Jessica Simpson is an all-American celebrity singer and actress…
She certainly looks the epitome of the California girl, with her blonde hair cascading down her back, a huge glittering smile, and amazing charm…
….all this packaged together made her an American sweetheart back in the early 2000s.
In fact, she didn’t really reach the peak of her fame and amass a fortune due to her stage and singing performances; it was mostly achieved by being on TV.
When she married her first husband, Nick Lachey, they appeared on the reality show, Newlyweds.
They were simply incredibly popular on the show; people fell in love with the handsome couple and their goofy ways.
Newlyweds skyrocketed Jessica to fame and she was suddenly in demand to do films, appearances, and other great opportunities.
She also figured out how to be an excellent businesswoman.
She knew that her smile was her winning trademark, amongst other things, so it’s hard to imagine that she has also had her share of life’s ups and downs, good experiences, and bad ones.
One highly successful adventure she went on was to lose weight and you will discover how she did that.
But first, let’s just first find out a bit about…
Jessica Ann Simpson – Born 10 July 1980
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Jessica’s early years
Jessica says she grew up in Dallas and Waco, although originally from McGregor, Texas.
Jessica also has a younger sister called Ashlee.
She was briefly in the Amelia Middle School when living in the Midwest.
Her father was a Baptist youth minister and her mother was a homemaker.
So that means early on in her life, Jessica was taught Christian values – she received a purity ring when she was 12-years old.
Already when very young, she adored singing.
Because of her love for singing, she joined the church choir, and because she had such talent, she decided to audition for Disney’s The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (along with others such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera).
This was a classic variety show that featured the famous Mouseketeers.
In the end, even though making it through quite a few rounds of auditions, she didn’t make it.
But that didn’t stop her from her continuing to sing.
Eventually, a Christian music label approached her, but she and her voluptuous body weren’t seen as appropriate for such a Christian-focused company, so that didn’t last.
When she left that group, her dad told everyone about Jessica’s amazing singing voice and eventually Columbia Records signed her on and her Dad became her official manager, and her mom used to style her hair – all in the family!
Her young adult years
Under Columbia Records, Jessica’s made her first album called Sweet Kisses; it was released in 1999, but unfortunately, it didn’t exactly skyrocket her to fame.
Then in 2002, at the age of 22, she married Nick Lachey in Austin, Texas.
They had a magnificent wedding.
Once again, Jessica’s father tried to boost his daughter’s career again, pitching an idea to MTV, suggesting that Nick and Jessica should star in a reality show – about the lives of newlyweds.
That’s even what the show was called, Newlyweds.
MTV immediately jumped on the bandwagon and it became a very popular TV show.
Jessica figured that if she was proving to be so popular in Newlyweds, now would be a good time to release an album, so she did, calling it In This Skin.
Newlyweds was a big hit, but not the album; the audience enjoyed watching her far more than listening to her music.
Actually, any new album she released was never really a hit, to the point that Jessica actually dropped her music and decided to go down the path of product development!
She called her first project Jessica Simpson Desserts, a whole collection of edible cosmetics!
But unfortunately, her product became a failure because there were so many lawsuits with them.
After that failure, she tried another; this time producing her own clothing line. This turned out to be very successful.
She started it in 2005.
Today, the Jessica Simpson Collection is still around, and in 2014; it grossed $1 billion in sales. Jessica felt she had finally found her niche.
Also in 2005, she got her first acting job in Dukes of Hazzard
She played the role of Daisy Duke. In this movie she showed quite a seductive side to her, singing “These Boots Are Made for Walkin” for the movie’s soundtrack.
Can you believe that the music video was considered way too sultry for the Middle East, and it was banned there!
Her professional life seemed to be going OK but then her marriage started falling apart…
The couple that she and Nick had portrayed in Newlyweds came with its own pressures.
Jessica and Nick really battled with the reality of being the couple that they were on TV.
They just started growing further and further apart, officially divorcing in 2005.
After getting divorced from Nick, Jessica didn’t waste too much time, and she was soon dating again.
After all, she was young, she was very attractive, she was voluptuous and she was ready to date again.
Already in 2006, she started dating John Mayer, and she also dated the quarterback from the Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo.
Fans of the team thought that she brought the team bad luck!
A few failed relationships down the line, Jessica finally found someone whom she considered as the man of her dreams, Eric Johnson, the football player, and they were married in 2014.
In the last six years, they have produced three beautiful kids and so everything seems to have turned out well for her after all.
Of course, she had to write a book; a kind of tell-all type book and that launched as short a time back as February 2020.
It’s called Open Book.
In it, she lets everyone know all about her marriage to Nick, also talking about her body image issues.
In the book, she also talks about her former alcohol and drug abuse – she was not shy in revealing her true self throughout the book.
Jessica wanted to lose weight
She was always a fan of Weight Watchers
After the birth of her first daughter in 2012, Jessica lost 60 pounds on Weight Watchers.
She started off on the diet again after the birth of her second child with quick results.
On the Weight Watchers diet she would drink smoothies for 15 days straight in a row and then she would incorporate high protein foods that were within her Smart Points range.
She also apparently tried the Atkins diet but found it wasn’t suitable for her.
She said that it messed her up mentally and left her constipated and bloated. But she claims to always have had success with Weight Watchers.
On the Weight Watchers program, users get a certain amount of points per week, and each food has a point value based on its carbs, fiber, fat, or protein levels.
You eat a certain amount of points each day, with extra points in a bank which you can use if you want something extra to eat or drink.
In 2012, her reported meal plan that came straight from her chef was exactly like this
She started with 15 days of a strict smoothie diet.
This included a ‘white-smoothie’ consisting of five raw almonds, a small banana, one apple, ¾-cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt, ½-cup non-fat milk, and ½-teaspoon ground cinnamon.
The ‘red-smoothie’ consisted of berries, orange, flaxseed, and whey powder.
A green-smoothie would consist of spinach leaves, green or red grapes, a green ripe pear, Greek yogurt, and avocado, which also made it on the list.
Her plan would include two snacks a day.
These would mostly consist of fat-free cheese, veggies, cold cuts, crackers, and/or peanut butter.
Days 1 to 5:
Jessica would eat three smoothies and two snacks per day
Days 6 to 10:
She would have two smoothies, two snacks, and one meal per day
Days 11 to 15:
She would have one smoothie, two snacks, and two meals
She also stuck to eating high-protein, healthy snacks.
After the 15 days of being on the smoothies, she would eat full meals again which would consist of foods such as;
- Chicken satay
- Egg whites
- Soba noodles
- Two snacks like fat-free cheese with whole-grain Ryvita crackers
- Celery with peanut butter on
- Apple with sliced turkey and edamame.
These would all be planned to fit into her Weight Watchers plan and diet.
So that was back in 2012, but fast forward to 2019 and that’s when she lost 100 pounds using the Body Reset Diet
Jessica was very keen to lose weight, but Pasternak, her personal trainer, wanted to do
everything right so he, in coordination with Jessica’s doctor, ensured that any changes they made would be sustainable for Jessica.
They created a healthy lifestyle rather than a quick-fix solution to her weight problems.
Naturally, by doing it this way, she would be able to keep the weight off.
It’s easy to say you want to get slim after all the baby weight has crept on, but the secret is how do you keep it off forever?
To keep it off forever, you can’t be a fan of any extreme diet or some radical type of exercise.
And Jessica had the right approach.
Not only was she eager to get back into shape, but she wanted to feel good about herself and her look, creating lasting, healthy habits; to be a good example to her children.
And that meant being kind to herself too.
Between Jessica and her personal trainer, she lost 100 pounds in six months
There are heaps of women who don’t want anyone telling them they need to lose weight after giving birth.
But for those who want to get fit and look lean and mean like a mom who has it all together, that is fabulous.
Jessica Simpson was one such mom; she was very keen to lose all her pregnancy weight after she gave birth to her last child.
She was wise about it too; she wanted to choose something that would help her lose weight healthily, sensibly, and also gradually.
She didn’t want it to be like some diets that make you lose weight so fast and then it all just comes back on again.
Jessica’s trainer, Harley Pasternak said that even though they had “their work cut out for them”, Jessica and he were ready to get down to some hard work.
Six months later, she was 100 pounds lighter!
What all did Jessica do to lose this incredible amount of weight?
To begin with, she used to walk 12,000 steps a day, but she decided to up it to 14,000 steps.
She didn’t just decide to do this overnight though, or immediately after the birth of her last child either.
Her coach, Pasternak gave her time to recover from after the labor, and then set the target at 6,000 steps a day – the goal was gradually increased.
In order to reach her target, she would go on lots of family walks and she would also watch TV by walking on her treadmill.
Jessica never let Pasternak know that anything was too painful, difficult, or strenuous because he knew that she wouldn’t have been able to stick to it in any case.
But once Jessica had her walking in check, she moved on to doing full-body workouts every other day.
Her trainer ramped these up, starting really easily and slowly increasing them.
He knew exactly what Jessica needed, as he has been her personal trainer for 12 years already!
So they started with full-body workouts, with not too much intensity per body part.
Then they gradually increased the volume and intensity.
They focused on a few muscle groups each day, using different muscles for every day of the week.
Pasternak devised an eating plan for Jessica too
Jessica had always enjoyed doing smoothie diets and also had been successful at losing weight before on Weight Watchers.
But this time, under Pasternak’s direction, she wanted to adopt a more balanced approach.
Once again, Pasternak came up with a plan that focused on Jessica eating lean proteins and vegetables. Whatever her sweet treats had been, they decided to find more nourishing alternatives for her to enjoy.
He didn’t want her to feel deprived, otherwise, like so many others; it’s easy to just want to give up.
So they devised something where Jessica would eat three meals a day and have two snacks in-between such as parmesan green beans or a handful of almonds every day.
Binge eating had to go, with the rather small indulgences included and woven into the diet.
Prioritizing sleep was very important too
One really simple thing to do when you are trying to lose fat is to ensure that you get enough sleep.
And Jessica did just this, cutting down on her screen time so that she could get better sleep.
She also stopped checking out all her digital devices before bedtime and tried to make sure that she got at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
Her coach, who advised her to do this, says that “So many people undervalue the importance of sleep in weight loss and weight management.”
In 2019, Jessica Simpson announced on Instagram that she had lost 100 pounds in six months
That all happened after the birth of her last child, Birdie Mae.
Naturally, her fans and followers were in awe of this astounding achievement and flocked to Instagram to view the comments and see what she had done.
But Jessica’s trainer, Harley Pasternak, was there to give the fans the answers they wanted.
He told People that Jessica, at the time, 39, had made diet changes that were from his book, The Body Reset Diet.
Read here about The Body Reset Diet.
What it basically seems to be is very similar to the diet that Jessica followed on the Weight Watchers program; three meals a day and two snacks included.
Each meal has fiber, protein, and fat, and the snacks are also protein and fat, or protein and fiber.
It about balancing the diet in a way that it isn’t far removed from what you would eat in your life so that you don’t just want to give up.
Let’s dig a bit deeper into this Body Reset Diet [1] – what exactly it entails
Well, as we said, it does sound similar to the diet that Jessica did follow – plenty of smoothies and healthy foods.
The snacks, too, have variations, so you can choose from things like celery sticks with almond butter – what about some low-fat popcorn?
All of the snacks can only be around 150 calories and they should contain at least 5 grams each of protein and fiber and have less than 10 grams of sugar in them.
There are also some light exercises included as well.
Then beyond day 15 (see, it’s similar to the diet Jessica was on and which we mentioned above) are called the “rest of your life” days.
You are advised to continue eating five times a day—specifically one smoothie, two snacks, and two solid meals—with two “free” splurge meals per week.
This can even include some alcohol.
The 10,000 steps a day is still advised; in fact for the rest of your life for seven days a week, with brief resistance training sessions five days a week.
Does the Body Reset Diet help you lose weight?
No one yet can say for certain if the Body Reset Diet works, and yet Jessica Simpson lost weight!
Pasternak doesn’t have data on the results, be they long-term or short-term.
Apparently, it ultimately depends on someone’s starting weight, what their previous diet was, their age, and other factors.
In the long term, you’re supposed to do lots of things that come from other weight loss plans, and these include including planning ahead, eating more mindfully and slowly, sticking to a schedule – all these suggestions are typical weight-loss advice.
The Body Reset Diet isn’t a drastic diet or a fad diet.
It encourages making healthy choices as well as developing lifestyle habits.
If you read the book, you will find it straightforward with a strategy that is easy to follow, and the advice is reasonable and actionable long term.
Related: Leanbean Fat Burner – Burn Your Fat Like Never Before
Let’s look at the 5 steps Jessica Simpson took to achieve her 100-pound weight loss
It’s hard to believe that after giving birth to her third child she weighed 240 pounds!
So she worked with her trainer, Harley Pasternak and he gave her five daily tasks to do:
1) Ensuring she hit her goals like walking 14,000 steps daily:
Pasternak eased Jessica into activity slowly, starting with walking 6,000 steps daily, that she could even do with her kids. Slowly she built it up to 14,000 steps.
2) Cutting out technology for an hour
Jessica’s weight loss was much more than just eating right and working out.
She would also unplug from technology for at least an hour every day and that contributed to her getting restful sleep.
3) By eating healthily…
…Jessica played a big role in her own weight loss by following Pasternak’s Body Reset Diet.
This diet allows for three meals and two snacks each day.
Each meal should include protein, fat, and fiber, whilst the snacks should be a combo of protein and fiber, or protein and fat.
It’s actually about balancing in such a way that doesn’t make it too much of a departure from your normal life before the diet.
4) Exercising
Jessica would complete 45-minute sessions three times a week.
Actually, Jessica and Pasternak didn’t set out with a specific weight-loss goal in mind even.
“I never work with scales, my work with her is more about the habits she’s created and kept up. And as a byproduct of doing these habits, she lost 100 pounds.”
He said the difference between this time and the last times was more about what she did in her own time.
He said he had helped her come back after each baby.
This time was different because this time she weighed in at 240 pounds, so this was more challenging.
5) Jessica slept at least 7 hours each night
Healthy, good, quality sleep was key to Jessica’s success.
Pasternak says that people always undervalue the importance of sleep in weight loss and weight management [2].
Jessica made herself accountable as well and every night before she went to bed she would send an email to Pasternak, ticking off her five tasks.
That made her feel highly successful with a sense of fulfillment, and “that’s everything,” Pasternak says.
Jessica’s attitude also made a huge difference to her weight loss plans because she was so positive and motivated – her body was going to be made fantastic again in a really enjoyable way.
Some positive tips from Jessica Simpson
1) She focuses on the mental, not the physical
She is the first to admit that working out isn’t always on top of her favorite list of things to do – she says she used to make up many excuses not to get on the treadmill or do lunges.
But she says she focuses on the mental benefits of getting herself through.
“Workouts are an emotional experience. I exercise to clear my head. It makes me stronger on every level.”
2) She makes sure she is always moving:
One of the exercises that she is referring to is her daily habit of walking 14,000 steps per day.
She has spoken about her walking in a few interviews and even mentions it on Instagram to celebrate this daily milestone.
It was Pasternak who gave her a pedometer and encouraged her to start walking 6,000 steps a day – soon she was doing 10,000 steps a day.
Now she is walking 14,000 steps a day; it’s the best way to “get ripped,” says Pasternak.
3) She does circuit-training with her trainer at least three days per week…
Her doctor gave her the green light to do workouts and she started working out for 30-45 minutes each day.
This included 5-10 minutes of cardio warm-ups; 20-30 minutes of flexibility and resistance training and 5-10 minutes of cardio cooling-down.
Pasternak said that they kept the movements simple – no gymnastics and no Olympic-style lifting.
Some days they would focus on the shoulders, the front of her midsection, or the back of her thighs.
Then on other days, they would target the back of her arms, her inner thighs, and the sides of her midsection.
“We’re training to make – and keep – her a healthy, hot mom, and that’s forever!”
Frequently Asked Questions about Jessica Simpson (FAQs)
What diet did Jessica Simpson go on?
She used to be on Weight Watchers in 2012 and then in 2019 she and her personal trainer, Pasternak, devised her diet and workouts which come from the Body Reset Diet.
While the diet does comprise eating protein, fiber, and fat, there aren’t any specific rules around specific food groups.
How tall is Jessica?
1.61 m.
Want to find out more about Jessica?
What is Jessica doing now?
Jessica Simpson is now happily married to former NFL player, Eric Johnson. They have three children, Maxwell, Ace, and Birdie.
Does the diet work?
Read here about someone who followed the diet and what they have to say about it.
Conclusion
Jessica Simpson, the singer-turned-fashion designer had every reason to flaunt her weight loss throughout 2020 – it’s no wonder – because her personal trainer, Harley Pasternak told E!
News this year that he credited her toned legs to the effort she put in to walking 14,000 steps a day [3] and also doing full-body workouts.
Since the birth of her last daughter, Birdie Mae, Jessica wanted to lose weight, she put in the effort that was needed to achieve it, and in 2019; she lost 100 pounds!
Jessica’s weight loss and health journey now have her feeling like she did before she had her kids, says Pasternak.
Jessica is in control of everything now and has a fantastic attitude– no longer beating herself up if she doesn’t get in a perfect day of eating every day!
She was so successful in her weight-loss journey that she even kicked off her 40th birthday in July 2020 with a very special throwback.
She started celebrating her birthday early by wearing some 14-year-old jeans that had been collecting dust in her closet!
She said she figured that since she was in the final hours of her 30s, she would give the jeans one more try, and just look at how she looked.
Wow!
With a body like that and health once more on her side, she says she has been looking forward to her 40s.
Not only did she enter 2020 looking stunning, but it also turned out to be an extra special whirlwind year for her.
It was the year her book Open Book was released.
And plans for 2021?
There have been rumors that the singer will return to the recording studio this year to work on her back-to-roots album.
Many say these rumors are true; that she is in the recording studios and has as many as eight songs on tape.
But it’s still in the early stages.
And guess what, she is also rumored to be planning a worldwide tour – that will be at the end of 2022.
Fans are waiting anxiously to hear if these rumors are true!
We just have to wait and see…
….but it will be a double whammy because it won’t only be to see her and hear her, but it will also be to see her magnificent body as well and how it has all turned into positive outcomes for Jessica.
Well done!
“I don’t have anything to prove anymore. What other people think of me is not my business.”