'I started counting calories at 14 and tried every diet you can imagine': How Nicole Scherzinger grew to love her body

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 10:35 PM on 21st November 2011

Former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger says she started counting calories and jogging when she was just 14.

But the X Factor USA judge says she is no longer a slave to the scales and swears she now eats whatever she wants.

'It's taken a long time to get here,' the 33-year-old tells Shape.

The cat's whiskers: X Factor USA judge and former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger on the cover of U.S. magazine Shape

'I started jogging and counting calories when I was just 14. I've been on every diet you can imagine.

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'By the time I was in the Pussycat Dolls, I was on the scale all the time.

'It became my enemy because I noticed that when I exercised really hard, I'd gain weight.

Ban on scales: The star says she no longer weighs herself

'Now that I'm in my 30s, I've stepped off the scale - I just go by how my clothes fit.

'I'm more accepting of my body and have learned to really embrace it.

'These days it's all about finding balance.

'My new motto is: "Stay active, eat everything in moderation, and stop being so tough on myself".'

Despite having abs that you can bounce a coin off of, Scherzinger claims she eats huge amounts.

'Actually, I eat - a lot!' she tells the US fitness magazine. 'Even with my crazy schedule, I never skip meals.

'I'll often have soft-boiled eggs, smoked salmon and whole wheat toast for breakfast; cold cuts, veggies and fruit for lunch; and usually chicken or fish with rice and more vegetables for dinner.'

When she wants to splurge Scherzinger makes some less mainstream choices.

'But to really satisfy my cravings, I turn to my roots,' she says.

'I was born in Hawaii, so I love dried tuna dipped in soy sauce, kalua pig [pork cooked in an underground oven], banana pancakes with coconut syrup and chocolate-covered macadamia nuts.

'My gosh, I could gain ten pounds just talking about those foods.'
The former Dancing With the Stars winner says that she turns to dance when she wants to shed the extra weight.

'When I'm getting ready for a tour or a video shoot, I throw myself full throttle into my work and those extra ten pounds just seem to melt off,' she says.

TV star: Nicole on the panel of X Factor USA

In addition to being a judge on the US version of X Factor Scherzinger is currently promoting her first solo album, Killer Love.

'I come from the same place these contestants do,' she says when discussing the show.

'I empathise with them because I know what it's like to be up there proving yourself. '