Kelly Clarkson lost 18 lbs in a month: Her diet and workout secrets

Singer Kelly Clarkson has kicked off the new year with an 18-pound weight loss, courtesy of good old-fashioned diet and exercise.

"I just cut back my portions," Clarkson told the February 2013 issue of Cosmopolitan. "I stopped eating late at night, and I work out a little more than I used to, and I literally dropped 18 pounds in a month.

"[My fiance] Brandon and I both have bikes on the back of the bus, and we both love the outdoors. Once your lifestyle becomes more active, obviously you drop weight."

Kelly lost 30 pounds in 2012, only to regain some of it, and notes that her weight fluctuates a lot depending on her work schedule and state of mind.

"I think [weight loss] happens when you fall in love or date someone," says Clarkson, who recently got engaged to talent manager Brandon Blackstock, 35. "If I'm going to be kissing or messing around, I gotta look good. I think it happens when you get really busy as well. But when I'm on my off-time, those 18 lbs might come back."

The curvy 5-foot-3 Kelly admits she has gained a few pounds recently, but insists she has no intention of starving herself to be skinny.

"I'm not willing to do [excessively diet or work out]," says Clarkson, 30. "I'm willing to work a little bit because I want to be a healthy individual – which I always have been. I've put on weight, but that's just what I'm happy with at that moment."

While Kelly understands all the gossip over her weight, she wishes people would stop obsessing over it.

"I wish people would stop talking about it, but I'm used to it after a decade," she says. "And I'm from a small town, so everybody has something to say about everything. I've grown up that way."