemblance to George Clooney. Plus, cutting back on his beloved Southern fried foods and upping his intake of brown rice, salad, chicken soup couldn't have hurt.
Mark Mainz, Getty Images
After a five-year battle with bulimia, AI season 5 runner-up Katherine McPhee managed to drop 30 pounds the healthy way by sticking to the Intuitive eating plan. She told Shape Magazine that the plan worked because she can munch on anything she pleases, but when she's full, she stops. Exercise-wise McPhee tones her muscles with weight training and likes to walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes four to five days a week.
Steve Granitz, WireImage.com
Oscar-winning Dreamgirl Jennifer Hudson knows how to have a good time, but don't ask her to stay out late partying: It's been reported by 'Us Weekly' that J-Hud wakes up before dawn for her daily run, followed by squats, push-ups and sit-ups. This AI Season 3 finalist dropped 60 pounds through her rigorous workout routine and a healthy diet that included staple items such as salads, grilled chicken and cranberry juice. When she needs an energy boost, Hudson turns to a stash of diet-smart snacks: almonds, cashews, and raisins.
Frazer Harrison, Getty Images
AI season 2 finalist Kimberley Locke reportedly lost about 25 pounds weight with the help of a stint on 'Celebrity Fit Club.' But when she wanted to drop another 40, she called Jenny Craig. Along with the help of her "Jenny" diet, Locke began jumping rope for exercise.
Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images
'US Weekly' dubbed Kellie Pickler "the next Jessica Simpson," and like her blond counterpart, the AI season 5 finalist also got serious about shaping up. Pickler gained nearly 20 pounds munching on candy backstage during her time on the show. But by taking simple measures, such as replacing offstage sweets with vegetables, she eliminated almost all junk food from her diet. Pickler stays fit by playing football with band members and with a killer ab routine, in which she does 100 crunches a day on her tour bus.
Gregg DeGuire, WireImage.com
Deborah Gibson Loses Weight With Help From Her Boyfriend
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| Deborah Gibson flaunts her trim and toned tummy; Photo: Tiffany Rose, WireImage |
Gibson's main squeeze, Rutledge Taylor, is a medical doctor who specializes in preventative medicine, and he designed an exercise program, along with a strict diet, to help the singer keep up with her hectic schedule. Before long, she had the kind of figure she'd likely imagined only in her dreams.
Initially, Gibson only planned to drop five pounds, but as she started shedding weight, she realized there was more to lose -- and a lot more energy to gain. She told PEOPLE, "It really gives me a lot more energy to be fit, and it's also empowering. I'll be 39 soon, and I'm in the best shape of my life."
Forget about electric youth. Gibson's showing that it's possible to get hotter with age!
Click on the gallery below to see more stars whose bodies are getting sexier as they get older.
Lisa Rinna
Rinna turned heads and stole the headlines for posing for the May 2009 "Playboy" cover at age 45. In an interview with That's Fit, she explains how she stays in shape after having kids. While she's always been a fan of exercise, being on "Dancing With the Stars" has changed her entire workout philosophy. "Dance is such an overall workout...that also makes you really, really happy... what's more fun than dancing?"
Hottest Celebs Over 40
By AOL Health Editors
Lisa Rinna
Rinna turned heads and stole the headlines for posing for the May 2009 "Playboy" cover at age 45. In an interview with That's Fit, she explains how she stays in shape after having kids. While she's always been a fan of exercise, being on "Dancing With the Stars" has changed her entire workout philosophy. "Dance is such an overall workout...that also makes you really, really happy... what's more fun than dancing?"
PLAYBOY Magazine
Demi Moore
If you were a 46-year-old toting around 31-year-old arm candy, you might worry about looking young, or at least try to look your best. But we hear that this actress is willing to drop more than six figures a year to sustain her fit figure -- covering the cost of personal trainers, equipment and Pilates classes, among other things.
Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images
Valerie Bertinelli
After shedding 50 pounds, 48-year-old Bertinelli graced the cover of "People" magazine, clad in a bikini -- for the first time in 20 years. This former teen star and current Jenny Craig spokeswoman ditched the excess weight by cutting calories, running five days a week and doing strength-training exercises with her personal trainer.
Jean-Paul Aussenard, WireImage
Kathy Ireland
This 46-year-old former "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit model and current CEO, author and mother, recently had a wake-up call that she was carrying some extra weight, from her son of all people. After he told her she looked pregnant, she stepped on the scales to find she'd gained 25 pounds. A friend, who's a personal trainer and nutritionist, helped her plan healthier meals, cut back on snacks and sweets and incorporate three exercise sessions a week. As a result she's lost nearly all of the added pounds.
Jonathan Exley / Kathy Ireland Worldwide
Sheryl Crow
This Grammy winner is nearly as famous for her albums as she is for her show-stopping body. When the 46-year-old recently stepped out on the red carpet looking more toned and fit than ever, she shared that her incredible figure was the result of a regimen of yoga, Pilates and P90X workouts.
The sweat-inducing system, created by trainer Tony Horton, is made up of 12 different workouts designed to create "muscle confusion" by introducing new moves to beat boredom and avoid plateaus. There's also a three-phase diet plan that focuses on lean protein, complex carbs and limiting fat.
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Courteney Cox Arquette
Our favorite 'Friend' and soulless tabloid journalist has only gotten better looking with age. Cox Arquette's secret weapon for those cut arms and toned legs? Tennis and Budokon, an intense workout integrating yoga, martial arts and meditation. Cox Arquette has also been said to use the Blood Type Diet.
Starface, Retna
Kim Cattrall
Our pick for sexiest of the "Sex and the City" pack is also the oldest. And at 51, we think Kim Cattrall looks even more fabulous now than she did when the show first debuted. Cattrall has said that exercise is crucial for her and that without it she feels sluggish. When she can't make it to the gym for a 30-minute workout, she likes to walk.
MAP/Splash News
Daniel Craig
How does hottie Daniel Craig get Bond buff? It's no surprise that there's a lot of weight lifting in his fitness routine. Craig has said that a routine centered around weights was the only way to bulk up in the short time he had to prepare for "Casino Royale." But for his next Bond venture, the 40-year-old stunning star is mixing up his heavy lifting routine with boxing and running.
Splash News
Madonna
Madonna may be single-handedly responsible for helping yoga and Pilates go mainstream. With her enviable arms and taut abs, her body is a walking advertisement for the two fitness disciplines which she has long practiced. Her high water intake (three liters a day) and strict diet that bans processed foods, alcohol, caffeine and dairy also helps keep the 49-year-old slim. But we're sure the two-hour sessions of dancing and hitting the Hybrid Body Reformer (a pulley-system machine) that she does six times a week don't hurt.
Dave Hogan, Getty Images
Jamie Foxx
The Jamie Foxx workout doesn't involve exclusive gyms or personal trainers. He keeps it simple. Every morning he does four sets of pushups, situps and crunches. But not all at once, mind you. He breaks up the workout with chores. A set of pushups. Brush teeth. One set of ab exercises. Take a shower. And so on. That way, he doesn't have to make time for exercise, it's just part of his morning routine.
Chris Gordon, WireImage.com
Michelle Williams Shows Us How to Sculpt Curves
Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Baring your butt on stage for all the audience to see is pretty powerful motivation. Michelle Williams, formerly of Destiny's Child, had to reveal her rear during a scene in The Color Purple. She worked with a trainer to get her body in shape so that if anyone was shocked, they were shocked at how great she looked.Williams kept up the workouts after her run in the play was over. Good thing, too ... I'm sure her fitness level will come in handy while performing songs from her new album, Unexpected. Besides the rigors of her performing schedule, Williams just plain feels proud of her physique. She says "I'll be brushing my teeth, see my arm in the mirror and think ... cool."
Even if your job isn't as revealing as Williams' (and I certainly hope it's not), you can take some tips from her workout. Her strength and toning routine uses resistance bands and dumbbells.
Britney Spears Says Getting in Shape Took Hard Work
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Britney Spears is looking great these days, but she wants to make sure everyone knows it didn't come easily. She told Glamour, "I have had to work hard at getting [my body] back to where it used to be. I used to be obsessed with working out ... But I can't get motivated right now because I'm so focused on my music."
Whether she says she's motivated to work out or not, she definitely has been working hard getting ready for her recent live performances. Dancing hasn't just gotten her in shape, but it's helped her emotionally. And, adjusting her eating (and drinking) habits has certainly helped. Still, she doesn't exactly look forward to working out."It isn't fun, so to do it every day would be horrible. Three days a week is cool, even two. It makes me feel good and feel like I've done something. It's important to take care of your body." She is even more aware of this now, after having two children, saying, "Recently, I started to appreciate my body a bit more from before I had kids."
The full interview will be in Glamour's January issue.
Faith Hill Shares Her Favorite Recipes
Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
Hill said that she loves to exercise, and she cooks with fresh veggies from her own garden -- Mediterranean dishes are a favorite. I'm glad to hear it, because based on the recipes she says are her go-to dishes, she obviously needs the balance healthful meals and exercise give her. Hill's favorite dishes are:
While they may be yummy, these are certainly not figure-friendly recipes. If you want to try out any of Hill's favorite recipes, be sure to follow the "Make it Healthier" instructions Shape magazine provides. And, if you want to look as sexy as Faith Hill, balance treats like this with healthier foods and plenty of exercise.
Britney gives up booze, loses 10 pounds
Few can deny that Britney Spears is back on the top of her game -- she has given up her old hard-partying ways, gotten her recording career back on track and worked hard to get her famous figure back. Now, with only a few pounds to go before looking as stunning as she did early on in her career, she's given up her final vice -- alcohol -- and it's helped her lose an extra 10 pounds, the Daily Mail reports. Says a source close to the star: "She has decided to give up drinking alcohol, because not only does it cause weight gain but she wants to be on the ball. Britney has lost 10 pounds since giving up her one remaining vice, which obviously she is ecstatic about."
Britney's got it right -- alcohol is just a bunch of empty calories, so giving it up is important to weight loss.
Jennifer Hudson's secret: 23 flights of stairs
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
(Click the photo to see more Shocking Celebrity Slimdowns)
Hudson's dream will likely never come true -- the girl is just too involved to put all her eggs in the workout basket. But she does find a way to incorporate exercise into her busy routine. Her favorite activities: Jogging and walking 23 flights of stairs in her building instead of taking the elevator. Sounds like a pretty good approach -- Hudson has transformed her busy body from a size 22 to a size 12.
Alanis Morissette watching her body unfold
Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation
"I'm fascinated by aging and how a woman's body changes," the singer says. "I don't want to spend the next 50 years of my life trying to hide those changes. There's something very relaxing about watching it unfold instead of fighting it the whole way."
This isn't to say Morissette doesn't pay attention to health -- she's recently completed a triathlon and names cross-training, kickboxing, dance, basketball, and volleyball as her favorite fitness activities. She's just not consumed with the natural and inevitable evolution of her aging body. We should all follow her lead, don't you think?
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs Weekly Round-up: July 11, 2008
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs Weekly Roundup, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
Jessica Biel is known for her sexy, athletic body, and as you can probably guess, she didn't get it by sitting around playing video games. Growing up, her family didn't play video games or watch movies -- instead, they played soccer, basketball, and gymnastics outside. And her mom always made her feel great about her body, which has helped Jessica remain confident as a Hollywood starlet. I'd be pretty confident with those rock hard abs, too.Hilary Duff is looking healthy and gorgeous these days, and she owes part of that to her fitness routine, which includes Pilates. She's feeling good about her body and her health, and therefore, so am I -- her smile can cheer just about anybody up!
Country crooner Trisha Yearwood does more than just sing -- she's the author of a cookbook, and she recently shared some kitchen secrets with Health.com. Wonder how she gets her stepdaughters to eat fresh fruit? Find out here!
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs: Vanessa Carlton's fit body and mind
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation
Vanessa Carlton knows how important it is to have a mentor in one's life (hers is Stevie Nicks, who taught her to reach out to other young female musicians), which might be part of the reason she works so hard to stay fit inside and out. The 27-year-old singer/songwriter is not only a successful musician, but she's also an accomplished athlete and and well-balanced individual.Vanessa jogs as many as five miles, six times a week to stay in shape. She doesn't have a lot of spare time, so when she works out, she wants to "sweat hard." In fact, she participated in the New York Marathon in 2005 when a friend asked her to run it for the Musicians on Call charity. She accepted the challenge and said, "The race itself was a much a mental test as a physical one."
Though she's open to running another marathon, Vanessa has found other ways to relax. She actually went all the way to India to learn to meditate, but found it difficult because she was so active. Now, she practices a walking meditation, and wanders the streets with her dog, occasionally stopping to write down song lyrics that come to mind.
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs: Christina Aguilera on exercising post-baby
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Is it just me, or are more and more celebrities making the admission that they don't really like to exercise? First we hear that new mom Milla Jovovich "doesn't embrace exercise," and now we're hearing something similar from Christina Aguilera.In a recent interview with Glamour, Christina admits, "I hate working out -- I have to mentally push myself through it." She works out 90 minutes a day and has a trainer, but she "can't deal with having someone barking" at her, but when she's asked to do something, she just gets focused and gets it done. She's now able to do five pull-ups in a row, as long as she's asked nicely to do it.
Christina gained about 40 pounds in her pregnancy (she had her son, Max, about six months ago), and while she was "OK with the booty and the boobs" after giving birth, she wasn't happy with the weight she was carrying around her stomach. She noticed a big change in her hips as well, and her shoe size went from a five to a seven (it's gone back down now, though -- imagine the horror if she'd had to start over with shoes!). The weight hasn't melted off easily for the diva, but she's regaining her body slowly but surely (and healthfully), and I have no doubt she'll be back to her pre-baby body shortly.
Natasha Bedingfield is no size zero
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
Who says you have to be a size zero to be beautiful? Not singer Natasha Bedingfield.The British Bedingfield, age 26 and size six, says she'll never be stick thin. Still, she's committed to staying fit and like many celebs, credits her small waist and flat stomach to good genes. To keep it all is shape, though, she follows the Zone Diet and a strenuous exercise schedule.
Bedingfield reports that she exercises every day, using a Swiss Ball and pumping out lots of lunges and sit-ups. She has a trainer too. And she plans to begin working out with singer Pink one of these days.
Singer Rihanna loves her body
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
Egg whites, pineapple, hot water, and lemon are on the 20-year-old's breakfast menu. Lunch: Fish and potatoes. And while she hates veggies, Rihanna makes herself eat them. For dinner: Fish again.
Rihanna, who stands at 5'8", weights 133 pounds, and says her body fluctuates between size two and four, says she is proud of her body, especially her booty. To keep her whole package in shape, she works out with a personal trainer.
Amy Winehouse battles skin disease
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
Does the controversial in-the-news troubled British singer Amy Winehouse strike you as someone who cares about what people think of her? Well, she's not.Winehouse, 24, is not hiding away then as she deals with her diagnosis of impetigo, a bacterial skin infection that causes pimple-like lumps. Her bumps, which are highly contagious and capable of spreading to other parts of the body and other people, are on her face. She's doing fine, though, says a pal to PEOPLE magazine. Winehouse is currently taking prescribed antibiotics for her condition.
For an overview of impetigo, including signs, symptoms, causes, risk factors, and treatment, check out this Mayo Clinic resource.
LeAnn Rimes shows off bikini body
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
Country singer LeAnn Rimes, now secure with her fit, bikini-ready body, says she once turned to food for love. This eating habit, and the sedentary ways she adopted on her bus while touring, came to an end once she got herself a husband -- who happens to double as her workout partner."We both push each other to be better," says the 25-year-old.
Her diet doesn't hurt either.
"I usually eat a bowl of oatmeal with agave nectar, dried cherries and walnuts in the morning," Rimes reports. "I have a protein shake after the gym, then grilled chicken, a whole-wheat pita and humus for lunch." For dinner, Rimes might have trout with spinach sautéed in garlic and olive oil. For dessert: A piece of dark chocolate.
Rimes appears on the cover of Fitness magazine's March issue, in her bikini.
