Fifty pounds! That’s the enviable amount of weight American Idol alum Jordin Sparks has lost.
In an interview on the Today Show she revealed why being healthy is more important than the number on the scale.
“[It would be easy to say], Ok, I’m going to try and look like everybody else, Instead, I loved the way I looked before,” she said. “I was comfortable with how I looked. But, a lot of it has been really focusing on becoming healthier. And the plus side was that my body changed, which was awesome. It wasn’t about being a zero or a certain size or anything like that.”
The formerly plus-sized singer-actress has received tons of attention from fans who call her an “inspiration” after she wore a bikini to the opening of Tao Beach in Las Vegas.
Sparks says that her focus on her health came after getting sick, “…I was about to celebrate my birthday and I was like ‘I should be in the prime of my life right now. I shouldn’t be feeling like this. I really need to make my health a priority.'”
The star says the pressure to stay thin in Hollywood “does get a little crazy” but she hopes to be an inspiration to women.
“I know that there are some women who struggle to even look themselves in the mirror,” said Sparks.” And I hope those women who are struggling can watch this and go, ‘You know what? I’m OK with who I am. And I’m beautiful in my own way.'”
Check out the full interview below.