Tyra's Weight Gain

Tyra BanksAdmit it - we've all packed on a few pounds after the holidays.

But gaining weight isn't easy when you're in the public eye - just ask the beautiful Miss Tyra Banks.

Tyra, 33, is the first to tell you the importance of body confidence and self image.

But after gaining almost 30 pounds since landing the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1997, Tyra became the laughing stock of many a tabloid magazine.

"America's Next Top Waddle" and "Tyra Pork Chops" - headlines Tyra confessed, hurt.

Tyra told People magazine: "I get so much mail from young girls who say, 'I look up to you, you're not as skinny as everyone else'.

Tyra in 1999"So when they say that my body is ugly and disgusting, what does that make those girls feel like?

"I still feel hot, but every day is different. It's when I put on the jeans that used to fit a year ago and don't fit now and give me the muffin top, that's when I say, 'damn!'"

Tyra, who is 5'10", said she fluctuates anywhere from 148 to 162 pounds.

She admitted: "I feel more comfortable when I'm lighter - I sleep better, I snore less, I have more endurance when I work out, my arms look better."

But, the TV host isn't one bit ashamed about gaining weight: "I've made millions of dollars with the body I have, so where's the pain in that?

"If I was in pain, I would have dieted. The pain is not there - the pain is someone printing a picture of me and saying those things.

"(TV execs) think it's better when I'm at 155 pounds - at 145, they feel I'm not as relatable."

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