TOP 8 CELEBRITIES WHO SHED POUNDS AND ARE KEEPING IT OFF

1.Tyra Banks 

Being a model can be something of a poisoned chalice. If the model figure alters, everybody takes notice. Which may explain why Tyra Banks, 38, hit the headlines a few years ago after gaining 30 lbs, ballooning to a size 14-16. After famously defending her fuller figure on national TV, she had a change of heart. The model gushed over her new, smaller size, which at one point hit around a size 8: “I might be doing a little TMI (too much information) – I always feel great when I don’t have clothes on.” But it seems Tyra has now chucked out the bacon bits and ice cream for a healthier diet and what is sure to be a rigorous workout regime, and as we have seen, the results are incredible!

2. Marie Osmond

“Doing Dancing With the Stars rehearsals, I was out of breath,” says the singer, who estimates she gained 40 lbs. during the last five years, as she cared for her parents, each of whom battled heart disease at the end of their lives, and struggled in her marriage. Osmond signed up for NutriSystem in August, and paired with DWTS, she dropped allegedly dropped 27 pounds by the November 27 finale. (She lost another 13 lbs. by mid-January.) “I was a size 14 and I cut it down to a size 4!” she boasted.

                                                                3. Queen Latifah                                                              The rapper/actress/model renewed her agreement to serve as Jenny Craig’s celebrity spokesman through 2009. Two years ago, the 41-year-old star, born Dana Elaine Owens, lost 20 pounds on the program, which apparently impressed the Jenny Craig people enough to re-up her. Latifah lost more than five percent of her body weight with Jenny Craig and daily elliptical workouts. “My intention was to lose five to 10 percent of my body weight because it makes a difference with health related issues, and I achieved that goal in a couple of months,” she told People.

                                                                    4. Jordin Sparks

In May, Sparks sat down with Ryan Seacrest and revealed the method she used that motivated her to lose weight. She explained, “Instead of just talking about being active, I made it a priority. I was turning 21 and New Year’s was coming and it was like, ‘I’m not going to start my resolution on New Year’s Day, I’m going to try to start it early and just stick to it.’” Although she hasn’t explained how exactly she lost the weight, but based on her Twitter account, Jordin is mixing up her fitness routine with running, boxing, and Zumba. She even hits Zumba classes with her mom, which are taught by a family friend. Sparks has been so confident about her new body that she tweeted the picture above, showing off her svelte figure.

                                                                 5. Jennifer Hudson

The 30-year-old star and international spokeswoman for Weight Watchers lost 80 pounds in 2010, and not only has she managed to keep it off, but it actually looks like she’s losing even more weight. Hudson went from a size 22 to a single digits in just one year! In September of this year, Jennifer Hudson opened a weight loss center in her home city of Chicago. “I never thought I would make it to have my own center, I’m so honored to be here and see this day.”

                                                             6. Kelly Osbourne

As the daughter of Sharon and Ozzy, and one of the stars of the iconic reality show The Osbournes, Kelly Osbourne has been taunted and criticized in the tabloids, not so much for her wild-child ways—or even her drug addiction—but for her weight. “I was called fat and ugly in the press almost my entire life,” says the now 27-year-old. “I understand that being judged by others comes with the territory, but it broke my heart and ruined my self-esteem.” Once she made the decision to eat healthy and work out, spurred after her stint on Dancing With the Stars, it only took Kelly about a year to lose to a total of 50. “I used to eat chips and cookies and drink soda all day long,” she admits. “I had to start making better choices.” She still sticks to her diet, but at 5’2″ and near 112 pounds, she doesn’t want to lose any more weight, so she’s added back in some of her old favorites like pizza, brie cheese and cookies.

                                                               7. Melissa Joan Hart

The former Sabrina, the Teenage Witch star was “horrified” by less than flattering beach pictures that circled the Internet, which bloggers were quick to attack. Like many people, seeing photos of herself in a bathing suit in pictorial form was a wake-up call that she needed to focus on fitness. The weight was left over after giving birth to her sons Mason, and Braydon. Melissa is honest about the fact that it took hard work and more than a year to get from 155 pounds down to a weight of 113 in 2009. “It didn’t happen by magic, it was as hard for me as it would be for anyone else.” And from all her new television ventures, it looks like the actress is holding down her weight well

                                                              8. Valerie Bertinelli

It says a lot about your commitment level when you sign up to be the spokesperson for Jenny Craig. When Valerie began her weight loss journey, she weighed 172 pounds. A little over two years, and 47 pounds, later, the scale read 125. “I lost the first 40 in the first year,” she says. It’s an ongoing process, but Valerie says she has finally started to let her food obsession go. “It’s still, for me, very new. This is the longest I’ve ever kept weight off before,” she says. Valerie says the Jenny Craig diet works for her because while there are plan-specific meals, she can also eat something of her own. “For dinner last night I had salmon and some veggies and a glass of champagne,” she says. Nice to know a good diet doesn’t have to be so strict.