Carrie Underwood Talks Weight Loss, Says She Used to Take Diet Supplements With Ephedra

The 32-year-old country star and American Idol season 4 winner said that when she was on the FOX show, she was at her heaviest

By Corinne Heller Oct 14, 2015 9:41 PMTags
Carrie UnderwoodNeil Mockford/Alex Huckle/GC Images, Gregg DeGuire / Getty Images

Carrie Underwood says she used to take diet supplements containing a dangerous herb to try to lose weight.

The 32-year-old country star and American Idol season 4 winner told People that 10 years ago, when she was on the FOX show (pictured above, left), she was at her heaviest. She has since slimmed down and also looks fit after giving birth to her and husband Mike Fisher's first child, son Isaiah Michael Fisher, seven months ago. She used a personal trainer to help shed the baby weight. She told the magazine that in the past, she turned to weight loss supplements.

"I was taking things with Ephedra in it," she said in comments published on Wednesday. "It wasn't the best way. If I could go back and talk to myself I'd be like, 'Here's how you do it the right way.'"

In 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of dietary supplements containing the herb Ephedra, a favorite ingredient among people suffering from anorexia. While users often lost some weight with the products, they were also deemed to help cause heart attacks, strokes and even death.

Underwood added in her interview with People that she never developed an eating disorder.

"I wasn't eating enough calories, but it wasn't because I was trying to starve myself," she said. "I just didn't know how many calories I should be eating."

Underwood is featured on the cover of SHAPE magazine's November 2015 issue and talked to the outlet about her dietary habits.

"I'm vegan and I love bread, but recently, I started making dinner a breadless meal," she said. "I'll have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, and I'll make a sandwich on Ezekiel bread for lunch, but in the evening I'll have protein and vegetables and no bread. When I wake up, my belly is flat!"

Underwood revealed how much weight she gained from her pregnancy.

After I had Isaiah, my goal was to take control of my body again. I was lucky: I gained only 30 pounds, which is the recommended amount, and I exercised throughout my pregnancy," she said.

"When I got the OK from my doctor, I started exercising with my trainer," she said. "Now we box and we hike trails, among other things. I like to continually mix up my routines to stay motivated."