Two years ago Hilary Duff’s weight was a hot topic of discussion in the tabloids. “I admit, I took it to heart,” she says. She put herself on a diet and then was criticized for being too thin.
“That threw me for a loop,” she says. “First I was too fat, then I was too skinny! I realized that I couldn’t make anyone happy but myself.”
In the latest issue of Shape magazine, Hilary talks about the flack over her weight and how she bounced back to reclaim her self-confidence:
Never say diet Like many women, Hilary has had a love-hate relationship with her body. “I definitely felt the pressure to lose weight,” she recalls. “So my best friend and I decided to get into shape. We started eating only protein and veggies.
No bread, no desserts. I wasn’t starving myself, but I wasn’t eating a balanced diet and I did get too thin. At the time I didn’t realize what I was doing to my body.” It was her sister, Haylie, who gave her a reality check. “She said, ‘Hilary, look at your arms – they’re too skinny! That’s not healthy.’”
She and Haylie, who share a house in L.A., started cooking together and making dishes such as grilled chicken with brown rice and their new favorite vegetable, broccolini, a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese kale, steamed, then lightly sautéed in olive oil and lemon juice.
“I learned that you have to balance things. If I’m going to eat bread, I’ll skip dessert, or if I know I want dessert, I won’t have pasta. Once I started eating healthier, I put on weight and looked much better,” she says. “When I see the pictures of me at my thinnest, I know I never want to look like that again.”
Because of this experience, Hilary got involved with “Stay fit. Eat right. Looking good, California!” This campaign for teenagers encourages them to eat nutritiously and exercise. “I want to inspire people to have a healthy mind-set,” Hilary explains.
“Everyone needs food that gives them the energy they need to be active- and they should have fun.”
Know what works for your body Four days a week Hilary practically skips to her Pilates class at V Pilates, a studio near her home. “You’ll never hear me say, ‘Ugh, I have to go to Pilates,’” says Hilary. “I love what it does for my body. It keeps me toned and feeling strong. That’s all the motivation I need.”
At home she and Haylie jump into their pool, alternating between doing laps and treading water. “Swimming firms you up,” she says. “You use muscles you didn’t even know you had.”
Her favorite trick to do on the road is to grab two full water bottles, put on a fast song, and do some biceps curls, arm lifts, and triceps extensions. “I’m not crazy about my arms,” she admits. “But just doing these exercises is empowering.” [via]