Maria Menounos: Just Because Youre Thinner Doesnt Mean Youre Healthier

Take one look at Maria Menounos's abs, and it's hard to imagine her eating habits as ever being anything but healthy perfection. Yet, as Maria explains in an excerpt of her upcoming book (featured in Ladies' Home Journal's April issue), they used to be anything but.

Starting when she got a job in a doughnut shop at age 13 and all the way up through college, Maria steadily gained weight. In her early 20s, she says she "was tired of feeling tired." So she jump-started her own diet plan and dropped 40 pounds—until she got busy making big career moves and she let her diet suffer again.

MORE: Maria Menounos: Why You SHOULDN'T Want My Body

"The only thing I had time for or thought I had time for was fast food," she writes in the excerpt from her book, The EveryGirl's Guide to Diet and Fitness: How I Lost 40 lbs and Kept It Off—And How You Can Too! (June 2014, Zinc Ink). "I'd eat it at least twice a day. My weight didn't fluctuate—I knew enough to keep my portions small. But there were consequences to eating so much junk. I was in and out of the hospital multiple times for exhaustion, malnutrition, and dehydration."

Thankfully, Maria made some healthy adjustments, and she became the strong, fit superstar we know today.

MORE: Maria Menounos's Favorite Smoothies

As she says in the excerpt, "Just because you're thinner doesn't mean you're healthier." It's a major point that can't be stressed enough. While weight can be an indicator of health, it's definitely not the only one. And as Maria explained, it's totally possible to be "skinny" but unhealthy. (Read more about the hidden dangers of "skinny fat.") To show your body some love, you've got to stay active and learn how to balance eating what you love with eating what your body needs—no matter the number on your scale.

MORE: Maria's Bikini-Tummy Workout

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