Long before "American Idol" people used to call me a diva. And I be like, "Hold on, are you calling me something else on the sly? You gonna call me a diva, call me a good diva."

People get comfortable with the way you are—they have formed their opinion of you based on everything they see and know about you as a person. When you change that up by losing weight, they no longer understand you.

When other people reject positive changes you make for yourself, there is always some nerve to get to the root of in those other people.

I don't believe in doing things just to do them.

Permanent weight loss doesn’t come with an on and off switch. It is not something you do for a little while and think it is going to change your body.

If you have a dream, you can achieve that dream, you can achieve that goal. You just gotta go for it. But it also lets you know, that there is a price to pay.

I try to do everything to say, 'OK, will my mother like this? Will she be pleased? Will she be proud of that? How do I know she's happy and she's smiling down at me from heaven?' And that's what I try to go by and walk by.