Kelly Clarkson won the first American Idol. She was only 20 years old at the time. Two weeks after winning the show, she released her debut double-A-side single, Before Your Love/A Moment Like This. But the fame that came with the win was too much to handle. Kelly never wanted the fame that came with her singing talent.
Eventually, she came to terms with it. But more than the fame, she had to come to terms with the wildly unrealistic body standards she was upheld to.
In one recent interview, she reflected on her early career, saying, “I felt more pressure from people actually when I was thin, when I was really thin and not super healthy because I just was worn out”.
She continued, “It was more of magazines shoved in front of you and, ‘This is what you’re competing with and we’ve got to compete with it’. I cannot compete with that”.
But The Voice coach wants her fans to know “It’s never been about the weight”.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at her recent weight loss journey.
Reader's Roadmap
Lifelong Subject of Uninvited Discussions
Kelly Clarkson has seen it before. Her life has taught her everything. And her body remained a subject of uninvited discussions about her weight. That follows her since the first season of American Idol. Even during the show, and after winning it, fans and media personalities pointed to her size and shape, asking her to change it.
Since then, Kelly has evolved into this mature, down-to-earth person. And now, she can tackle comments easily.
She has never shied away from talking about her weight. But her honesty about food, body shaming, and body image is the reason why fans love her. The Voice coach continues to speak about her road to happiness and healthy balance.
Her recent single, the powerful ballad I Dare You, speaks about self-love and acceptance.
How Did She Do It?
Kelly had a health problem that contributed to her weight. She once said, “I had an autoimmune disease and a thyroid problem that started in 2006”.
Reading about what could work, she stumbled upon the book, The Plant Paradox by Steven R. Gundry. She thought it might work.
Since following the program, she has shed 37 pounds. Yet her openness about the method has promoted new false diet rumors. Kelly quickly shut them down, saying, “Fake news that’s going around about me is that I’ve been taking weird pills 4 weight loss or doing weird fad diets. I eat the same stuff I always have. It’s all just made with different flours, sugars, and ingredients”.
Kelly first started showing signs of a new body in the summer of 2018. Fans quickly noticed she looked slimmer and leaner. During a red carpet interview in 2018, she revealed her weight loss journey. She said it was a result of a restrictive new eating plan.
Kelly also says that weight loss didn’t motivate her lifestyle change. Weight loss was only a side effect of her effort to combat another health issue.
Yes, that same autoimmune disease and thyroid problem. She says, “I know the industry loves the weight gone, but for me, it wasn’t really about the weight. For me, it was ‘I am not on my medicine any more’”.
And the reason fans love her is that she keeps it real on Twitter. And that applies even more to dieting and exercise. In November 2018, she tweeted, “This just in, I still hate working out. I’m sweaty, red, and not any thinner. People say it’s good for your heart… but people also say red wine is good for your heart. I mean, I’m just stating facts here people. Who am I to ignore science?”
The Plant Paradox Diet
We said before that Kelly praises The Plant Paradox book for her new leaner and slimmer body. What is the Plant Paradox diet? How does it work?
The Plant Paradox is a book by Dr. Steven Gundry. His best-selling book nixes gluten as well as other “lectins”.
Clarkson tried the lectin-free diet to help with her autoimmune disease and thyroid problem. But she ended up losing weight and looking healthier in the process.
Gundry has also responded to Kelly’s comments, saying, “My wife and I were actually driving in the south of France when we got the word that Kelly Clarkson had come out saying the Plant Paradox had changed her life. I am fan of hers. I like her music and I would love to work with her”.
Now, let’s talk more about The Plant Paradox. It is all about lectins, proteins present in most foods. Legumes, pulses, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits contain lectins in high amounts. According to Gundry and his book, gluten is one type of lectin.
His book explains why he thinks eating lectin is harmful to your body. It is all about evolution. Plants developed this protein as a defense against predators. Lectins disrupt your GI tract and allow bacteria to enter the immune system, causing leaky gut syndrome and inflammation.
In this state, your body attempts to fight a vegetable predator. In his book, he also says eating lectin could cause weight gain because it acts similarly to insulin.
Which foods contain lectins? You can find it in beans and legumes (including soy and peanuts), nightshade veggies (think tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, and peppers), eggs and milk, grains (brown rice and quinoa especially), and more.
Instead, the book advises people to eat grass-fed meat, coconut oil, and vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and greens.
We have to mention that no study shows lectins cause a harmful immune response in healthy people.
Finally Embracing Her Body
In any case, the diet has helped Kelly Clarkson finally accept and embrace her body. She talks about weight fluctuation, saying “Sometimes we’re more fit. I am such a creative person that I yo-yo. So sometimes I’m more fit and I get into kickboxing hardcore. And then sometimes I don’t and I’m like, I’d rather have wine”.
And she has also learned a way to deal with body-shamers. She has had to deal with them since winning American Idol back in 2002. In 2015, she said, “I was the biggest girl in the American Idol cast. And I wasn’t big, but people would call me big. I’ve kind of always gotten that”.
In the same interview, she added, “I think what hurts my feelings for people is that I’ll have a meet and greet after the show, and a girl who’s bigger than me will be in the meet and greet and be like, ‘Wow, if they think you’re big, I must be so fat to them.’ And it’s like, you’re just who you are. We are who we are — whatever size.”
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