!["I'd been conscious of body image at a young age and went through phases of exercising compulsively and starving myself."](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/7f/ff/1357139262_1879_Untitled.jpg?itok=fpQrD0tA ""I'd been conscious of body image at a young age and went through phases of exercising compulsively and starving myself."")
"American Idol" alum Katharine McPhee is healthy and happy, thanks to a sensible diet and rigorous exercise.
"I like intense workouts," McPhee told the February 2013 issue of Lucky. "If I don't work out really hard, I feel like I never worked out."
The lithe 5-foot-8 Katharine works out with a personal trainer doing a combination of cardio exercise and strength-training, and also takes spinning and boot-camp classes on alternate days.
"I have a great trainer," says McPhee, 28. "I also love to go to SoulCycle and Barry's Bootcamp. They're my two favorite go-to non-trainer workouts."
Judging by her sleek physique, it's hard to believe that Katharine battled bulimia for five years and was 30 pounds heavier than she is now.
McPhee, who lost 30 pounds in 2006 shortly after competing on "American Idol," used to binge-eat and purge up to seven times a day.
Katharine shed the weight by working out and cutting back on emotional overeating. Ironically, she says she slimmed down by becoming less obsessive about her weight.
“The more I focused on my weight, the worse my bulimia got," said Katharine. "Now I’m more easygoing. I stopped fighting myself and became more forgiving of my body. Ironically, the weight came off naturally through exercise but no dieting."
McPhee, who currently stars on the NBC series "Smash," eventually wants to star on Broadway and act in films.
"In five years I'd love to have done a play and a few movies, and of course I hope 'Smash' keeps going," she says.
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