'Idol' winner Taylor Hicks has lost 22 pounds since getting his crown last year, and he did it by ditching fried chicke and fast food. The 6'1" singer went from 215 to 193 by turning to salads, brown rice, fish and chicken noodle soup. "It's good for your throat," he says. "It's also comforting, but it's light."

He kept one of his favorites on the menu however: chocolate cake. Hicks says that when he takes a tour day off it's his "sin day", and he looks for the cake in whatever city he's in.

His other secret is running every other day for 45 minutes, no matter where he is or what he's doing.

"I just take off running, with a hat on," he says. And when covering up his distinctive gray mop, "I've walked through a thousand fans and nobody notices."

Aside from the running, "I use a lot of the stage as exercise," says the singer, who calls his dance style "signature me ... it's original and it's authentic." Plus, it's more cardio: "I wear jackets, and with those lights, I'm sweating off, like, two lbs. a night!"

He should have a workout DVD called the 'American Idol' Winner Weight Loss Plan. All you have to do to lose the weight is win on the show, and then start your world tour. Built in exercise plan right there!

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Labels: American Idol, Taylor Hicks