Maria Menounos Opens Up About 40-Pound Weight Loss

Maria Menounos isn't shy talking about her weight.

In the new issue of Ladies Home Journal, the 35-year-old Extra host opened up about growing up in a home where junk food was pretty much banned, which caused her to later binge on everything and gain roughly 40 pounds.
"There were no chips, ice cream, or sugary cereals anywhere at home," she says, according to E! Online. "I didn't even know what bagels or waffles were until late in high school. For dinner we ate a variety of dishes made with lentils, vegetables, and beans from the garden. Our dessert? Fruit."

Menounous then got a job at a donut shop when she was 13, which she called her ultimate downfall. "Surrounded by sugar for the first time in my life, I couldn't resist," she said. "In my freshman year of high school, I was a size 3, and I grew a size every year."

Maria Menounos shows off her bikini bod

During her freshman year of college, Menounos said, she gained 40 pounds. "I could keep candy and chips in my room and [ate] all the late-night pizza I could afford. I grew to a size 14 and kept growing. I felt sick and lethargic. I wanted to nap all the time."

Menounos then set her sights on losing the weight, creating her own diet that would help her lose the 40 pounds before she entered show business. Looks like it paid off!