Paula Deen: 30 Pounds Lighter and a People Mag Cover Girl

People

Needless to Say, She Stopped Eating the Doughnut Burgers

Southern cook Paula Deen got a lot of grief earlier this year when she announced she was diabetic and became a spokesperson for a diabetes medication after years of pushing sugar and butter-laden recipes on her fans.

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But Deen has put her money -- or rather, some healthier recipes -- where her mouth is and has dropped an impressive 30 pounds in her quest to get healthier and better manage her diabetes. And her trimmer figure has landed her the cover of this week's People magazine.

According to the People article (via TheGloss.com), Deen's weight-loss success comes courtesy of thinking more about what she eats, and, obviously, replacing her sometimes outrageous recipes with healthier ones.

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Specifically, she eats her favorite food -- mashed potatoes -- only occasionally, while baked fish and Greek salads have become her go-to foods.

Deen, who's now wearing a size 10, even shares some of her new and healthier recipes -- goodbye big fat juicy burger serves on two Krispy Kreme doughnuts -- in the People issue.

"It took me a couple of years to get to this point," says Deen, who was diagnosed with diabetes three years ago. "If you make a few small changes, they can add up to big results."