14 DAY TRIAL // Celebrity weigh-loss battles and success stories are a dime a dozen these days, which is why perhaps only few still manage to get the headlines. Sherri Shepherd’s case is different: the “View” co-host started packing weight immediately after joining the team of the popular talk-show, so, back in May, she promised publicly that she would start working out again. Today, she is able to pose in nothing but her swimsuit for the latest cover of OK! magazine, having lost an amazing 41 pounds and dropped ten dress sizes.
Shepherd admits saying in front of the cameras that she wanted to lose weight was the hardest thing she ever did, not that it pained her to own up to something she already knew (namely that she had gained weight), but because she soon came to realize she truly had to make good on her promise. However, when she saw the kind of reactions she was getting from women all over the world and how so many were inspired by her example, all became easier and she could focus on losing weight, the star admits.
“This is my marathon. I lost weight last year and started gaining it back because I wasn’t exercising. I said to my producer, ‘Why don’t we do something where I tell people ‘Let’s do it together!’ and maybe [up the ante with] a bathing suit.’ The minute I said that, I was like, ‘Gosh, I should take it back because I really want M&M’s!’ But I had to do it. Then all of sudden I had all these people doing it with me. I’d Tweet about going to the gym and how hard it was, and followers would write and say, ‘Sherri, I’ve lost two pounds!’ I thought, ‘Okay, people are getting into this.’” 42-year-old Sheri says for OK!
So she started working out with a personal trainer, whom she still refers to as “The Evil One,” and overhauled her diet completely. Now that she’s 41 pounds slimmer and proud to don a bathing suit and, most importantly, not be afraid to pose for pictures in it, Sherri has to concentrate on keeping the weight off without the trainer. She has started a trapeze class (to strengthen her arms) and tennis, an older passion of hers. To stay as fit as she is now for longer, the star is also taking salsa lessons, burning calories the fun way.
A self-confessed “non-cooker,” Sherri has also managed to overhaul her diet with the help of the Fresh Diet. The secret to sticking to a more strict eating plan is to allow one day a week to indulge cravings. “Sometimes I just said, ‘I don’t want tilapia anymore; I can’t even deal with salad. I want M&M’s and Ruffles.’ But the difference was I was gonna get back up and go to the gym and keep my commitment. I never once felt like I deprived myself.” Shepherd says for the aforementioned magazine.