Jennifer Love Hewitt Loses 18 Pounds in 10 Weeks

NEW YORK – Jennifer Love Hewitt is showing off her slimmed-down figure after losing 18 pounds in 10 weeks.

"I am in a pretty good workout regimen that I like, so it inspired me to keep it up," the "Ghost Whisperer" actress, 29, tells Us Weekly. "The energy level and the way I feel now is great."

In December of last year, an angry Hewitt defended her curves after photos of her in a bikini were ridiculed on the Internet.

But Hewitt says that's not why she shaped up.

"She told me, 'They said some rude, mean things, but that's not why I wanted to change,'" trainer Stevie Sant'Angelo told the magazine.

Several Web sites posted shots of Hewitt, with a bit of cellulite, on a Hawaii beach with her then brand-new fiance, Scottish actor Ross McCall, along with some less-than-complimentary comments. TMZ.com, for example, said, "We know what you ate this summer, Love — everything!"

Hewitt responded on her Web site: "To all girls with butts, boobs, hips and a waist, put on a bikini — put it on and stay strong."

Click here for the Us Weekly report

The Associated Press contributed to this report.