From Frugivore: However mean-spirited I feel American Idol is (and consequently how evil I am for watching and laughing), I have to give the top rated show credit for seemingly providing an avenue for singers who may have never made it out of obscurity because of some superficial reason like skin color or weight.
Rueben Studdard’s 2003 victory showed that America still had a soft spot for silky soul singers regardless of their weight, and in 2010, history almost repeated itself when Michael Lynche crooned his way to a fourth place finish.
But his vocal talent isn’t the only discipline he shares with his fellow American Idol alums. Recently, the Huffington Post interviewed Lynche, who says he lost over 85 pounds after committing to healthier diet and a regular workout program:
Well, right now I’m at 90 pounds [lost]. I really like to have something to focus on. I like to have something to have a routine about and to be disciplined about. As we were coming to the end of last year, I just wanted to do something different and change up my workout. I began running and it’s just taken off from there. I got on a pretty hardcore diet and work out twice a day to make sure that I’m around for a time to come with my kids, and just be as healthy as possible.
Read the rest of his interview at over at Huffington Post Black Voices, where the Florida native talks more about his new album, his 90 pound weight loss, and fatherhood.
Read more great stories about black health on Frugivore.