Jenny McCarthy Diet & Exercise

Model, TV personality and autism activist Jenny McCarthy has maintained a strong, healthy body into her 40s through a combination of a healthful diet and a vigorous exercise plan. Planning her diet is a particular challenge because she has 60 food allergies, but if you’ve seen any of her magazine covers you know that her methods are anything but mad.

The 5-foot, 6-inch McCarthy weighed 200 pounds after giving birth in 2002, before slimming down by about 60 pounds by following a Weight Watchers program that “taught me portion control” she told “Shape” magazine. She later eliminated gluten and dairy products from her diet. Among her favorite foods are egg white omelets, fruit, homemade soups -- including butternut squash and various vegetable purees -- fish, watermelon and nuts. Whenever she finds that she’s put on a few extra pounds she sets a deadline date to lose the weight and establishes Tuesdays as “no-fat” days. She also recommends dieting with friends who hold each other accountable.

Despite her busy media schedule, McCarthy works out regularly, either running or strength training, although her routines may change from year to year. In 2012 she told London’s “Daily Mail” that she worked out three to five times per week. In a 2013 interview with “Fitness” magazine McCarthy said she works out with light weights three times per week.

McCarthy’s exercises of choice include lunges, situps, pushups and planks. If her schedule doesn’t allow for a full workout, she’ll steal 10 minutes when she can to knock out some situps and pushups. McCarthy insists on having music playing when she works out. “I'd rather be electrocuted than not have my iPod on the treadmill,” she told “Shape.” She has a treadmill at home and also works out to Insanity DVDs.

McCarthy practices Bikram yoga, also known as hot yoga. She does two 90-minute sessions each week, holding her poses for one minute or more, and doesn’t rest between poses. Bikram yoga is typically performed in rooms heated to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat is supposed to improve your flexibility while -- obviously -- causing you to sweat, thereby helping to clear toxins from your body, according to Bikram’s advocates. Practitioners perform 26 poses and two breathing exercises in each session. In addition to the fitness benefits, McCarthy appreciates the way Bikram tightens her skin and helps her deal with PMS.