Jordin Sparks is known for her strong voice but increasingly she has been getting much more attention for her weight-loss journey. After debuting on American Idol, Sparks says that she had a “wake-up call” at the tender age of 21.

Determined to drop the weight, which she claims led to all kinds of health issues, she started adhering to a regular exercise regimen and clean diet.

All of Jordin’s discipline has lead R&B star to grace the cover of SHAPE. In an exclusive interview, Jordin detailed what her thought process was when she decided to get healthy:

“I just wanted to be healthy,” she says. “I remember thinking, ‘I’m in my prime. I should be happy and fit.’ That was the moment I decided that changes needed to be made.”

According to Jordin, she started slow, walking around her neighborhood, gradually incorporating Zumba and weight training into her workouts.

Jordin has been busy this summer with SHAPE in particular, helping spread the gospel of eating right and remaining active with celebrity trainer Jeanette Jenkins through the very popular SHAPE Summer Beach Tour. And you can catch Jordin star in the remake of Sparkle next month.

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11 Comments

  1. I wonder if it was really health issues or if Hollywood put the pressure on her to lose weight.

    • @Val: Good question. It was probably a combination of both you know? At least she is not Jennifer Hudson thin (size 0 which seems unhealthy and perhaps drastic for someone who was a size 16 a year before who says she has done NO surgery at all and just works out and eats a little better.)

    • @Val:

      maybe they just decided that they are young, in the spotlight and need to put their best foot forward? being overweight and young is not all that cute, especially in their position.

      maybe they decided they want to be more like leading ladies and not the goofy, safe friend for acting roles?

      maybe they looked around, saw they were eating too much and not exercising and decided to lose frickin weight?

      usually when you decided to eat better and exercise, the weight comes off.

      i swear, black women had no problems with these girls being large, but have all kinds of issues when they are smaller.

  2. She looks good and if she is young and gets the message that she wants to be healthier and happier then so be it. Thats good. But you can’t help wonder if for her work in acting and singing if there was added pressure. Im sure there was because that is the nature of the beast. Even people like America Ferrera who are hired to play “big” roles are pressured to slim down at some point

  3. She’s photo chopped n screwed. I saw her in LA and she is curvy, not white-girl thin like this cover. No hate just real testimony

  4. smh…

    black women just hate the very idea of not being plus-sized.

    she’s not even skinny. she just looks healthy.

  5. I hate that people have the idea that when someone loses weight they’re “pressured” to it some kind of mold. I lost over 30 pounds in less than a year by yes — walking in my neighborhood and eating healthier foods. The weight melted right off, due to some simple lifestyle changes.
    I moved to a new city, settled into a new job, and social activities that threw me off the wagon so I gained about 15 pounds of it back in less than a year. I’m currently getting back on the ball and know that the weight will come off again, because like I said, I purposed to change my ways.

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