Paula Deen before and after 30 pound weight loss

Paula Deen has faced a lot of backlash this year after she announced that she has been diagnosed with diabetes (which many view as hypocritical because the fatty, sugary food she has cooked and marketed is linked to developing diabetes when consumed in excess.)

The former Butter Queen has an endorsement deal with diabetes drug Victoza, but as she tells People magazine this week, she’s also focusing on her diet and weight to fight the illness. In some cases, Type 2 diabetes, which is what Deen suffers from, can be reversed through weight loss and diet changes. She’s now showing off the results of a 30 pound weight loss over 6 months. How did she do it?

It turns out that Paula is giving up (for the most part) Sourthern comfort carbs like mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and biscuits, and sticking to veggies, fish, and low-fat chicken. The first thing she reported doing was switching sweet tea, another Southern favorite, to unsweet tea. It’s far too easy to drink “empty calories” throughout the day with beverages like sweet tea or soda. Often people can see major weight loss after switching to water or unsweet tea (nutritionists advise us to also say away from no-calorie sweeteners, so Diet Coke is still a no-no.)

The 65-year-old is also keeping in shape with exercise, and admits that her lifestyle changes didn’t happen overnight. It’s been several years of small changes to get where she is now.

“It took me a couple of years to get to this point. If you make a few small changes, they can add up to big results.”

Deen is an inspiration to many people, and despite all the unhealthy food she touted in the past, she is definitely a role model now that people can relate to, and truly learn from.