An honest and inspirational story of dreaming big, winning big, and losing big, by one of today's most beautiful voices and brightest Hollywood stars:
I GOT THIS
How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down
by
JENNIFER HUDSON
Jennifer Hudson first wowed the world with her powerful voice in American Idol’s third season. She took Hollywood by storm with a star turn in Dreamgirls that won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She has since performed sold‐out shows around the world and won a Grammy for her gold‐certified hit debut album Jennifer Hudson. But before we knew her as an international star, Jennifer was a young performer who was sometimes turned down for gigs because of her weight.
Now, for the first time, Jennifer tells the story of her meteoric career rise, how she keeps a level head, and what inspired her amazing weight loss success on the Weight Watchers program in I GOT THIS: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down (January 10, 2012; $25.95).
In the south side of Chicago where Jennifer grew up, food, and lots of it, was always a big part of the Hudson family. Jennifer knew she was a plus‐size girl, but she was never insecure about her looks and fully embraced her body. When she made it to the final rounds of American Idol in 2004, one of the show’s musical directors told her everything about her was too big—her voice, her personality, and of course, her size. Jennifer replied “Isn’t that what being a star is? Stars are larger than life!” Then during one of her first red‐carpet appearances, a reporter asked if she was insecure about being a “big girl’ in Hollywood. “It took me a minute to figure out who the reporter was actually talking to,” Jennifer writes in the introduction, “Surely she wasn’t addressing me that way. I had the height of a supermodel, breasts that were naturally big and real, and a God‐given shape. Why would I feel insecure about that?” It was one of her first eye‐opening moments in Hollywood, when she realized that image was just as, or maybe even more important than talent.
Despite such comments, Jennifer has always stayed focused on her goals and didn’t bow to Hollywood pressure to lose weight. In fact, she gained twenty pounds to play the role of Effie White in Dreamgirls. She lost it through hard work and determination afterwards and stuck to her guns when the producers wanted her to put the weight back on. About that Jennifer writes:
“I was shocked. The irony of the situation was almost too much to take. I remembered the comments about my weight during American Idol...Now here I was in Hollywood , in a town where a size 10 is considered plus size, and I was being told to put on weight!Why couldn’t my performance speak for itself? Why did what the scale said when I stepped on it always come into play, either one way or the other? I couldn’t win for losing. Literally. It’s not going to happen, I said to my publicist.”
While Jennifer had always been proud of her curvy size, the birth of her son in 2009 and a desire to be a healthy role model for him, made her decide to focus on weight issues once and for all. She talks about making the decision to start on Weight Watchers and is candid about her goals, successes and frustrations throughout her incredible weight loss. In reading Chapters 8 and 9, readers will relate to what Jennifer has to say about taking control of her personal health as they would any friend.
I GOT THIS is an inspiring story for those who struggle with weight but it is also a story for anyone who dreams big. Says Jennifer: “I wrote this book because I want you to have a sense of who I am, where I’ve come from and what I’ve been through so you know my journey has been totally real.” Jennifer has never forgotten where she came from. She writes about the inspiration of her grandmother and the unending support of her mother. It is why even though she has achieved fame, her cousin helps her with her son, one of her brothers works security for her, and her best friend from middle school is her executive assistant. She surrounds herself with people who have been there all along. Her family, her determination, and her belief in God’s plan have gotten her from singing in church and in talent shows to where she is today.
I GOT THIS is a gift for Jennifer’s millions of fans and an inspiration for anyone struggling with weight issues.
About the Author:
Jennifer Hudson is a Grammy‐winning performer and Academy Award‐winning actress. She is the current spokesperson for Weight Watchers.
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I GOT THIS
How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down
JENNIFER HUDSON
Dutton| January 10, 2012 | $25.95 (Hardcover)| ISBN 978-0-525-95277-0 Also available as an eBook
www.jenniferhudson.com
ABOUT DUTTON
Dutton is the U.S. member of the internationally renowned Penguin Group (USA). Dutton is the home to many bestselling authors such as Harlan Coben, Ken Follett, Eckhart Tolle, John Lescroart, Tami Hoag, Eric Jerome Dickey, Linda Fairstein, Raymond Khoury, Jonathan Tropper, T. Jefferson Parker, and Kelley Armstrong. Penguin Group (USA) is one of the leading U.S. adult and children’s trade book publishers, owning a wide range of imprints and trademarks, including Penguin Press, Berkley Books, Penguin, Gotham Books, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Plume, New American Library, Viking, Philomel, and Riverhead Books, among others. The Penguin Group (USA) is part of Pearson, plc, the international media company.
