Carrie Underwood doesn’t work out to be a certain size anymore


Carrie Underwood has a new interview with People Magazine promoting her partnership with Bodyarmour sports drink. As extra as Carrie can be, I think she’s a good spokesperson for fitness-related products. She seems strong and you can tell from her interviews that she genuinely loves working out. Carrie told People that she used to work out to be a certain size, which she’s said in the past. I remember an interview where she said she used to write down everything she ate. She did that to lose weight after she gained fame at an early age on American Idol. Carrie told People that her exercise goals have changed and that she now works out to feel strong and live longer. She’s only 39! “Longevity” is surely relative in her industry though and she needs to be fit in order to perform.

“I feel like earlier in my career I was working out more to be a certain size or fit into a certain aesthetic that I thought I wanted to be,” she tells PEOPLE about kicking off her career at age 22 after winning American Idol. “And now I feel like I work out more to be strong and to have energy and longevity.”

“It really is playing the long game, right?” she says. “I’ve worked out a whole lot and been frustrated because it wasn’t the results that I wanted. I feel like now at this point in my life, you really do learn that it is a lifestyle, it’s balance. It is overall taking care of yourself.”

“It really is playing the long game, right?” she says. “I’ve worked out a whole lot and been frustrated because it wasn’t the results that I wanted. I feel like now at this point in my life, you really do learn that it is a lifestyle, it’s balance. It is overall taking care of yourself.”

“When I’m at home, I feel like I’m mom-ing it. I’m doing the laundry, packing the lunches, I’m always cleaning,” Underwood explains. “So when I’m on the road and I live on a bus or in a hotel room, I’m not having to do all that stuff so it frees up a little time. My schedule is still very regimented and there’s all this stuff that I do, but my mornings are a little bit more flexible.”

The “Before He Cheats” singer says that keeping up her fitness is essential to make it through her concerts. “It’s surprisingly physical being on stage — there’s a lot of cardio. I’m running around in heels and I honestly write songs that I don’t give myself time to breathe,” she quips.

[From People]

I like this approach and need to take it. Over the holidays I overindulged and got back to my pandemic weight. While it’s only a few pounds I’ve been hard on myself about it. It would be a relief to stop focusing on the number on the scale and think about feeling better in general. It’s a paradigm shift to think of it as playing the long game and striving for balance, not an ideal. Also, recently I quit the punishing workouts I’ve was doing to focus more on dance fitness. I may not be getting fit as quickly, but I actually enjoy going to gym and have a better time.

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21 Responses to “Carrie Underwood doesn’t work out to be a certain size anymore”

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  1. B says:

    It’s those amazing quads. 🙂
    I aspire to that level of self care.

  2. Marisa says:

    The older I get, the more I realize that weight management has everything to do with eating and very little with exercise. I work out hard every day and love it for my mental health and physical strength, endurance and heart health. So this resonates with me. However! I find it hard to take seriously when a teensy tiny celebrity says something like this. She may not exercise for weight loss, but I would imagine she eats very, very little. It’s a deft PR move because she doesn’t say that she doesn’t care about her weight, just that that’s not why she works out. Rings a bit hollow to me.

    • Same says:

      eh, she doesn’t just have muscle tone, she has muscle mass — you don’t get those quads by nibbling lettuce. Assuming that she eats very little is negating the very clear work she is doing in the gym.

      • Mabs A'Mabbin says:

        I have shown my family her quads. Her muscular physique is phenomenal, and those muscles look like pure protein lol.

    • Myeh says:

      I’m a weightlifting coach and nutritionist. In order to maintain her muscle she has to eat a lot more than you think. My client’s who are the same size, age, similar body composition eat anywhere between 1600-2400 calories a day depending on active versus rest days. The majority of their food is lean protein, vegetables, grains, supplements and protein shakes. When you know how to eat clean and exercise to maintain your acquired muscle it’s like having a second job or hiring a professional to make sure you eat enough. Eating 1600-2400 calories of processed or junk food isn’t satiating but eating like you are fueling your body is another workout. The goal is to get away with eating the most whilst maintaining or doing body recomposition

      • MF says:

        Yeah, when it comes to diet, there’s a HUGE difference between maintaining a certain number on a scale vs. maintaining a certain of amount of muscle mass (or level of fitness).

        Also, it is absolutely wrong to assume that all women of this size eat very little. Everyone is different! I am Carrie Underwood’s height, and I probably weigh a little less than her. I don’t “early very little”; in fact, I eat more than most women I know. I just happen to have a pretty high metabolism.

    • Becks1 says:

      She gave an interview several years ago (maybe when she was trying to work out to maintain that certain weight or whatever) where she talked about what she ate in a day. It was one of those interviews that made me think, “nope, I’d rather be my current weight than eat like that.” It was something like a hardboiled egg for breakfast, spinach and grilled chicken for lunch with no dressing or cheese or anything happy, and then before she went on stage she would have half a granola bar. And that was basically it. And lots of water.

      I think she has to have changed since then bc she does have well developed muscles, but that interview has stuck in my head bc the tone of it was very praise-worthy, very much “oh carrie underwood is so disciplined!” and it just screamed sadness to me. (I think she was married or engaged but did not have kids yet?)

      That interview and the one with Julianne Moore where she was like “everyone in hollywood is hungry” just make me realize…..stardom is not for me, lol. (because thats the only thing between me and being a big star, haha.)

      • AMA1977 says:

        I love food. I love cooking, I love baking, I love eating, I love feeding people. My happy place is when I’ve just come home from grocery shopping and the fridge/pantry is full and I’ve got dinners for the week planned out.

        I decided last year that at 45, this was my last best chance to lose the weight that had crept up since I had kids, and I made changes to my eating habits that have helped me lose almost 30 pounds. I eat everything, just not all the time. It works for me. If I had to forego the pleasure that “happy foods” (love that you call it that!) bring, I would be miserable. You do you, Hollywood (and Nashville too?) but I’ll budget for chocolate cake or fresh, hot sourdough bread with butter any day.

      • Sarah says:

        Yes, she has consistently given interviews where she talks about how little she eats.

  3. Abby says:

    Carrie’s legs have been GOALS for me for a long time. I have no doubt she’s very strong.

    I like this mindset. I work out 3-5 times a week, and have for years. It makes me happy and I feel fit and strong. The only way my weight will change is if I change my diet. I’m at a maintenance level right now, although I’d like to lose a few pounds. But I’m not willing to be extreme on diet. I like good tasty food, I like a glass of wine while making dinner, I like my Girl Scout cookies. I’m tracking macros, but still eating plenty, so it’s taking a while to lose the pounds. I’m also content with where I am though.

  4. Lizzie says:

    Huh, well is she the same size?

  5. RMS says:

    Beloved Celebitches, take heed of her wisdom in terms of working out for longevity. When a difficult illness strikes, I can not stress enough how vital it is that you go into it with minimal co-morbidities and in fighting shape. And to have a mindset of grace with yourself. Its vital to keep moving and eating well and the sooner you can let go of the vanity and embrace the self love of taking care of yourself for your own well being, all the better. Aging is inevitable, but growing old decently is a privilege that has to be earned.

    • MaryContrary says:

      Co-sign, 56 year old

    • Call_Me_AL says:

      Agreed! I am now working out and tailoring my diet not to try to look a certain way but to maintain health and well-being. That does include keeping my weight in the healthy range, so I do weigh myself for feedback on how I’m doing and adjust accordingly.

  6. Joanna says:

    I love that she’s not afraid to look muscular. I think she has always had a great physique.

  7. Mel says:

    I stopped getting on my scale last year. I walk and strength train in order to feel strong and prevent bone loss. I also do a few mobility exercises, for those of us over 50 , please start practicing getting off the floor without using your hands/arms. It might be useful one day.

  8. Elsa says:

    I’ve never been a huge fan of her music, but she is in shape.

  9. Britney says:

    1. Carrie could give JLO a money for most fit female celeb. Props to both Jennifer & Carrie for promoting Fitness & Strength instead of emaciated & starved.

    2. I miss Carrie being involved in Calia fitness. When Carrie was the brand’s ambassador, the line had such style and great quality. Now it’s just like every other retail store athleisure line – cheap & tacky.

  10. Thinking says:

    If she works out, I’d assume she’s eating.

    I’ve tried working out on an empty stomach, and… um… it’s too painful. No thanks.

  11. Emily_C says:

    Throw away the scale. It’s bad for you.