Carnie Wilson lost 40 lbs after second weight-loss surgery

Singer Carnie Wilson feels better than ever after losing 40 pounds following lap-band surgery last year.

"I know I don't weigh 120 pounds, but I’m also not 500 pounds," Wilson told People. "I am who I am and I celebrate where I am when I'm there. I'm not striving for perfection. This has to be for the rest of my life."

Carnie, 44, underwent lap-band surgery in January 2012, and shed 40 pounds gradually by eating less and exercising. The lap-band procedure involves having a silicone band placed around the stomach to create a pouch the size of a golf ball, limiting the amount of food the patient is able to ingest.

This is the second time the singer got weight-loss surgery. In 1999, Wilson underwent gastric-bypass surgery and lost 150 pounds. The 5-foot-3 Carnie, who once topped the scales at 300 pounds, eventually regained all the weight (during which time she had two children).

While her weight loss this time around isn't as dramatic as before, Wilson is satisfied with her progress. "With two kids, a hectic schedule and being a working mom, I fluctuate and that's OK," she says. "I'm not beating myself up for it. Every year I'm making more progress, and that's my goal."

In addition to eating less, Wilson walks on the treadmill and does weight-training three days a week. "I want that muscle percentage to go up. It's only three days a week, but that's good," she says. "I feel like that's a great message to send out."

Carnie, who has struggled with weight her entire life, wants to be a good fitness role model for her two daughters: Lola, 7, and Luciana, 3.

"I tell my daughters, 'You have to love yourself,' " she says. "If I ever hear them put themselves down I tell them, 'Don’t say that. You have to say positive things about yourself because you are what you think you are.' "