Kelly Clarkson has come a long way since her winning season of American Idol in 2002. The three-time Grammy and eight-time Emmy winner has solidified her spot with an endearing personality and hits that captured the hearts of millions worldwide.

As with all superstars, people have been watching her closely — from tracking her personal life and music career to identifying who she wore, guessing changes to her diet, and more recently because of her incredible weight loss. 

Kelly Clarkson has openly shared details about her transformation across various outlets and interviews. We examined her journey toward wellness more closely, uncovering the changes in her diet and fitness routine and the deeper issues that influenced her weight.

Kelly Clarkson Weight Loss: Body Image, Fame, and Embracing Her True Self

Clarkson started her career as a powerhouse talent from Texas. She eventually made it big, topping the Billboard charts, releasing award-winning albums, and hosting her Emmy-winning talk show.

The top singer has spoken publicly about her body image and weight struggles more than once over the years. In an exclusive interview by Joshua Haigh in Attitude magazine in 2017, she admitted that after her American Idol win, she felt extreme pressure from executives to stay “really skinny” (1). 

After that monumental victory, things got so bad that it soon became one of the darkest times in her life. She almost felt like quitting, saying, “When I was really skinny and unhappy… I was miserable, like inside and out, for four years of my life. But no one cared because aesthetically, you make sense.” Despite staying thin, she said she wrecked her knees and feet by spending too much time in the gym.

Clarkson later clarified that being skinny was a byproduct of her state of mind. In a post on X on October 24, 2017, the singer said, “Just to clear something up. I wasn’t ever miserable because I had to be thin. I said I was miserable, and as a result, I became thin.”

Image credits: @kellyclarkson

In an interview with Glamour in June 2020, Clarkson got candid about her unhealthy era: “I felt more pressure from people actually when I was thin when I was really thin and not super healthy because I just was worn out, just working so hard and not keeping healthy habits” (2).

The harsh lights of stardom took a toll on Clarkson and significantly contributed to her fluctuating body image. She transitioned from being skinny to gaining weight. She was aware of the changes in her body, and at one point, she was just going with the flow. 

In a 2016 interview with Redbook, she expressed powerful self-acceptance, saying, “This [her body] is real, and this is what’s happening right now, this is what I’m rocking” (3).

Her perspective highlighted her commitment to staying true to herself, regardless of public expectations. “I’m just gonna do me and I’m gonna go at my own pace and I’m gonna do my thing,” she continued. “And if I’m skinny one day or bigger one day, that ain’t gonna change how I sound. I still sound pretty dang good.”

Kelly Clarkson’s Battle Against Body Shaming

During a bumpy career and personal life, Clarkson faced significant criticism for gaining extra pounds; however, the singer and talk show host handled the backlash with remarkable grace.

For instance, when comedian Katie Hopkins body-shamed her via a harsh post on X: “Jesus, what happened to Kelly Clarkson? Did she eat all of her backing singers?” (The post has since been removed), The classy star was unfazed and replied in her signature elegant style during an interview with the Heat magazine in 2015: “Oh, and she’s tweeted something nasty about me? That’s because she doesn’t know me. I’m awesome! It doesn’t bother me. It’s a free world. Say what you will” (4).

In the same interview, Clarkson explained why such criticisms didn’t affect her: “I’ve just never cared what people think. It’s more if I’m happy and I’m confident and feeling good, that’s always been my thing. And more so now, since having a family — I don’t seek out any other acceptance.”

Clarkson dodged bad rap exceptionally well. Her body positivity is commendable, and she stood — and continues to stand — as an inspiration for those dealing with doubt about their self-image. In fact, she was at her heaviest (203 lbs) when she got her additional break as an American Idol coach, mentoring the show winner for four seasons.

She told Glamour UK, “I got the No. 1 television show at my heaviest point, because it was right after I had kids, and it was like they didn’t care.” It was a refreshing shift for Clarkson, showing that talent could outshine industry expectations of appearance. 

“Paul (Telegdy, chairman of NBC Entertainment) hired me from NBC because he loved my personality,” she explained. “He loved that I connect with people and I’m really raw and real. It had nothing to do with my sex appeal or my look aesthetically.”

In Clarkson’s view, this approach reflects a broader need for change in entertainment standards. “It had to do with me as a person,” she said, adding, “I think it’s really up to artists to force people to have that mentality.”

While others may have wanted to alter how she looked, she didn’t mind the extra pounds or give them much thought because she was finally happy, comfortable in her skin, and enjoying the fruits of a successful career.

She reminisced about these sentiments on an episode of her show with Whoopi Goldberg as her guest: “It’s funny because people assume, ‘Oh she must’ve been miserable, depressed, whatever,’ and I was like, ‘No I was not.’ I was never insecure about it, I was happy,”

The Wake-Up Call

Kelly Clarkson’s health journey began with a challenging diagnosis. A few years ago, she was informed by her doctor that her blood sugar levels were higher than usual, nearing the threshold for type 2 diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prediabetes means that a person’s blood sugar levels are elevated but not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes (5).

In an episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in January 2024, with Kevin James as her guest, Clarkson spoke about how she initially ignored her doctor’s warning about her prediabetic status for two years.

“I wasn’t shocked,” Clarkson said. “I was a tiny bit overweight. … They were like, ‘You’re prediabetic. You’re right on the borderline.’ And I was like, ‘But I’m not there yet.’” Having already been diagnosed with a thyroid issue and an autoimmune disease, Clarkson was hesitant to add more medications to her regimen, fearing their impact on her thyroid.

Clarkson’s wake-up call came a couple of years later when she watched a video of herself. She barely recognized her own image: “All of a sudden I paused it, and I was like, ‘Who the f*ck is that?’ You see it and you’re like, ‘Well, she’s about to die of a heart attack,’” Clarkson recalled. This moment and her existing health concerns prompted her to take action.

On the Today Show on June 9, 2018, Clarkson revealed that she had started a new dietary approach after reading Dr. Steven Gundry’s “The Plant Paradox.”

The book’s program, which Clarkson followed, is based on a lectin-free diet designed to manage autoimmune conditions and improve thyroid health. According to Healthline, the Plant Paradox Diet bans lectins — proteins found in many plant foods (6). This approach requires avoiding legumes, dairy, and certain vegetables that contain lectins.

Clarkson committed to the diet, noticing improvements in her overall health. “I literally read this book, and I did it for this autoimmune disease that I had and I had a thyroid issue, and now all my levels are back up,” she said during her interview on Today. She also noted that she hadn’t been working out but still shed 37 pounds due to her dietary changes.

Reflecting on her journey, Clarkson shared, “I know the industry loves the weight gone, but for me, it wasn’t really the weight.” While the weight loss was a welcome bonus, Clarkson was thrilled that her lab results had normalized and she could finally stop taking medications.

How Kelly Clarkson’s Lifestyle Choices Transformed Her Health

Because of her drastic weight loss, people assumed that Clarkson had adopted some wellness trends and took Ozempic, a popular diabetes medicine that many use for weight loss. She clarified multiple times publicly that she had not. 

In the same episode of her talk show with Goldberg, Clarkson admits that at one point, she did take weight loss medication to aid in managing her weight and reduce the risk of diabetes. Goldberg had previously revealed that she also took Mounjaro, a medication that aided in weight loss, but Clarkson said that she took a different one without revealing its name. 

In addition to weight loss medication, the American Idol winner adopted other lifestyle changes for her long-term health. Among her most significant changes was when Clarkson and her kids moved to New York City from Los Angeles in 2023.

In an interview with People earlier this year, Clarkson explained that she needed to leave LA for her mental health: “I was very unhappy in LA and had been for several years. I needed a fresh start.”

Living in New York helped her overall wellness. It allowed her to stay active, and all the walking in the city has been particularly beneficial for her cardiovascular health. 

She told People she spends her days out and about: “We walk the dogs a few times at the park. We’ll go for ice cream because my daughter will wear me down. We’ll go make slime and we go to the museum.” She jokingly added, “Walking in the city is quite the workout.”

Clarkson mentioned that she’s tried additional things to help her overall wellbeing: “I’m really into infrared saunas right now. And I just got a cold plunge because everybody wore me down.”

As for food, she keeps things real with a balanced diet of protein-rich foods. “I eat a healthy mix,” she told People. “I dropped weight because I’ve been listening to my doctor — a couple of years I didn’t. And 90 percent of the time I’m really good at it because a protein diet is good for me anyway. I’m a Texas girl, so I like meat — sorry, vegetarians in the world!”

Thankfully, it isn’t all deprivation, as the singer indulges now and then with her kids. “I still splurge. The other night, I had a frozen yogurt with my daughter, and it was magical,” she shared.

Today, Clarkson maintains a healthy diet and tweaks the ingredients in food to make them better for her health. “It’s the same stuff you eat — I just use different ingredients,” she said. “Even like fried chicken, I use cassava flour, tapioca, or almond flour, and you use non-hormone chicken.”

Slimmer, Stronger, and Unbothered: Kelly Clarkson’s Take on Health and Happiness

Whatever critics or haters say, Clarkson’s transformation is impressive. Cumulatively, she’s lost around 60 pounds and likes being slimmer. Her motivations differ; she has learned to prioritize her health, family, and happiness. 

When people commend her on her new figure, she still throws light humor in her replies. In the November 2023 episode of her show with twins Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush as guests, Clarkson said, “I love losing weight, but here’s the thing, jeans are so hard when you have a butt and a smaller waist.”

Throughout her career, she’s remained pretty honest about her health and wellness journey, admitting to moments of struggle, her wake-up call, and her path toward a healthier mind and body.

Her overall outlook on health and weight loss can be summed up in a post she wrote on X in February 2020: “True power is recognizing the projection of others negativity and punching it square in the face w/all the positive, remarkable, intelligent, beautiful light that seeps from ur pores. Pity people that speak ill of others because while some of us r dancing, the others r too afraid.”

Image credits: @kellyclarkson

References

1. Joshua Haigh. “Kelly Clarkson opens up about the darkest time in her career.” Attitude, October 26, 2017. | https://www.attitude.co.uk/culture/film-tv/kelly-clarkson-opens-up-about-the-darkest-time-in-her-career-294126/
2. Josh Smith. “Kelly Clarkson reveals people put images of naked women in front of her & said ’this is what you’re competing with’ in a body shaming act.” Glamour UK, June 16, 2020. | https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/kelly-clarkson-interview-2020
3. Mallory Schlossberg. “Kelly Clarkson: ’If I’m Skinny One Day or Bigger One Day, That Ain’t Gonna Change How I Sound.’” Redbook, November 2, 2016. | https://www.redbookmag.com/life/a46827/kelly-clarkson-motherhood-body-image/
4. Heat. “After Katie Hopkins calls her ‘fat’, Kelly Clarkson says: ‘Who is she?’” Heatworld, March 3, 2015. | https://heatworld.com/celebrity/news/katie-hopkins-calls-fat-kelly-clarkson-says/#.VPhZXPmsXC8
5. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “What is Prediabetes?” CDC, 2024. | https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention-type-2/prediabetes-prevent-type-2.html 
6. SaVanna Shoemaker. “What Is the Plant Paradox Diet, and Does It Work?” Healthline, April 24, 2023. | https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/plant-paradox-diet

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