Kelly Clarkson gets fit again

Kelly Clarkson embarked on a new exercise and healthy eating regimen to feel more confident about her frame. Just last week, the singer flaunted her new physique at the Billboard Music Awards. Kelly has credited her new relationship with kick-starting her weight loss.

“I have a boyfriend, and if I’m being completely honest, no-one likes to be not toned when you are dating someone. I’m eating better and working out, but I’ve always fluctuated within 20 pounds. My whole life I’ve been like that."

“I tone whenever I want, and I chose to now because my boyfriend and I are both really into it. But we don’t work out together. We did that once and I didn’t like huffing and puffing. I didn’t like looking all red and gross, so I don’t do that.”

"When people talk about my weight, I'm like, 'You seem to have a problem with it; I don't. I'm fine!,' Clarkson said in an interview with Self. "I'm never trying to lose weight – or gain it," she added. "I'm just being!"

Kelly pictured left at the Billboard Awards, noticeably slimmer than before on the right.

Not so happy of an hour: what drinking does to your body

It is Saturday night and you skip dinner and head out for a big girls' night; you can't wait for that first glass of wine. But what is happening to your body on these wild nights out? Let's breakdown an hour of your drinking evening... although a warning, it might ruin your buzz!

Terry Biviano, the wedded WAG

If you live in Australia and own a Foxtel box, you may have watched WAG nation. I imagine the show is meant to be a comedy but I don't know to what extent it 'tries' to be funny, or is just funny in it's pure premise.

The glories of being a professional athlete's girlfriend/fiance/wife are 'showcased', telling tales that may or may not impress you: such as attending fashion week to sit in the fifth row or occasionally scoring a corporate box to watch your man play his sport.

The main WAG Terry Biviano, although she flaunts an irritatingly affected accent, is actually quite an interesting and likeable character. I am shocked a developed this appreciation for her but she won me over! She has set up her own successful exclusive shoe business and seems to have a truly loving and sweet relationship with her now husband Anthony Minichiello, who is an Aussie rugby star.

Terry recently wedded her sweetheart Anthony in a lavish ceremony, wearing an exquisite J'Aton gown.

Yes, I slightly want her life...

Jessica Simpson, when she was a newlywed in daisy dukes

Okay so the last few years for Jessica Simpson may have been quite different from the way we first go to know her, but Miss Simpson is still my poster girl for how to get your body into the best shape of your life. There is no questioning that when Jess was preparing for donning her daisy dukes, she trained intensely and reshaped her eating habits.

Let's take a trip down memory lane shall we....


In 2005, Jess was on a strict regime to ensure she did justice to the Daisy Duke character.


"When I found out I got the role, I went straight to the gym," says Simpson, who hired trainer Michael Alexander, a longtime friend, to work with her six days a week for a month before the shoot and three to four times a week during filming. 

"Any character that has a pair of shorts named after her, you've gotta at least try to make the shorts look as good as you possibly can." Jess also realized her derriere was going to be plastered on 50-ft. screens everywhere, and that was the ultimate motivation.

The actress also said no to her food favorites like bread and banana pudding and adopted what Alexander calls the "Don't Eat Crap Diet": a South Beach Diet-style low-carb, high-protein menu of mostly grilled chicken, fish and green vegetables. 

"I can't deprive myself of things because then I obsess about it and end up eating it anyway," she said. If she did go overboard with her treats, Jess would do an extra intense workout to compromise. "I watched my diet and was in the gym to walk proud," she says. "My body is definitely an accomplishment."

Now Miss Simpson has just had her first child, baby girl Maxwell, with soon to be husband Eric Johnson. So cute.

Highlights from the Met Gala 2012

O M G this look is so fabulous. Karolina Kurkova wowed the crowd at this year's recent Met Gala in an amazing Rachel Zoe creation. I can only imagine Miss Zoe described it as 'I die..'. This isn't a look that many could pull off, but Karolina's supermodel status helps her to carry this mass of sequins, teamed with a matching turban. I am a bit obsessed but don't think I will attempt this look at home. A way to take inspiration from this look is to use a sequinned clutch, skirt or top as part of your usual Saturday night outfit combination.

Some other stunners at the Met Gala this year (well my favourites at least) were:

Emily Blunt (see her cute actor husband on the side) in Calvin Klien looking super sophisticated

Dianna Agron in Carolina Herrera (I love the green colour and her make up)

The amazing January Jones in Versace

Gluten-free chocolate brownies

Decadent and fudgey, these brownies are completely gluten-free and delicious. To scatter some flavour and colour through the dense chocolate cake, I have added some goji berries, which are rich in antioxidants. To break up the rich texture of the brownies, I also incorporated a generous helping of roasted walnuts. Yum!

Gluten-free Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of rice flour
• 1/2 cup of plain gluten-free flour
• a pinch of baking powder
• 1/3 cup of cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup of caster sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 80 grams of organic butter, melted
• 100 ml of almond milk
• 3/4 cup of roasted walnuts, roughly chopped (I roasted mine in the oven for 10 minutes)
• 1/2 cup of goji berries, soaked in boiling water and drained

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease a deep brownie pan or disposable foil tray
2. Sift flours, baking powder and cocoa into a large bowl. Add sugar and stir to combine.
3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add eggs and melted butter. Pour in the goji berries and walnuts. Mix until just smooth.
4. Spread batter into the prepared tin and bake for 25 minutes - you should see the brownie shrinking away from the side of the pan. 
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin before slicing into squares.

Are you feeling food shamed? Telling your diet's truth

Yes yes we heard you, you eat burgers and fries all the time, you're just a total pig. You just have one of those 'fast metabolisms.' We've heard it all before. Celebs like Cameron Diaz speak of their relaxed food plans yet never ever seem to put on any weight? But are they telling the truth? Or maybe the more important question is, why do they feel they have to lie?

Liarexia, as it has been dubbed, is the notion that people eat large amounts of food (or a particular type of food) in public yet strictly limit their portions in private. For fear of being attacked for their food choices, they feel the need to hide their dietary habits by copying what their friends are eating when in social settings.

Women are more critical of their friends’ food choices than men are; one psychologist says, “if you’re overweight and trying to lose weight people will reassure you that one treat won't hurt, but if you’re slim, other women often feel judged if you refuse food — as if you’re highlighting their own lack of control.”

I think it is terrible to judge anyone's food choices, whether you think someone is eating 'too healthy' or 'not eating healthy enough.' Unless there is cause for great concern, let's just revert back to that good old saying, 'it's none of your business!' In my mind, it is quite ridiculous to judge someone else for making healthy food choices.

Women should not feel ashamed to eat a burger if they want, or to eat a salad if they want. The food choices you make are your own prerogative. We all need to be honest about what we want to eat and like to eat to avoid developing disordered eating habits. If what someone else is eating bothers you, the real question may lie with how you really feel about what you are eating. 

Celebs who 'own' their healthy eating and exercise routines are the ones that give the best message to young women - because ladies, nine times out of ten, these bodies don't come for free!

Molly Sims admitted that she must stick to a strict regimen to stay fit and toned. Instead of laying on the couch and snacking on chips all day, she works out at least five days a week and eats a high-fiber, low-calorie diet. 

Jennifer Aniston didn't get her body by eating junk food and skipping exercise. The former "Friends" actress knows that she's over 40 and needs to work extra hard to maintain a fit figure. Her diet consists of high protein foods and lean carbohydrates like oatmeal and brown rice. She also does cardio workouts three times a week and yoga exercises two times a week. 

Since Jessica Alba grew up in an overweight family, she could have easily packed on the weight herself. The feisty Latina, however, put herself on a healthy eating plan when she was just 12 years old. Ever since then, she has been cooking her own meals with healthy ingredients and exercising for an hour each day.

Eating healthy isn't just better for your shape, it is working towards a healthier you, and that is nothing to be ashamed about.