(Dec. 1) — Actress Ricki Lake doesn’t mince any words when describing the shape she used to be in. “I can’t believe I was a fat person for most of my life,” the former talk show host tells PEOPLE.

Opening up about her drastic weight loss, Lake said that she maxed out at 270 pounds before dropping 140 of them. How did she do it? One of those wacky celebrity fad diets? Surgery?

Celeb Weight Issues

Ricki Lake, seen on the right before her weight loss in 1988’s ‘Hairspray,’ says she’s amazed at how she went through life at that weight. She’s since dropped 140 pounds, despite having two children.

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Shenae Grimes (far right) is lashing out against all of the criticism she and her fellow ‘90210′ actresses are getting over their weight. Grimes tells PEOPLE she doesn’t have an eating disorder, and declares: “This is me, this is my body

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Horation Sanz, the once rotund ‘SNL” alum, was spotted on a red carpet in November looking trim. He told New York Magazine, “I’ve been eating better… I never weighed myself when I was at my fattest, because I was scared I might die.”

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‘Dancing With the Stars’ pro Cheryl Burke got an unexpected shock when two of the male pros on ‘Dancing’ spoke out about how she seemingly gained weight since last season. “I want kids or women out there to realize you don’t have to be anorexic to be beautiful,” Burke told PEOPLE.

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Jennifer Love Hewitt, has become one of the most outspoken celebs when it comes to the weight of today’s starlets, defended Burke recently, saying the claims against her are “really insensitive.” Hewitt herself became blogosphere fodder when photos of her in a bikini hit the Web. The infamous photo (next slide) …

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… was widely critiqued across blogs and tabloids. The criticism hurt and offended Hewitt so much, she decided to turn the tables and tell her side of the story.

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She did just that with a PEOPLE cover story, telling fans and women of all sizes to “put on a bikini and stay strong” no matter what.

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Tara Reid’s body and weight struggles have been well-documented. The ‘American Pie’ actress was the unfortunate recipient of poorly done liposuction, which left “battle wounds,” she recently told PEOPLE.

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‘O.C.’ starlet Mischa Barton on several occasions was mocked on blogs for alleged cellulite that some saw in her photos. Rather than talk to a magazine, she flaunts her figure in skimpy bikinis instead.

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Eva Longoria shot back at critics who randomly say she’s either fat or pregnant. “I never went up a size! I just got rounder. I’m still a size zero,” she told Allure recently.

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“I didn’t have surgery and I worked hard. There’s no secret. I’m active. I watch what I eat,” told PEOPLE.

Even though she now sports a size small dress, Lake sees Hollywood as a continuing problem when it comes to the proper weight for females.

“According to Hollywood standards, I’m not a thin girl. I’m a normal girl,” the 40-year-old mother of two said. “I don’t want to perpetuate that obsession but yet I am also guilty of wanting … to lose weight.” She also says she’s glad her two children are boys, because weight perception is “that much harder” on a girl.

So is the weight off for good? Lake hopes so, but isn’t making any guarantees.

“Something tragic in my life could happen and I could balloon and gain weight. I can’t promise I will be like this forever,” she said. “I don’t need to lose anymore weight. [But] I don’t want to go backwards. So I’m not going to pig out this Christmas.”