Mahalia Barnes Reveals 19KG Weight Loss!

After maxing out at 90kg last year, soul singer Mahalia Barnes is on her way to her best-ever shape, after shedding 19kg (and counting!) “I’ve definitely seen a big change in my body," she tells WHO in this week's issue.

Proudly showing off the results in a special photo shoot, Barnes, 30, explains she has dropped 15kg since joining Weight Watchers as a celebrity ambassador in October, after losing close to 4kg by herself first.

Barnes, the eldest of rocker Jimmy Barnes’s four children, insists it was how she felt, not how she looked, that sparked her transformation. “I’m very much a believer in just wanting to feel good. It’s not about a specific number on the scales,” explains Barnes, who resolved to make a change after discovering she no longer had the energy to play with her three-year-old daughter, Ruby.

Diet & Fitness Secrets From The Stars!

The self-confessed foodie lost the weight by cutting down on her portion sizes and being more active—but dessert is still on the menu. “I’m a lot more aware of size and portions, and I’ve leant to weight up whether something is worth it or not,” says the chocolate lover, who relies on the program’s tracking app and has eliminated soft drinks and sugar from her tea.

Another top tip from the 2012 The Voice contestant? Increase your incidental exercise, always include lots of vegetables in every meal and be “conscious “of butter in recipes, says Barnes, who does yoga up to six times a week.

While she’s still on the way to her healthy weight range of between 50-65kg for her 1.52m height, Barnes promises her beloved curves aren’t going anywhere, but notes her lifestyle change is “something realistic I can do forever.” Adds Barnes, “I really do feel great. I'm telling the world!”

For more of our interview with Mahalia Barnes, be sure to pick up a copy of this week's WHO Magazine - On Sale Now!