Chaz Bono won over the critics on Monday night's Dancing With the Stars and as the LGBT activist tells Us Weekly, he's on his way to winning the battle of the bulge.
"I have definitely noticed a change [in my body]," Bono, 42, told Us backstage at Monday's show. "I'm down 10 lbs. on the scale and I put on some muscle so that makes it easier to dance. I'm feeling great."
As DWTS' first-ever transgender contestant, Bono knew he had a lot to live up to during his first routine, a lively cha cha with pro partner Lacey Schwimmer.
"I did the best I could. I wanted to have fun and be entertaining and I think I achieved that," Bono — who earned a respectable 17 out of 30 points — told I have been working hard! I'm proud of myself."
And so were the DWTS judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli! "You really came out with the right attitude, [and] you came out to enjoy yourself," Goodman told Bono, dubbing the celeb "Razzmatazz Chaz."
Bono and his 11 celeb DWTS competitors will learn if they'll progress on the series when the show's first elimination episode airs Tuesday.