Jennifer Hudson is prouder of her weight loss than of winning an Oscar

“I’m prouder of my weight loss than my Oscar!” Hudson admits. With the help of Weight Watchers and exercise she managed to drop 80 pounds and went from a size 16 to 6.

“I didn’t even know I was considered plus-sized until I came to Hollywood,” she tells the magazine. “I thought I was the perfect size!”

The 2004 American Idol contestant says her perception changed on the red carpet when “an interviewer asked, ‘How does it feel to be plus-sized in Hollywood ?’ I looked around, like, Who is she talking to? Oh, me? I’m plus-sized? In the neighborhood I’m from in Chicago, a 16 is normal. But in Hollywood , everyone looks exactly the same, so I stood out.”

Hudson, who is the mother of 2-year-old David, admitted that she decided to lose weight after nobody noticed her baby bump.

“I thought, hold on – why doesn’t anybody know I’m pregnant?” she says. “And I wanted to set a good example for my son.”

“I had to break my diet mentality,” she recounts. “I used to deprive myself, thinking that was healthy. I didn’t eat pasta, fried food, red meat.”

“If you’re on a strict diet that says you shouldn’t have any carbs or this or that, your body won’t function the way it should. I know now that I can eat anything I want and still lose or maintain my weight. It’s about portions and balance.”

[Photo: Self]