Testimony: Niecy Nash

Niecy Nash is best known as the voluptuous Raineesha Williams on 'Reno 911.' She's also host of the Style Network's Number one rated program 'Clean House.' Her down to earth demeanor and colorful personality represents fabulously for girls who are NOT size 6. About two years ago, Niecy decided to make a lifestyle change and dropped from a life-long size 12 to size 8 -- and she's kept the weight off. She maintains it had nothing to do with a relationship, her health or Hollywood. It did have something to do with a spiritual calling, Jenny Craig and "non traditional" exercise. She shares her Testimony.

All of the women that have ever loved on me when I was growing up were thick. These were the women I loved; these were the women I identified with. As a matter of fact, when I got ready to play my character on 'Reno 911', in creating Raineesha Williams, I asked them if I could have a bigger booty and bigger hips.

A lot of people would come to me, and say, 'in person, you're so much smaller, it's a shame they make you wear a fat suit, to make you look bigger on television.' And I educate people and say, 'No that was a choice I made.' I made the choice to make Raineeisha Williams look like that. She looks like every woman who's ever loved on me growing up.

I spent most of my life in a 12 and there were points when I should've been in a 14 but sometimes when those seams start screamin' on that 12, you're like uh-oh. But that was where I spent most of my time, in a 12 and sometimes a 14.

My decision to lose weight had nothing to do with the industry. I had already been working in the industry, I had already had an agent, had a manager. It was just something inside me that said, OK, now it's time. I felt like it was something that manifested in the spirit realm. In my prayer time, the word I got back from God was it's time. And I didn't even know why. I had been thick so long, I was used to it. But it was like, OK, try something else.

When I decided I was ready, I looked into some different weight loss programs and I ended up at Jenny Craig -- which worked wonderful for me -- I lost a total of 45 pounds. Matter of fact, last time I saw Mo'Nique, she said "Come on back, the big girls need you." I said, "No they don't. They got you, I'm good."

There was one time before Jenny that I tried [another program] but I didn't like it. What really spoke to me with Jenny was the fact that I didn't have to figure out and measure food. Having a hectic schedule, three kids and two full-time jobs, running around, auditioning, reading, I didn't have it in me to calculate how much the caloric intake was going to be for something I was going to eat. Now I'm not taking anything away from anyone else's program, but for me, I just needed wham-bam thank you ma'am. Structure.

I [also] did not have the wherewithal to be on the set for 12-14 hours and then come home and tell my kids mommy's got to go to the gym for another 2-3 hours. I couldn't do that. I would do stuff like hula hoop with my kids while we watched TV. They're 15, 12 and 7. Or take them to the roller skating rink on Saturday. So it's non-traditional in terms of going to a gym and getting a trainer. I don't have the time in my day to do that. I have a family, so what are they gonna do?

I really try to encourage my kids to drink a lot of water. Because at the end of the day, even if you cut up with what you eat, you can get down to some things if we're flushing it out. The new thing that we're doing is we're substituting a salad for fries when we go out to get a hamburger. It's a process.

There are times when I'll be dialed back into Jenny and I'll go back on the program. Sometimes when I feel like I need to rein it all in, or I have an event coming up and I want to make sure I keep it nice and right, I may want to dial back in, for maybe a month or two. And then just go back to my life.

If I'm on the program, Jenny Craig is three meals a day and two snacks and dessert. If I'm not on Jenny, my typical diet may look like scrambled egg whites with vegetables and maybe turkey bacon in the morning. And then for lunch I may have salmon and salad or sometimes grilled chicken with a Cesar salad. And for dinner, I may have a little pasta sometimes. If I had chicken for lunch, I'll have fish for dinner or vice versa.

It has to do with a lifestyle and not something that you do that's temporal or just do for a season. You're not forced to live your life just eating salad and never having desserts but it has to do with just the total balance of your lifestyle. You can still eat some of the things you used to eat. You don't have to work out every day, but at some point you have to commit to a lifestyle. Because otherwise, if you don't, that's how you end up at extremes.