ABC News(NEW YORK) — News anchor and journalist Deborah Norville opened up about her weight loss journey in an interview with ABC News’ Good Morning America Thursday.

Norville has been front and center on our TV screens for over 30 years, and currently works as the host of CBS’ Inside Edition.

While the best-selling author and businesswoman projects the image of being at the top of her game professionally, for the past 10 years she said she had been privately dealing with a personal struggle behind the scenes: feeling deeply self-conscious and unhappy with her body.

“We see ourselves differently than the rest of the world does and I didn’t like the way I looked going into a room, I didn’t like the view people were getting when I walked out of the room,” Norville said Thursday on GMA. “And when you don’t feel good about yourself, it colors everything about your life.”

Norville said it was a visit to her doctor, when she was lectured about her high blood pressure, that triggered her lifestyle change. She said she had a long history of heart problems, especially on her father’s side, and her doctor told her that she couldn’t outrun her genetics and encouraged Norville to take control of her health.

She dubbed her weight gain the “Fat 50’s,” she said, adding that she didn’t like the way she looked and felt self-conscious everywhere she went.

Norville said she credits her weight loss to reading labels. She especially paid attention to the sugar content of what she was eating, noting that it appeared even in the most unexpected places, such as half and half.

She also limited her intake of ingredients that end in “ose” — including fructose and lactose. She said she started preparing her own foods and bringing her own lunches to work.

“I said [to my doctor], ‘So what do I do?’ and he said, ‘Cut out sugar,'” Norville told GMA. “That simple.”

While she doesn’t count calories and doesn’t have an exercise routine, she said she stayed super disciplined to eating clean and healthy and the weight started coming off.

Now, Norville said she feels more cheerful and proud of herself, and even fits into a dress that she bought in 1977 — the year she graduated from high school.

“I like me better because I feel healthy,” Norville said.

Her tips for staying on track during the holidays includes filling your plate with vegetables and skipping the dips/extras. She also recommends drinking sparkling water with lemon to fill yourself up and stay hydrated when flat water doesn’t feel very special.

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