3 Lessons from Maria Menounos' 40-Pound Weight Loss

I saw a copy of the Aug 24 issue of First for Women magazine in the SparkPeople kitchen the other day, and the beautiful Maria Menounos of "Access Hollywood" and the "Today" show caught my eye. The headline, "Maria Menounos reveals how she dropped 40 lbs & kept it off" isn't breaking news. (You've probably already read about her 40-pound college weight gain and how she lost it in several different magazines over the years.) But she's so likeable and cute, so I peeked inside to see if she had any good tips that might be useful to our readers.

I'm glad I read the story. What became clear to me is that Maria has her head on straight when it comes to food, exercise and weight. How refreshing to see a celebrity who looks great but doesn't obsess over her body. Quite the contrary! She claims that she loves her body now, and even when she was 40 pounds heavier, she told First, "I never really cared about being heavier, but it seemed that everyone else had a problem with it."

Here are the top three lessons I took away from Maria's weight loss story.

1. Don't Set Any Food Off Limits
When asked if she ever completely avoided any food, she has a simple answer: No. "I still ate Oreo cookies but in a controlled, common-sense way. " Maria would read the food labels and stick with a single serving size (3 cookies, in case you're wondering). She learned to choose lower-calorie versions of her favorite foods, such as sugar-free ice cream instead of full-sugar. Today she says that she eats whatever she wants, but keeps things in balance. "If I want a cheeseburger and French fries, I'm going to get it. But I know I can't do that every single day. And I'm going to balance it off and eat healthy the next couple days. "

SparkPeople believes that every food can fit into a healthy diet—as long as you're practicing portion control and moderation. I'm glad to see that Maria agrees with this stance. When I lost my own freshman 40, deciding to stop the "good-food-bad-food" game was a big part of my success, and it still is. When you learn that no food is truly "bad" or off limits, those once tempting foods can really lose their power over you. After all, you can have it anytime you want it, not just when you're "cheating" or "going off your diet." But we do need to indulge within reason, and that's where moderation comes in.

2. Move as Much as Possible
I remember watching an "Access Hollywood" story about Maria's weight-loss workout plan a couple years ago. She paid a personal trainer for one session—all she could afford as a college student—so she could get a workout plan to help her reach her goals. Then, she stuck with that plan for months. On one TV interview, she admitted that she still had the original paper on which her workout plan was written. Her interview with First doesn't go into these details, but she says she doesn't really have a routine per se. (Me, neither.) What she does do is exercise in small bursts whenever she has the time, saying, "Anytime I have a free second, I say to myself, What could I be doing to get ahead in life? And I do that with exercise, too. "

I'm a big believer in small bouts of fitness. I think you CAN get a great workout in 5 or 10 minutes, and when all those small workouts add up, you've done something great. This is perfect advice for people who think they're too busy to exercise. Find small ways to squeeze it in throughout your day (Maria does leg lifts while watching TV, for example) and try to accumulate those minutes. Doing a few minutes here or there is better than making excuses not to exercise, wouldn't you agree?

3. Love Yourself
More women need to be told to love their bodies. I love how Maria says that she "never really cared about being heavier," when reflecting on her college weight gain. I think it shows that she knew she was a smart, successful, amazing woman no matter what her body looked like. "I love my body whether it's flawed or not," she told First, saying that obsessing with weight—as most women do—is no way to live.

Most of us need more practice in the self- or body-love department, so we could take a cue from Maria on this one. I think that when you love yourself and care about yourself, you're more likely to give your body—and mind—the respect and nourishment it deserves by eating better, exercising, getting enough sleep and not obsessing over it all.

There's a lot more to the article in First magazine, such as Maria's go-to snacks and how she designed her own weight-loss program, so be sure to check it out while you can.

Do (or will) you incorporate any of these lessons into your own healthy lifestyle? Do you like to hear how celebrities like Maria Menounos lost weight and kept it off?


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