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From Flab to Fab: Carrie Underwood’s Weight Loss Journey
Carrie Underwood’s weight loss journey has been the talk of the town recently. She revealed her strict diet and exercise helped her achieve this goal quickly.
Most of us constantly wonder about how celebrities maintain their bodies and look stunning despite major life changes. Carrie Underwood’s weight loss has been one such instance we all are wondering about. Most of these celebrities seem to navigate through the weight loss journey quite seamlessly and that makes us even more curious. Carrie Underwood has been talked about in almost every household since she recently lost a considerable amount of weight post her pregnancy — and all this in a very short amount of time.
It seems like lifestyle changes including diet and exercise and an active life seem to be key factors in her transition. As a woman in her 30s, it was quite a challenging task for her to lose the post-pregnancy weight. And if you are struggling to lose weight as well, it's completely understandable. However, Carrie seems to have tackled this issue very well. Taking some cues from these lifestyle changes may also help one of you try to create this desired change.
Who Is Carrie Underwood?
Carrie Underwood is a famous American actress, songwriter, and singer. She was the winner of the 4th season of American Idol in 2005. Ever since then, she has delivered countless music hits like “Blown Away”, “Before he cheats” and “Jesus, take the Wheel”. She has won a plethora of awards throughout her career. She has won several Grammy awards and Country Music Association awards. You may have also seen her on screen as an actress in films and TV shows like “Sound of Music Live!” and “Blue Bloods”.
Apart from the glamorous world of song and acting, she is a well-known philanthropist who has contributed to various charitable causes like animal welfare, disaster relief, and education.
She is a mother to two beautiful children and revealed that she had put on a lot of weight post her 2nd pregnancy in 2019. She worked extremely hard to shed those extra pounds post-pregnancy.
Carrie Underwood’s Weight Loss Journey
Carries Underwood’s weight loss journey started after her winning streak in 2005 on American Idol. Putting on those extra pounds did not just bring in harsh comments from people but also led to Carrie feeling a lack of energy and buying clothes one size bigger each time. When she went on tour with her co-contestants from American Idol, she started looking into her weight and diet for a healthier life. She started to take into consideration her calorie intake and exercise routine. There was a lot of effort put into managing her calorie intake which would often amount to only 800 calories per day. She also adds in 30-second stretches 3 times a day before her meals.
This change in her diet and exercise routine improved her sleep and gave her a much-needed boost in energy. Talking about the benefits of dietary changes and a good exercise routine, our contributor Mary Sabat, RDN, LD and Ace Certified Trainer, shares, “Eating a healthy diet and working out can improve sleep in several ways. A balanced diet rich in nutrients can regulate hormones and neurotransmitters that affect sleep, such as melatonin and serotonin. Regular exercise can promote better sleep by reducing stress and anxiety, increasing body temperature, and improving overall sleep quality.” She is a mother of two and as you see her lifestyle now has her looking gorgeous and radiant.
While being a mother and having a successful career as a singer and actress, she took on the weight loss challenge. She followed a healthy nutritious diet while working out to achieve the amazing body she has today.
Carrie Underwood’s Weight Loss Diet Plan
Carrie Underwood lost 50 pounds in recent times by following a strict diet consisting of small portions and a lot of exercises. Food is an essential component of life and it provides us with the nutrition required for us to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It seems like a natural step to then manage your diet if you wish to lose weight. Carrie Underwood’s diet would include fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins, and lean meat with low carbs. She has three meals a day which include eggs, chicken, green tea, vegetables, and other lean meats. She also limited her intake of processed foods and sugar to maintain a healthy diet.
Sharing some tips to limit the intake of sugar and manage sugar cravings, our contributor Mary Sabat says, “To stop sugar cravings, you can try several strategies. First, reduce your sugar intake gradually to avoid sudden cravings. Opt for healthier alternatives like fruits or dark chocolate to satisfy your sweet tooth. Stay hydrated, as thirst can sometimes be mistaken for hunger. Also, ensure your meals are balanced with protein, fiber, and healthy fats to stabilize blood sugar levels, which can help reduce cravings. Lastly, get plenty of sleep and manage stress, as fatigue and stress can exacerbate cravings.”
Breakfast
The diet plan places importance on having your breakfast as it is the most important meal of the day. Do not skip breakfast, it is the fuel you need for your brain to function (1). Carrie says that breakfast for her would be either a vanilla smoothie with pea protein powder, almond milk, and ice, a bowl of berries, and half a banana or a tofu scramble with vegetables that are easily available like spinach, peppers, onions, and some salsa on top.
If there is a plan to work out in the morning she has an orange or a grapefruit. Along with this a cup of black coffee to give her the much-needed caffeine boost.
What is quite peculiar here is that there are no fancy ingredients and there’s zero fuss. When you are a mother of two and have a plethora of chores around the house with your toddlers, a quick breakfast is all you need.
Lunch
Carrie calls herself 95% vegan. She isn’t picky about her food and wouldn’t fuss at a restaurant but has preferred the vegan life for a while now. Since she turned vegan Carrie has been consuming mock chicken. She likes to add vegetables to her mock chicken and make a stir fry.
Snacks
We all love snacking and it’s almost an uncontrollable urge for some of us. This is one meal most of us may end up eating unhealthy. Carrier Underwood's diet made sure she had space for snacking. She snacks on protein bars! Now, you may want to buy these protein bars with caution. Make sure you read the label and ingredients as some protein bars may contain a high amount of sugar and calories. Some of them also have other additives that you’d rather avoid.
The good news is that you can also make protein bars at home. Protein bars with a combination of granola, flaxseeds, dates, sesame seeds, and organic jaggery as a sweetener are easy to make at home. And if you are craving something savory, popcorn or kale chips may be your options.
Dinner
Carrie Underwood’s most interesting meal may just be her dinner. When you are on a diet you expect salads, soups, or even just a smoothie. But Carrie has vegan burgers at dinnertime. The burger is all vegetarian and sometimes may have some tofu in it.
You can prepare a homemade burger with healthy ingredients and relish it. You may want to avoid a burger especially if it has loads of barbeque sauce. A healthier option is maybe 3 oz of grilled fish with some suited veggies. A cup of clear chicken soup or mushroom soup would also do the trick.
Carrie has been quite mindful about what she ate before her shows. She would make sure she kept away from starch before her shows. She hasn’t been a fan of the no-carb policy so she has lots of fruits and veggies but lays off the breads.
Carrie Underwood’s Workout Routine
Carrie Underwood’s workout routine has been very consistent is what she shared in her interviews. She also shared how when she was growing up she wasn't too sporty and if she would have kept on that path it wouldn’t have ended well.
Her workout would include doing 30 minutes of aerobics four times a week. Three times a week she would engage in strength training (2), (3).
This regimen would help her lose fat while building muscle strength. She would also run on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Her exercise routine had dynamic sets of squats and push-ups as well. All this would help her have a good posture, flexibility and have a good core workout.
Carrie has also been great at giving us "couple goals" as she loves to work out with her husband as well.
Just like her diet, she had a special routine exercise pre-show. Excessive time in the gym or rigorous workouts with more sets or reps wouldn’t necessarily mean it's a better workout. This may actually tire you and give you muscle pain (4).
Carrie Underwood makes sure that she does more cardio and less strength training than usual. She says that while strength training is important she doesn’t want to look muscular on a red carpet. It’s better to focus on doing stretches and having a healthy meal before you show up for any event. Clearly, all you new mommies would have to take care of your lifestyle if you wish to shed those pregnancy pounds.
Conclusion
The weight loss journey for any new mom is definitely an uphill task. Carrie Underwood's weight loss journey surely is inspiring and gives you cues into working on your own body. Eating clean, exercising well, and spending time with yourself and your family are key ingredients to a healthy and balanced life post-pregnancy. It’s quite evident that lifestyle changes will contribute to your desired goals way more than you may have expected. Remember that it’s not just about looking good, but also feeling good. Don’t take stress and enjoy your weight loss journey without worrying much about the results.
Contributor: Mary Sabat, RDN, LD, Ace Certified Trainer - Body Designs Ltd.
Sources:
1.Breakfast in Human Nutrition: The International Breakfast Research Initiative
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5986439/
2. Aerobic exercise alone results in clinically significant weight loss for men and women: Midwest Exercise Trial-2
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3630467/
3. Effect of exercise training on weight loss, body composition changes, and weight maintenance in adults with overweight or obesity: An overview of 12 systematic reviews and 149 studies
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33955140/
4. Pathophysiology of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage and Its Structural, Functional, Metabolic, and Clinical Consequences
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