By Linda Carroll

Jordin Sparkshad always been a chunky girl, loving food and comfortable with her plus-sized shape. But a bout of illness back in 2010 spurred her to healthier habits and now, after losing 50 pounds, the singer-actress is showing off the results on red carpets, and the covers of Redbook and Shape magazines.

Sparks talked about her weight loss and her role in the upcoming movie, "Sparkle," with TODAYs Savannah Guthrie.

I got really sick in the fall of 2010 right after Broadway Sparks told Guthrie. And I was just like, I am not going to take my health for granted anymore. This changes right here, right now.

The first step for Sparks was to take a closer look at her eating habits.

I was really evaluating what I was eating, when, she said. "And why I was eating it. I love food and so I was just eating because it tasted good. I kind of re-evaluated that. Now I definitely listen to my body first.

But Sparks knew that cutting back on food wasnt the whole answer. She decided she would get in shape, and started working out, too.

I just took baby steps because I was so fatigued from what I was sick with, she told Guthrie. Just doing baby steps and getting more into physical activity and then eventually I found a trainer. And Ive just been trying to keep it up. Its a day by day thing. Its been a year and a half and I feel good.

While most people are happy for Sparks, theres been some grumbling on the internet from those who feel theyve lost a plus-sized role model. "Jordin Sparks' weight loss is a big disappointment," said one headlineon the Cafemom blog.

But weight expert Kelly Allison says its far better for Sparks to be a role model for getting healthier.

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Jordin Sparks took 'baby steps' to 50-pound weight loss

NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Weight loss is a common goal for thousands of individuals throughout the United States. While the truth is that the combination of a healthy meal plan, regular exercise routine, and a weight loss supplement like Hydroxycut is the best way to approach any weight loss effort, there are other changes that a dieter can make to improve their success. One of these changes, according to NBC News, is to skip eating lunch out and, instead, pack a lunch from home.

The article reports that opting to cook one's own food, instead of dining at fast food joints or restaurants, is the best way to maximize efforts regarding a healthy diet.

"Eating meals in restaurant[s] may result in lack of control over calorie intake," notes the article. "Women who ate lunch outside their home at least once a week lost five fewer pounds on average, compared with those who ate out less often. The more meals out that women ate, particularly lunches, the less weight the women lost. And fast food can't be blamed, according to the study, because only 10 percent of participants reported frequenting fast-food restaurants."

The bottom line, then, is maintaining an understanding of how many calories are consumed to better manage a weight loss plan. According to the makers of Hydroxycut, having greater control and tracking the food that is consumed will assist in making healthier choices and sticking to an established weight loss routine. Diners who opt to eat out, regardless of if they choose to visit a local fast food joint or a sit-down restaurant, give up the control they need to ensure that their meals meet their dietary goals.

In a recent press statement, the makers of Hydroxycut remarks: "Eating out is, for many people, more about the experience than about the actual food. While it is certainly nice to have someone else cook the meal and clean up after it's over, it is possible to create a similar experience in the home while maintaining control over caloric intake."

The makers of Hydroxycut encourage dieters to approach home-cooked meals as an experience in the same way they would a night out. Getting dressed, cooking a full and balanced meal, and enjoying the time to relax are key.

ABOUT:

Hydroxycut is America's #1 best-selling weight loss supplement brand. The key ingredients (lady's mantle extract, wild olive extract, komijn extract, and wild mint extract) in Pro Clinical Hydroxycut have been shown to reduce BMI and promote weight loss for subjects in two clinical studies. In fact, the average weight loss with these key ingredients was 20.94 lbs. in one 12-week study and 16.50 lbs. in one 8-week study. All groups followed a calorie-reduced diet.

Hydroxycut is produced in multiple forms, including Pro Clinical Hydroxycut Caffeine Free, Hydroxycut Herbal, and more.

For more information, visit http://www.hydroxycut.com.

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The Makers of Hydroxycut™ Encourage Dieters to Pack a Lunch, Avoid Eating Out

The Real Housewives Of New Jersey Recap: Gone Camping | Home | The Real Housewives Of New York City Preview: Toaster Oven Drama

August 12, 2012 11:15 PM by Gina Hall

Sally is a 45-year old mom and was never considered obese until her 30s. An injury caused her to spend a year in a wheelchair and her weight ballooned up to her 335 pounds. Can Chris Powell save this woman on this installment of Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition?

Chris Powell has his work cut out for him. Sally is a tour bus operator in Washington, D.C. and has a bit of a soda problem. Her fridge is full of soda, a big diet no-no. She realized she was overweight while watching football and realizing that she outweighed many of the players.

At her first weigh-in she comes in at 335 pounds. The dietitianshows Sally that shes drinking over five pounds of sugar every week. Phase One will be to lose lose 85 pounds. Chris Powell will give her a a makeover and a shopping spree if she completes her goal. But Sally breaks down again during one her workouts with Chris.

Sally complains a lot during her workouts and has a hard time sticking to her diet. She admits to being wired to eat wrong. Shes only lost 40 pounds after 50 days. Her husband doesnt seem interested in helping her out at all.

The 90-day weigh-in rolls around and shes eight pounds short at 258 pounds. Her Phase 2 goal will be to lose50 pounds. If she loses the 50 professional surfer, Larry Hamilton, will give her lessons.

Sally completely breaks down once Chris leaves Washington, D.C. Shes not doing her cardio and drinking soda by the pitcher. Chris gives her a surprise visit and weigh-in. She comes in at 263 pounds. Chris indicates that Sallys exercise regimen has failed.

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Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition Recap: Sally

A fat burning weight loss workout that works must: 1. Burn Maximum Calories AND FAT - There is no benefit to calories burned without fat burning and there are soooo many workouts out there that only focus on the calorie burn without ever getting you into the real fat burning zone. Contrary to what you may have heard the fat burning zone isn't some magical place achieved by training at a certain heart rate. It's achieved with intense intervals and short recovery periods that force your body to start using fat as fuel so be sure to HIIT it often if you want to burn more fat. HIIT stands for intensity interval training and burns 9 times more fat than traditional workouts.

2. Be Challenging Yet Scalable - "If the system fails when a quantity increases, it does not scale" Not exactly sure who wrote that but it's true for any system including your body which may be the most intricate system ever. A great weight loss workout should include smart progressions and regressions so that you can train with enough intensity to get results. This means progression on movement patterns your body can handle but regression on exercises that expose your weaknesses. Check out the workout video here to see how easy this is to do.

3. Boost Vitality Not Deplete You - Have you noticed that the hardcore workout mentality is still going strong? It's hard not to want to join these hardcore workout cults but the truth is you don't need to "kill it" or "show up and throw up" or "feel the pain or no gain" to get results. An effective weight loss workout that gets results should not deplete you. It should be challenging but should also improve your body not harm it. Try to remember that exercise is a type of stress that you are imposing on your body in order to increase fitness levels as well as health. There is good stress also known as eustress and bad stress also known as distress and you don't need the later to lose weight and fat. In fact distressing your system will only get the opposite result.

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Fat Burning Weight Loss Workouts

SALT LAKE CITY Multiple pregnancies, weight loss surgery and extreme lifestyle changes can lead to dramatic transformation for some people, but what's left of the body may come as a surprise.

"They have massive amounts of skin still on their lower abdomen, on their buttocks, their lower backs, thighs, their arms, as well as the breasts," said Dr. Brian Reuben, a plastic surgeon at LDS Hospital's Avenues Specialty Clinic. He said most people who are successful at losing 100 pounds or more would like to have excess skin removed to realize a full transformation.

"They often feel trapped in their bodies again and sometimes can't exercise comfortably because of the skin that is hanging down or flapping on their bodies," he said."We can contour and reshape that so they can get their bodies back and be able to have a lifestyle that they're interested in after weight loss."

Body contouring is one of the more popular procedures that Reuben performs as a certified plastic surgeon, and the demand for it is high.The major drawback to the surgery is that most insurance companies don't cover the procedure and it can cost patients anywhere from $6,000 to $25,000, depending on various factors.

Patients receiving body contouring surgery, Reuben said, will have been screened prior to surgery and must be found nutritionally sound and ready for surgery. Blood loss and small wound issues or infections are the most common complications involved, he said.

Reuben and Dr. Adam Taintor, a dermatologist at Intermountain Healthcare's Alta View and Riverton hospitals, will be featured on Saturday's Deseret News/Intermountain Healthcare Health Hotline. From 10 a.m. until noon, the duo will take questions from the public regarding medical concerns and cosmetic procedures dealing with the skin. Anyone interested is welcome to call 1-800-925-8177 during that time.

In addition to body contouring, Reuben performs general plastic or reconstructive surgery, breast augmentations or reconstruction, abdominoplasty and other procedures, including permanent skin rejuvenation procedures in which fat deposits are moved throughout the body to eliminate wrinkles. Non-permanent procedures, such as Botox injections, are less costly per service but don't last as long and often need to be redone, Reuben said.

Abdominoplasty, or "tummy tuck" surgery, is sometimes covered by insurance companies following gastric bypass or banding surgery, but Reuben said it is not enough.

"After such a dramatic change, many individuals need their whole circumference addressed," he said."It's nice to be able to help someone re-establish their life and get the end result that they're interested in."

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Weight loss, skin surgery can lead patients to total transformation