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"It wasn&amp;apos;t until Jennifer Hudson appeared on American Idol in 2004 that she first felt overweight.\r\n&amp;quot;I didn&amp;apos;t even know I was considered plus-sized until I came to Hollywood,&amp;quot; she reveals in the September issue of Self magazine. &amp;quot;I thought I was the perfect size!&amp;quot;\r\n\r\nAt the time, the powerhouse singer was a size 16 -- a stark contrast to her uberthin competitors.\r\nWhen one journalist referred to Hudson as &amp;quot;plus-sized&amp;quot; during an interview, the singer &amp;quot;looked around, like, &amp;apos;Who is she talking to? Oh, me? I&amp;apos;m plus-sized?&amp;apos;&amp;quot; Hudson, now 29, recalls. &amp;quot;In the neighborhood I&amp;apos;m from in Chicago, a 16 is normal. But in Hollywood, everyone looks exactly the same, so I stood out.&amp;quot;\r\n\r\nThough she didn&amp;apos;t win the American Idol title, she did score a life-changing role in the 2006 movie Dreamgirls (which earned her an Academy Award for her portrayal of Effie White).\r\nBut praise for her performance wasn&amp;apos;t enough for Hudson, who shed 80 pounds after welcoming son David in 2009. &amp;quot;I&amp;apos;m prouder of my weight loss than my Oscar!&amp;quot; the Weight Watchers spokeswoman admits.\r\n\r\nHudson, engaged to David Otunga since September 2008, didn&amp;apos;t shed her baby weight through Weight Watchers alone.\r\n&amp;quot;Four days after my cesarean section, I began walking 30 minutes every day. It was my therapy, my moment to myself, and it was all I could do. I figured, me walking is better than me sitting on the couch,&amp;quot; she tells Self. &amp;quot;Even if I can&amp;apos;t climb a mountain or do 100,000 push-ups, these steps matter, and they&amp;apos;re leading somewhere.&amp;quot;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-body/news/jennifer-hudson-im-prouder-of-my-weight-loss-than-my-oscar-2011178>