Maria Menounos Bikini Body, Brunette Beauty Graces 'Health' Magazine Cover: Talks Jessica Biel, Pizza Diet, & The 10 Percent Rule

Maria Menounos graces the cover of the July/August issue of Health magazine and reveals her amazing toned body in a bright yellow bikini. The 36-year-old star opens up to the magazine about her workout routine, her pizza diet, and even her celebrity inspiration.

Looking at the host, and now reality TV star, you would never guess that she was 40 lbs. heavier during her college years. She tells the magazine that she would often have competitive eating contests with the boys in college.

"I'm super competitive, so I was like, "Oh yeah, let's throw down," she reveals. "I'd order the huge serving of pasta for four people and eat the whole thing. I was beating football players!" 

The Dancing With the Stars alum reveals that when she gave up her competitive eating streak and turned to losing the weight that the key was to never use the word diet.

"I never told anybody I was on a diet. I didn't tell myself! That's the key," Menounos says "I just wrote down everything I ate for a week and assessed my problem-it was carbs. So I made a 10 percent rule in my head: If I was eating seven slices of pizza, I would cut back to six. It was so hard to not reach for that seventh, but I was still eating what I wanted, just one less."

It definitely makes sense, you're happy because you're not depriving your body of the food it wants, but you're still losing weight because you're not over eating.

As for her decision to lose the weight, she says that you have to have your health in mind, not just a goal to be skinny, otherwise it will be a battle. "It gives you a different perspective, she explains. "I'll think, I'm going to choose to feel better about myself next week by making a better decision now." 

As far as how this busy lady stays in shape with everything she is doing, she says that she finds ways to improvise throughout the day so that she doesn't have to go to the gym.

"I'm always figuring out a way to work out throughout my day so I don't have to go. I have my yoga mat and exercise bar in my office, so I can do a full workout in 15 minutes. I also balance my meals with my movement. I'm a rocket. I'm like shoom to the bathroom, shoom to the office. I actually put a pedometer on. At the base I get 10,000 steps a day, but on certain days I'm getting 18,000 steps. I'm burning everything I'm eating."

We are so jealous of her rocking body, but Maria does admit that at times she also gets envious of other celebrities bodies, for example, Jessica Biel.

"I never look at anybody's body and think, Oh my God, I hate her. What I do is admire. Jessica Biel, for example, is so strong, and I would really love to be stronger like her. That inspires me to want to lift a few weights."

Pick up the magazine when it hits newsstands on June 20.

Click here to see the behind the scenes video from the shoot