Traditional values are big in my life.

You have to accept the plan and realize that if you slip, and you might, you can’t use that as a reason to give up or stop.

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.

My faith in God is everything at this point. Also, my family and friends that I've had around me pretty much my whole life and my boyfriend, we've been together for eight years. I try to keep people around me who've been around me, who've seen me struggle. They know how dedicated I am and how hard I've worked. They know me - not the Jennifer from American Idol and Dreamgirls, but the real Jennifer.

I like to have songs with me that have substance. That's missing from a lot of today's music. You might hear a song with a catchy beat, but what's it about? It's not empowering or helping anyone.

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.

When someone wants to lose weight, they will do whatever it takes. They can’t do it for anyone else but themselves. It has to be for them alone. Without that understanding, they will fail.