Kelly Clarkson Says Recent Weight Loss Is a Result of Listening to Her Doctor

In a new cover story interview with People, Kelly Clarkson gets candid about how her move to New York City is positively impacting her mental health — and kick-starting some weight loss.

"Walking in the city is quite the workout," the singer says, adding that she and her two kids — 9-year-old River Rose and 7-year-old Remington Alexander — have been embracing New York's walkability with activities like museum trips and "[walking] the dogs a few times at the park."

The singer has also been focusing on healthy activities even when she's not with her kids: "I'm really into infrared saunas right now. And I just got a cold plunge because everybody wore me down," she continues.

But Clarkson cites her diet as a major reason for the fact that she's lost weight in recent months.

"I eat a healthy mix. I dropped weight because I've been listening to my doctor — a couple years I didn't," she continues. "And 90 percent of the time I'm really good at it because a protein diet is good for me anyway. I'm a Texas girl, so I like meat — sorry, vegetarians in the world!"

Clarkson relocated both her personal life and her talk show, the Kelly Clarkson Show, from Los Angeles to New York City in the aftermath of her divorce from Brandon Blackstock, which was finalized in early 2022. That decision brought a significant mental health upgrade, the singer acknowledges.

"I was very unhappy in L.A. and had been for several years. I needed a fresh start," she says, adding that her kids "weren't doing well either" in that city.

"For the past few years, I'd just been showing up and smiling and doing what I'm supposed to do, but you can only compartmentalize so long until you break," Clarkson admits, saying that she struggled behind the scenes even while mounting a successful talk show, now in its fifth season on NBC.

"I was going through a really rough few years, and even in the first season it was rough behind closed doors," the singer recounts. "Just to be able to come into Season 5 feeling good and knowing my kids feel good — and the dust has settled. Season 5 is my first season to actually enjoy every minute of it."