Carrie Underwood knows what it feels like to body shamed.
Even back in 2005, long before the social media age as we know it today, the then-aspiring star on American Idol faced criticism about her weight on online message boards. "I shouldn't care what other people think about me," she told Women's Health in a newly published interview as the April 2020 issue's cover star.
Still, the newly famous songstress also felt the effects of what she was eating at the time, telling the magazine, "I was tired, and I kept buying bigger clothes...I knew I could be better for myself, and I let my haters be my motivators."
However, it was a slippery slope for Underwood as she began paying attention to her calorie intake and exercise. Initially, "I was sleeping better, and I had more energy for our grueling schedule," she recalled to the magazine, the benefits spurring her to exercise more and eat less. Per Women's Health, "Some days, she consumed as few as 800 calories."
The diet was not sustainable, with Underwood noting to the magazine that she would "fall off the wagon" and indulge after being restricted, which turned into a cycle.
"Your body is screaming out, I need more calories, I need more carbs!" the performer told the magazine. She also stated she would not call it "disordered eating," but rather a lack of knowledge of what would work for her.
Now a 36-year-old mother of two, Underwood, a self-proclaimed rule lover with her own fitness app, has an exact plan: 45 percent carbs, 30 percent fat, and 25 percent protein all tracked on an app.
And, some days, red wine and The Bachelor.
"I do have my vice," the seven-time Grammy winner told the magazine, "and it's red wine. It's good for my heart, right?!"
The April 2020 issue hits newsstands on March 17.