Hudson to track weight loss effort in book

Singer Jennifer Hudson recounts her journey from pleasingly plump to spectacularly svelte in a memoir she's writing for the Penguin Group imprint Dutton, the publisher announced Tuesday.

The as-yet-untitled tome, due out in January, will cover her growing up with unhealthy eating, being fat on the appearance-conscious "American Idol," winning an Oscar for the 2006 musical "Dreamgirls," and her decision to lose weight after the birth of her son, David, in 2009.

Hudson, 29, lost 80 pounds with the help of the Weight Watchers program.

At least one business website, BusinessInsider.com, cautions that a memoir written around the topic of weight loss might alienate a fan base that found a role model in the plus-sized woman who took pride in her size, saying, "Curves are good. Why should I change?" and "I'm unique around here. Everybody else looks the same."

Regardless, her second album, "I Remember Me," released in March when she was already thin, won over enough fans to hit the half-million mark by April, when it receive gold-record certification by the industry group the RIAA.