You may know her as Clarissa or Sabrina, but if you ask actress Melissa Joan Hart, her most important role is Mom.
When she’s busy traveling for work (the funny lady, 43, is currently starring in Christmas Reservations) and keeping up with her kids’ activities, it can be tough for the mother of three — Mason, 13, Braydon, 11, and Tucker, 7, with hubby Mark Wilkerson — to stick to a meal plan and eat well.
Working in the entertainment industry, Hart has always felt pressure to look a certain way and be a certain size. “That’s the hard part about the business,” Hart tells Us. “As you get older, it gets harder — and then you have babies! Nobody wants to see you age or see your body change.”
In the past, Hart has been told by agents that if she wanted to be a movie star, she would have to lose weight. “I’ve always thought I was a pretty healthy weight,” says Hart, who also has a healthy outlook during the moments when she may feel self-conscious.
“I have a really good body image. But I definitely have things I wish I could change and things I get down on myself about. For example, I hate my neck — when I notice people with beautiful jawlines, I want that. But I don’t know if anybody really notices my neck except me. I try to put that in perspective.”
As for her secret for maintaining her healthy figure? SlimFast! As a busy, traveling mom with three growing boys and a husband who loves to cook, it can be tough for Hart to stay disciplined. “It’s really challenging to find healthy alternatives,” adds Hart.
That’s why the star partnered with SlimFast, whose products complement her on-the-go lifestyle perfectly. “If my kids are eating something I don’t want, like pizza or burgers, I can have a shake, and it’s satisfying,” Hart tells Us. “It gets me through the night without any cravings, and I feel so much better the next day.”
For more on Melissa Joan Hart, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now!
Reporting by Marc Lupo
