Carrie Underwood explained how she’s managed to stay both physically and mentally healthy after receiving a lot of body shaming feedback in her early days on “American Idol.”

The singer appears on the cover of the March 17 issue of Women’s Health, where she gets candid about her workout routine, diet and how she found success after responding to people online calling her “fat” during her time on “American Idol” in 2005.

“I shouldn’t care what other people think about me,” the 36-year-old explained, noting that she wasn’t thinking about her nutrition at the time and was on a diet of pasta and quesadillas.

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“I was tired, and I kept buying bigger clothes,” she recalled. “I knew I could be better for myself, and I let my haters be my motivators.”

Carrie Underwood explained her diet regimen in a new issue of Women's Health.

Carrie Underwood explained her diet regimen in a new issue of Women's Health. (Women's Health)

After winning the singing competition, she took the subsequent tour as an opportunity to drop a lot of weight.

“I was sleeping better, and I had more energy for our grueling schedule,” she said.

However, she quickly learned that her strict diet was unsustainable. She would “fall off the wagon” and overindulge in food. Although she stopped short of saying she ever had an eating disorder, she clearly had to find a path to fitness that worked for her, which she described in her book “Find Your Path: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, and Get STrong with Fit52Life.”

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She takes her regimented approach to diet to the gym with her, noting, “When I walk in and don’t have a plan, I usually walk out.”

Carrie Underwood explained that negative comments from people who saw her on 'American Idol' inspired her to lose weight.

Carrie Underwood explained that negative comments from people who saw her on 'American Idol' inspired her to lose weight. (Women's Health)

She added: “That’s a part of my personality I need to be better with. I’d love to sit in a bubble bath, but that’s not going to happen. My self-care is my gym time, and that’s a stress reliever for me.”

However, before anyone thinks that the star is all business and no fun, she admits she has her vice — drinking red wine and watching "The Bachelor."

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"It's good for my heart, right?!"