Exclusive: ‘Tired Of Being Thick,’ Kandi Burruss Lost 30+ Pounds In Five Months

“I’m feeling myself right now,” says Kandi Burruss as she stands to show off her missing waist. The singer-songwriter, reality TV personality, actress, entrepreneur, and mom has lost a considerable amount of weight this year, and fans have taken notice.

“I’m a foodie. My weight has been going up and down for years,” she says. “I’ve been trying to lose weight, to be honest, for the last year and a half. I had a goal in mind of where I wanted to get to, and I just kept getting further and further away from it.”

Her recent departure from Real Housewives of Atlanta didn’t help. With no cameras following her, she kicked back and ended up gaining even more weight ahead of her recent “Queens of R&B” tour with Xscape (as well as SWV and special guests Mya, Total and 702). Finding herself at a point of frustration, including after using popular weight-loss management methods that just didn’t work, a friend recommended she try Hydroxycut. It’s toted as “America’s #1 weight loss supplement brand.” She’d utilized it years ago, “but I hadn’t used it in a while.” With the combination of the family of products, exercise, and adopting healthier eating habits, it worked, and to her surprise, it worked quickly.

“I’ve lost 31 pounds since May,” she says at the time of our conversation — in October. The changes have been so significant that her husband thought she was wearing a fat suit while guest-starring in the new season of the hit Hulu series Reasonable Doubt.

“If you look at the episodes now? I knew I was a little heavier, but I didn’t realize how much heavier! It’s crazy.”

In addition to Hydroxycut working, a changed mindset also helped her slim down.

“I was just super motivated,” she says. “I was like, I’m not going to cheat. I’m going to stick to taking [Hydroxycut] twice a day. I’m going to change my eating habits. I stopped doing deserts and sodas and all of those other things.”

Doing so in preparation for and during her tour helped her curb poor eating habits, which are common with carb-heavy craft food tables always available backstage.

“I was tired of being thick. I literally saw somebody post something negative about our outfits. They were like, ‘Why do they always look stuffed?’ I said, ‘Oh no! You are not going to tell me I look stuffed in an outfit ever again!'”

These days, Burruss, who snacks on almonds in between meals, avoids big breakfasts, replaced sodas and lemonade with water and Hydroxycut’s Ultra Shred drink sticks, and only does meats and veggies, is far from “stuffed.” She’s back in the 130-pound range for the first time since the very first season she appeared on Real Housewives of Atlanta, which was Season 2 in 2009.

“I was on there for 15 years, ya’ll,” she says with a hearty laugh. “If you can just imagine for me, this has been a life-changing experience. I never knew I needed it as much as I did until I did it. I think, as women, we kind of get settled in the fact that, ‘Oh, I’m getting older. You’re supposed to gain a few pounds…” I think I was kind of falling into that mindset when that’s really not the case.”

She’s still figuring out her plans for the holiday season, which are often filled with grand spreads, sweets, and plenty of opportunities for foodie regret once January comes around. But Burruss is determined to maintain all of her hard work well into 2025 and beyond.

“I’m still using Hydroxycut until I figure out my flow of how to maintain my size,” she says. “I want to continue to have a regular workout and I plan to take up a fun activity so I can stay active because next summer gotta see this body!”

In our full conversation, Burruss also opens up about “really enjoying my life” since deciding to leave Real Housewives of Atlanta, parenting her adult daughter Riley as she lives her best life in NYC post-college (“She stresses me out more than any other of my kids”), and more. Check out the full-length chat above. Hydroxycut is available through the brand’s website and popular retailers, including Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, and Amazon.