Carrie Underwood Admits Eating Only 800 Calories A Day After Winning ‘American Idol’

Carrie Underwood is opening up about her nutrition and health following her American Idol win in 2005.

In her cover story with Women’s Health magazine, the 36-year-old singer revealed that she was only eating 800 calories per day.

“I shouldn’t care what other people think about me,” Carrie shared in her interview. “I was tired, and I kept buying bigger clothes. I knew I could be better for myself, and I let my haters be my motivators.”

As she and others headed out on the American Idol tour, she started counting calories.

“I was sleeping better, and I had more energy for our grueling schedule,” Carrie said, before revealing her plan was backfiring.

Carrie says she would “‘fall off the wagon,’ then feel terrible and repeat the cycle. Your body is screaming out, I need more calories, I need more carbs!”

Now, she’s using the MyFitnessPal app, where she can track her calories, as well as protein, carbs, and fat.

“I love rules,” Carrie added. “This is how I feel good about myself, and this is how I operate.”

Carrie recently opened up about how she found the time to write her new book.