Carrie Underwood - How She Lost 20 Pounds

Since leaving American Idol, Carrie Underwood has been looking absolutely fabulous. In next month's issue of Shape Magazine, Carrie talks about trading in her unhealthy habits for a new set of rules and losing 20 pounds in the process. She even narrowed it down to three basic mantras by which to live.

• Write Down Every Single Bite: Carrie keeps a food diary to record her caloric intake and works towards making better choices every day. She carefully examines food labels and tracks the calories, carbs, and fat for every dish.

• Know When to Call in Expert Help: When Carrie decided to incorporate fitness into her busy schedule, she enlisted the help of a personal trainer. Together, they built a user friendly mini-gym in her home and customized the perfect workout.

• Don't Let the Scale Rule Your Life: Even under pressure, Carrie does her best not to obsess over the numbers on her scale. "I don't ever want to get neurotic about my weight. I feel healthy and I know I'm a good size for me," she said.

Photo Credit: M. Brown/Getty Images.