Stars Go from Flab to Fab!

• December 15, 2008
• Vol. 70
• No. 24

'I Can't Believe I Was Fat'

By Liz McNeil

After Years of Struggling with Her Weight, Ricki Lake Shares Her Secrets for Keeping Off 140 Lbs.

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From PEOPLE Magazine

In an industry where women are notorious for lying about their age and weight, Ricki Lake refuses to do either. Having turned 40 in September, "I feel like I'm the best I've ever been," she says. What has her feeling so good? Maintaining her 140-lb. weight loss (nearly half her body weight), much of which she shed in 1991. "I have conquered what most everyone seems to have trouble with," says the 5'4, 130-lb. star, who once weighed 270 lbs. "I look at myself now, and I can't believe I was a fat person for most of my life!"

To stay trim, Lake says she is "active, day-to-day," and also relies on the meal delivery program Fresh Dining. "I've worked hard and didn't have [weight loss] surgery," she says. But how does the mom of two stay motivated? Wanting to be healthy for her sons (Milo, 11, and Owen, 7, with her ex-husband Rob Sussman) helps, as does hitting the red carpet, like she did on Nov. 18 for a benefit for the New Space for Women's Health in New York City. "I want people to say I still look good, instead of, 'Oh, look at her now,'" she admits. "I don't need to lose any more weight—but I don't want to go backwards. So I'm not going to pig out at Christmas!"