HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Former "American Idol" contestant Mandisa Hundley is opening up about her dramatic weight loss and getting the last laugh on judge Simon Cowell.
During her audition on "Idol's" fifth season, Cowell joked that the show would need a "bigger stage" to accomodate the California native, but Hundley has since lost 80 pounds after struggling with weight issues throughout her life.
"When I saw Simon the next time, I told him I forgave him because an important part of my faith is forgiving others because I have been forgiven," Mandisa tells Entertainment Tonight. "I will never forget that reaction: the look on his face — humbled and giving me a big hug. I have never seen him like that before. That is why I say I am grateful even for the difficult things that happened because they turned out working out for my good"
Mandisa was in the midst of working on her new album "Freedom" when she suddenly felt the desire to take control of her weight.
"It was the combination of me being in the recording studio and singing, 'My Deliverer Has Set Me Free,' my first single, and I had a show in South Dakota and I went to Mt. Rushmore," she explains. "In my mind, I am recording this song that says I have been set free, and while I am thinking about that, I am walking up this incline to see Mt. Rushmore and it was so hard. I was breathing heavy. I was sweating and my legs hurt. I realized, I had not been set free. I couldn't stand on the stage and tell people they could be set free, too. When I got home from Mt. Rushmore, I hired my personal trainer and that is when we developed an eating plan that I could live with the rest of my life, not a quick fix. I also started working with my counselor."
The 33-year-old singer says her weight loss can be attributed to a lifestyle change and not simply a crash diet.
"I don't believe in diets, because I have lost weight on them all, but the thing about diets is that you have the mindset that you stop a diet when you are done losing weight," she says.
In addition to hiring a personal trainer, Mandisa focused on eating lean meats like chicken and fish, while also paying attention to her daily fiber intake. She also leaned on her faith.
"When I am tempted by the Krispy Kremes and the fast food, I have scriptures with me," she tells ET. "I turn to those scriptures and they help me to resist temptation. One temptation at a time adds up. That is how I have been able to conquer it: one day at a time."
Check out the latest video of Mandisa's series following her weight loss.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1sOS4_EKpQ&feature=related]
- Comment
