Jennifer Hudson

No matter how big the glam squad, or how dramatic the dress, sometimes things just don’t work out.

My focus has always been on talent over looks. This theme of people putting an emphasis on looks first has been a constant reminder throughout my life that most people don’t see things in the same way that I do.

There’s something wonderful about entertaining people on vacation. Everyone is there to have a good time.

'If it’s meant for me, it will be.' Those words are my mantra in life, and it has never let me down.

The talent should speak for itself.

Whenever I’d try to talk myself out of going for a walk, and there were a few days like that, I’d take myself through a series of simple tasks so I would get up and go.
1. Get up.
2. Find your house keys.
3. Put on some shoes.
4. Grab your iPod.
5. Walk out the front door.

If you can’t take responsibility for your own well-being, you will never take control over it.

You can’t make a life-altering decision for someone else and expect it to stick.

Gaining control over your health and well-being is one of those times in your life that you get to be completely selfish and not feel bad about it. If you want to meet your goals, you have to make it about you. You have to make it work for you and you alone. Anything less is a setup for failure.

Loving yourself means caring enough to make the hard decisions in your life.

The only way you can sustain a permanent change is to create a new way of thinking, acting, and being.

'Where and how can I make this meal better for me?' I asked myself that question before every meal—especially in the beginning.

You cannot just work out and then eat poorly and expect to lose weight. It doesn’t work that way.

Avoidance is a great tool to get away from food in my face all day long.

What I learned from Weight Watchers is that food was meant to be used as fuel for our bodies. If we are using it for any other reasons, it is time to take a step back and ask ourselves what’s up.

Extreme exercise doesn’t save you from poor food choices. It can be difficult to exercise and erase away that chocolate cake or pizza pie. It doesn’t work that way.

If you’re not eating the right foods in the right amounts, all the exercise in the world won’t combat the caloric intake.

The important message I heard about working out and what I want to share is that you create your own opportunities and your own limitations.

Permanent weight loss doesn’t come with an on and off switch. It is not something you do for a little while and think it is going to change your body.

You have to want weight-loss success so badly that no mountain, river, or ocean could keep you from reaching your goals. If you have that drive, passion, and commitment, there is no way you won’t get there.

When someone wants to lose weight, they will do whatever it takes. They can’t do it for anyone else but themselves. It has to be for them alone. Without that understanding, they will fail.

Anyone can lose a few pounds, but not everyone has the tools to stick with it.

We can’t let our insecurities own or destroy us. We have to face them head-on. That was part of the challenge that motivated me to take this journey. I wanted to see what I could do and, more important, I wanted to understand everything that was holding me back.

I am completely in charge of the choices I make about what I am doing to lose weight and get healthy. And you know what? We all have this power. Don’t be angry with me for something good I’ve done for myself. Be angry with yourself for not having the courage to do the same in your own life.

If you’re... asking yourself why I have this success and you don’t, don’t be angry with me—stop and ask yourself what your issues are that are holding you back.

Don’t be afraid of the answers. Be afraid of not asking the questions.

If you can break down those walls you’ve spent so many years building to protect yourself, you can achieve anything.

You have to accept the plan and realize that if you slip, and you might, you can’t use that as a reason to give up or stop.

I am in control of all decisions that have to do with my image, which means that no one will decide what’s right for me except me. I’m not special. We should all feel this way about ourselves.

Just as I had to go through a transition period, I guess [my friends and family] did, too.

That isn’t about money, fame, or power. It’s about will, dedication, commitment, and knowing your self-worth. You can be poor as dirt and have those traits. Money can’t buy you values. You just need to know what is important to you and then feel secure in your pursuit to achieve that.

Most people see themselves a certain way their entire lives. When they go through a massive change, such as losing weight, they have to learn to see themselves in a new way. It is one of the biggest struggles her members deal with on their journey.

People get comfortable with the way you are—they have formed their opinion of you based on everything they see and know about you as a person. When you change that up by losing weight, they no longer understand you.

When other people reject positive changes you make for yourself, there is always some nerve to get to the root of in those other people.

It can be a real struggle to accept that sometimes appearance can be more important than talent or intelligence.

So many people miss out on true talent because they can’t get past a look. At the end of the day, losing weight was easy, but finding talent? Now that’s hard.

Appearance can always be changed, but the talent stays the same.

We all have the power to choose how we are going to handle every situation we are faced with throughout our lives. We are in control of the decision we make whether it’s about work, relationships, parenting, or our health.