Lauren Conrad On Her ‘Breaking Point’ & Getting Rid Of The ‘Boyfriend Layer’

Lauren Conrad is living life as a new woman.

The former “Hills” star has become a successful author, with her first novel, “L.A. Candy,” hitting the New York Times Bestsellers list; she’s in a steady relationship with actor Kyle Howard; she’s got a line for Kohls and she’s left her MTV reality show.

The 23-year-old told Shape magazine’s September 2009 issue that things are good, but getting healthy took time.

“Nine months ago, I reached my breaking point,” she told the mag, whose cover she graces in an orange bikini. “I felt bad about myself because certain people were relentlessly attacking me and my reputation.”

While Lauren doesn’t reveal the identities of those “certain people,” “Hills” fans are likely to suspect Heidi and Spencer Pratt, the latter who propagated a rumor that the star made a sex tape with her former “Laguna Beach” ex-boyfriend, Jason Wahler. And then there was Audrina Patridge, who accused Lauren of bedding her on-again/off-again boyfriend, Justin Bobby, a rumor she denied, but one which Speidi were happy to help spread.

“My mom kept saying, ‘Let it go, Lauren. It doesn’t matter,’” Lauren told the mag about her troubled time. “My friend also sat me down and asked, ‘Why do you care what people say about you? How does it really affect you at the end of the day?’ I couldn’t come up with a good answer and realized I had to stop worrying about what other people think.”

And Lauren gave herself a reminder to stop worrying about such things via some permanent body ink.

“The next day I got a tattoo on my lower back that says ‘sticks and stones,’ because they may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” she revealed. “Once I let go of that, I felt more confident about myself. And that… made my decision to leave ‘The Hills’ pretty easy.”

While Lauren is happier now, she revealed that dating Kyle came with a different kind of price – some extra weight.

“I call it the ‘boyfriend layer,’” she laughed of pounds she’s since shifted. “We were having more romantic dinners out, and I was exercising less.”

The two combated the weight by exercising together in the outdoors.

“I just ask Kyle, ‘You feel like working out?’ It’s more fun than hitting the gym alone,” she said.

When she’s not in a familiar location or with Kyle by her side, Lauren revealed she has her own fitness routine she can do in any hotel room.

“There are just five moves: squats, sit-ups, push-ups, couch dips— where I balance on the edge of a couch and lower my hips, then press up — and planks,” she explained of her workout routine. “I do 20 reps of the first four moves, then hold the plank for 20 seconds. I go through the entire circuit six times. No equipment required.”

And as for keeping her slender shape, Lauren sticks to healthy salads and foods like tuna, turkey, beans and watermelon.

“I’ve found when all I’m eating is really fresh, healthy foods, I stop craving pizza and burgers,” she said.