Miranda Lambert on Accepting Her Body: ‘I’ve Hit a Comfortable Place’

Celebrities aren’t immune to struggles with their body image, including Miranda Lambert. The “It All Comes Out in the Wash” singer has tried fad diets and workout crazes over the years, before finally realizing that her body was fine the way that it was, and focusing on happiness over a number on a scale.

“I’ve been all sizes,” Lambert said to Health. “My whole life, I’ve struggled with ups and downs in weight. I’m only 5’4″ so weight shows quickly on me. I’ve hit a comfortable place; this is pretty much my size. I’m a size 6, give or take five pounds, depending on the day. It’s so good to find your place. I don’t like being onstage worrying about my body. That’s the last thing I want to be thinking about. I don’t give my best performance when I’m distracted by my insecurities.”

Lambert might be confident in herself, but that confidence was hard-fought. The 36-year-old admits she wasn’t always pleased with what she saw in the mirror, but realized that there were other things that were far more important to her, making her a role model to other young women.

“There was a time when I wasn’t happy about the way I looked, but I was happy about where I was in my career, so I was like, ‘I’ll worry about that later,’” Lambert recalled. “I had a girl come up to me. She was probably my size and age, and she said, ‘I want you to know I threw my scale away because of you, because you’re so confident. I realized my weight is not in a scale; it’s in how I feel about myself.’ That gave me confidence to be like, ‘Whatever state you’re in, you’ve gotta rock it.’”

Rock it, she does. Married to New York City cop – and fitness buff – Brendan McLoughlin, Lambert has learned what works best for her is moderation, in everything.

“I don’t have any rhyme or reason to my fitness routine or dieting,” Lambert revealed. “I’ve been on every diet. Every time I did low-carb, I would gain [the weight] back so quickly. Sometimes I have a couple weeks where I just drink beer and eat cheeseburgers. And then I’ll go, ‘That was fun, but my stuff doesn’t fit.’ Then I’ll spend a month doing Pilates or riding a lot and running. I’m not a runner, but I’m trying to be one.”

McLoughlin sometimes runs with Lambert, although she acknowledges her workouts aren’t enough for him.

“He does a pity run with me, and then he does his real run,” said Lambert. “It’s sad. These days, I just try to feel good about myself and know that I’m trying. And if there’s wine and cheese, sometimes I have it.”

Lambert just dropped her latest Wildcard album, which is available for purchase on her website.

Photo Credit: Getty / Kevin Winter