Meghan Trainor is the queen of self-love anthems, but she struggles to feel confident in her skin sometimes, just like the rest of us. Still, she’s determined to be kind to her body — something she says is important for her two young sons to observe her doing.

“I don’t want them to hear me ever being mean to my body because I don’t want them to do that to themselves,” she told USA Today in Mar. 2025.

The pop star opened up about the challenges of embracing her postpartum body and admitted that she’s encountered her fair share of self doubt.

“Every time I get asked about, like, ‘How are you so confident?’ I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m not,’” the 31-year-old said. “Writing these songs is just my therapy for trying to love myself more.”

Focusing on her health, rather than the number on the scale, is one way Trainor has transformed her body and her mindset in recent years. Below, we’re sharing everything she’s said about her balanced approach to weight loss and body positivity.

Her husband Daryl inspired her healthy lifestyle

While dating her now-husband Daryl Sabara in 2017, Trainor told ET the actor helped inspire her to lead a healthier lifestyle.

“He’s changed my entire life. He cooks for me and taught me how to cook,” she said at the time. “He taught me how you can feel better if you eat healthier and exercise, even mentally.”

Trainor went on to say she’d “never felt better” after prioritizing her workout routine with the help of Sabara.

The following year, Trainor told E! News she’d lost 20 pounds “the healthy way.”

Weight lifting has changed her fitness routine

These days, Trainor tries to work in strength training sessions with her husband three days a week, as she told Women’s Health. To put it lightly, it’s paid off in spades.

“On tour, I lost even more weight and I got stronger, so I could do the show and it was easier at the end,” she told the publication. “I could still wake up at 7:00 a.m. and chase after my kids all day at a park while we were traveling. I definitely saw the benefits.”

After realizing how much she enjoys lifting weights, Trainor now thinks about fitness differently.

“I just look at all the years that I wasted doing hard cardio or trying to be a runner. My body was always just angry and inflamed. I was like, ‘What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I do this?’” she told the publication. “I know now that my body enjoys lifting weights and it doesn’t make you big and bulky.”

Staying in shape is a family affair for Trainor

While preparing for her 2024 tour, Trainor told People she enlisted the help of her family to help keep her reach her fitness goals before hitting the road.

“I already told my household. I was like, ‘I am training for the Olympics, OK?’ I want to train and eat clean, and feel good when I’m dancing and singing. I don’t wanna be so winded, because right now, I’m winded,” she said.

All that dedication certainly paid off in the end and Trainor said she was thrilled to reap the benefits of her hard work.

“I’m feeling fit. I’ve never been so fit,” she said.

In a Jan. 2025 interview with Women’s Health, the star said her children often watch their parents while they work out and even have their own “pretend kid weights.”

“They always pick them up and go, ‘Wow, look how strong we are!’ I’m like, ‘Do your lifts, do your squats.’ And then they leave,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Get out of here, it’s dangerous!’”

She lost 60 pounds after giving birth to her first child

Trainor and Sabara welcomed their first son, Riley, in 2021. After giving birth, the new mom lost 60 pounds over the course of a few months.

“I did it the healthy way, the long way, the one pound a week way. And it’s a proud accomplishment that I never thought I could ever do,” she told People in 2023.

While speaking with ET Canada in 2022, Trainor described her postpartum weight loss journey.

“I was my heaviest I’d ever been. I was 200 pounds. … I just wasn’t feeling great,” she said.

After undergoing a C-section, Trainor felt insecure about her scar and found herself in a “really dark place.” The singer said she was motivated to take action so she could be “in a great place” for her son.

“So I worked (out) everyday and challenged myself. And I was like, ‘If I can survive a C-section, I can do anything.’ And I did,” she said.

Trainor said she was “very dedicated” to her routine and “started seeing the pounds come off one week at a time, one pound.”

Through the process, she discovered that she is fond of “healthy food” and learned how to exercise portion control.

She exercises for her mental health

Trainor understands that a fitness routine can be equally beneficial for your mental and physical health.

“My brain is so happy when I exercise,” she told ET Canada in 2022.

The same year, Trainor took to Instagram and described working out as “one of my favorite ways to get out of my own head.”

She continued to work out while pregnant

While pregnant with her second child in 2023, Trainor told People she had a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that she was going to gain back some of the weight she’d just worked so hard to lose.

“That was really emotionally crippling, trying to go from like, ‘Oh, I’m down to my healthiest I’ve ever been, but I know I’m about to grow big again,’” she said. “And I had to keep reminding myself, ‘It’s healthy for the baby. I got to get big for the baby. And I’ve done it once. I could do it again.’”

Trainor stayed focused on her physique during her second pregnancy and shared several videos of her workouts on Instagram, including one that incorporated some time on the treadmill and plenty of moves with weights.

The performer even called out her trainer, Rebecca Stanton, in another post that showed off her dedication at the gym.

“@rebeccabroxfit taught me how STRONG I am…💪💖 especially when I’m entering my last month of pregnancy!” she captioned the post.

She wants to stay healthy for her children

Even before she became a mom, Trainor knew she wanted to live a healthier lifestyle for her future children.

“One day we’ll have kids,” she told E! News in 2018. “I want to be the healthiest I can be for those kids.”

That’s a sentiment she reiterated again after giving birth to her first child.

“I want to run and keep up with my kid. I want to be able to put on a bathing suit and run out there and not be in my head about it. And I want to climb up a treehouse with him,” she previously told People. “I’ve lost all the baby weight and 10 extra lbs., so I’m just going to keep going and do this for my younger self.”

She had to ‘rewire’ her brain to accept her postpartum body

Like every new mom, Trainor initially struggled to love her postpartum body after giving birth to her first child.

“A lot of women are out there posting their stretch marks, and they write, ‘I love my tiger stripes, they gave me my boy,’” she told Parents in 2022.

However, Trainor took a while to feel comfortable in her new skin.

“I love my baby, but I can’t look at my stretch marks and honestly say, ‘Wow, I love them,’ you know?” she said.

Trainor told People she had to learn how to “rewire” her brain so she could embrace her new body.

“And my therapist is so great at showing me a visual of, ‘Your brain was wired this way your whole life. And at 29, you have to learn how to rewire it, which is not an easy task. So it’s something you’re working on every day.’ And I’m like oh, that’s right,” she said.

She prioritizes her protein intake

Trainor knows that the right nutritional regimen can fuel your sweat sessions. As she recently told Women’s Health, she’s particularly focused on eating enough protein these days.

“My managers and I are always talking about like, ‘Oh my God, this is how I got 30 grams of protein at lunch today,’” she said. “It’s a goal and it’s a dream when we actually hit our protein counts now.”

The singer’s breakfast usually consists of two eggs and organic turkey bacon. When lunch and dinnertime roll around, she usually makes a recipe from a meal delivery service.

“I wish I knew how to cook. I make bland stuff,” she said. “But my husband is a nerd about finding food delivery companies that give you protein and help you out with a journey like that. So we’re always looking for a new one.”