Lauren Alaina continues to open up about her yearlong battle with bulimia and shares what she's doing now to stay healthy.

Since defeating the disorder in 2012, the former American Idol star has taken significant strides to improve her health. Between working out six days a week with the help of celebrity trainer Erin Oprea — who also works with Carrie Underwood — eating healthier food and taking up boxing, Alaina is on the path to self-acceptance.

“I’m still learning to love myself," Alaina admits in an interview with Nashville-based newspaper the Tennessean. "I want to be the girl who has a positive influence on people’s lifestyle. I don’t want to be the girl who has an eating disorder and that’s why she looks the way she looks.” Her custom diet consists of high protein, low carbs and plenty of veggies, while her time on the treadmill has increased her speed from a walk to a sprint. All of these factors have led the singer to lose 27 pounds in one year.

Alaina's current single, 'Road Less Traveled," co-written with Meghan Trainor, is a reflection of this new sense of empowerment and encourages listeners to love themselves as they are. “I didn’t even know that this day would come,” she says of the song that's also her highest-charting single to date. “I just kept holding on. I really think 2017 is going to be a good year for me. It feels so good to go into the year excited instead of just nervous.”

Alaina's new album, Road Less Traveled, hits shelves on Jan. 27.

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