Star Jones and her struggles with weight were the topic of news and magazine headlines for years.

The 47-year-old TV talent's decision to have gastric bypass surgery in 2003 and failure to fully disclose how she lost the weight to the audience of 'The View' was why the show's executive producer, Barbara Walters claimed the former assistant district attorney's contract with the daytime talk show was not renewed in 2006.

Since then, the author of the bestselling tome, 'Shine: A Physical, Emotional & Spiritual Journey to Finding Love' not only disclosed her weight loss surgery in an essay for Glamour magazine, but she sat down with Oprah Winfrey for an impassioned interview this past April where she explained her trepidation about coming clean.

Now Jones, who has lost a staggering 160 pounds, is using her knowledge about obesity and weight loss in an attempt to help residents of Jackson, Mississippi, the US's largest population of African-Americans and also the state that annually weighs in as America's fattest.

Jones hosts a documentary for Black Entertainment Television called 'Heart of the City: Dying to Eat in Jackson,' which premiered on November 15. On BET's 'Heart of the City,' Jones and guest experts work to shed light on the growing problem with an open dialogue with the community, astounding statistics and some informational package features.

Why this documentary and why now?

It's really interesting and I had been talking to BET about projects because a friend of mine said to me, 'you either want to be a part of the solution or just criticize the problem.' I had been hearing about BET wanting to do more news programming. I started having conversations with some ideas that I had and when you're doing that, the first thing that people do is tell you what they are already working on to see if you fit in. When the Executive Vice President told me about 'Heart of the City,' I asked him what were the next ones that they were doing were. They said that they were going to do something on the overweight epidemic and I told them that I wanted to sign on for that right away. That was it and it was interesting to hear what came out of my mouth because people know just how long I resisted a really intense conversation about losing weight, being obese and I realized just how much I had grown. I wanted to do it in a way that would allow me the most creative freedom, but also let people know that I was doing it because I wanted to. Once we started to formulate that the show was going to focus on African Americans in Jackson, Mississippi, which is on its third year of being the fattest city in the nation in excess of 30% of all citizens being classified as obese. We're looking at African Americans at the 50% mark, which is unbelievable. I wanted to add my own special spin to it and do something that had not been done, which was a roundtable discussion because I wanted to sit with people who had been like me in excess of 300 pounds. There is just a special bond that you carry when you weigh 300 pounds because nobody other than Shaquille O'Neal can carry that much weight and he runs up and down the court for 45 minutes and he's 7 foot 9. It was a very moving experience for me.

Was there a moment during the taping that stands out as the most memorable to you?

We all shared our most embarrassing moment and one of the people talked about what it was like to go from being someone who had an intimate relationship with his wife to having to compromise on intimacy because he no longer had the same energy and strength. He realized just how personal weight issues are. We all say that you can be cute and fat, but the impact that is has on your social life is devastating. Just to hear women acknowledge for the first time that nobody wants to be fat; I had never really heard Black women straight up say that. This woman said, 'No matter what we say, no matter how we justify it, nobody wants to be fat.' That just really impacted on my spirit because I realized that she had come to a conclusion and realization that took me years to come to. I talked to Mo'Nique about this on [her] show. That is when we were basically using language and using words to make us feel better about ourselves. Like when we would say, 'I am Phat, not Fat' or when you call yourself plus-sized and full-figured. It wasn't really until I started referring to myself as obese and morbidly obese did the full impact of what my decision was hit me. I found that it was a unifying thing with the people down in Jackson.

The statistics about Jackson, Mississippi are staggering! I was overwhelmed when I read them.

Mississippi is the heaviest state in the country and Jackson is the most popular capital city. There is no question that Mississippi for three years running is the heaviest state by a long shot. You're looking at right around 32%. There is only one state in the country that has an obesity rate of lower than 20% and that's Colorado. Every other state in the USA has an obesity rate of over 20%. I didn't even realize how prevalent it is in African Americans. If you take whatever your state is and if you're in an African American community, you are 50% more likely to be in the obese category or that number. Black women in Mississippi; one in two are obese which means every other person you see when you walk down the street. If you're sitting in the nail salon and you're in one of the six pedicure chairs, three of them would be filled with obese people. That is a visual that you keep in the back of your head.

What is it that you really hope that people take away from watching 'Heart of the City: Dying to Eat in Jackson?'

Weight is a health issue not a beauty issue. One of the things that one of the doctors said is that Black women don't want to sweat because they don't want to sweat out their hair. We always find excuses, I know I did. I said that I couldn't exercise because I was too busy. I make time to watch 'Grey's Anatomy' either on the DVR or on the computer. You make time for the things that are important to you and if I could do one thing it would be to say that your health has to be important to you. My health wasn't important to me; it was way down on the totem pole years ago. I don't know why I put it down on my totem pole. I think it was because I felt out of control and that I couldn't control it. I relegated it to the back burner. I want to try and encourage people to put it on the front burner because quite frankly there is so much that should be cooking on the stove. If you don't have your health, you really have nothing. To know the amount of people that diabetes, heart conditions and strokes are impacting on. I talked to the doctors down there and there is no question that if you take just 30 pounds off if you are obese, that could be the difference of adding years to your life. I know that I have added years to my life. Hell, I've added somebody else's life when I took off a whole person. I was walking around with two people. I wanted to be as honest as I could about what I was feeling because I didn't want people to think that I was being the interviewer. I wanted to be the participant because that is absolutely what I am in this struggle. I am not an observer; I am involved in the struggle. I know that a lot of people say that I took the easy way out or that anybody who couldn't accomplish it on their own takes the easy way out and that probably frustrates me more than anything because it's a daily struggle not a one-time struggle. Hell yeah, the surgery helped me! It showed me that I could drop some weight. But I dropped about 80 pounds due directly to the surgery and then I still had 80 more to lose. There is no surgery in the world that gives you the arms that I have or the legs that I have. I know that it came from hard work. Just to see these people in Jackson struggling because they don't have the resources that I had and they are on that treadmill and in that exercise class and walking around those blocks because they're safe and they're alive. How can you not be inspired?

You've been guest-hosting quite a bit on 'The Insider.' Are you going to be joining the show permanently?

There is nothing to say right now, however, I am enjoying being with 'The Insider.' Not only am I enjoying it, I am actually finding my space with them. I love being with Lara Spencer, Chris Jacobs and Niecy Nash. I think it's a fun team on television and I'm good at it. I realize that I still have something that I want to say and this gives me a wonderful platform to say it. It also doesn't hurt that I love working with the people. I am going to be on the entire months of November and December. That is going to be fun. If there is something to tell after that then you will be the first to know.

Levi Johnston, the baby's daddy to Sarah Palin's grandson, he was on 'The Insider' with you recently. What do you think about him?

He is 18-years-old and this kid has a very finite amount of time to make the most of his situation. Do I agree with someone who has been in an intimate setting stealing secrets? Absolutely not! I think that you owe people a greater debt of loyalty. Can I understand why he is angry and feels abandoned? Absolutely! He was dressed up and made to be a Ken doll in Sarah Palin's Barbie movie. When the movie ended, he didn't fit in anymore. This is a kid who resented that. You would understand why he resented that even if you don't agree with the way he manifested that resentment. From what I understand, Sarah Palin has decided to extend an olive branch, which I think is fine because I think it's going to benefit their family in the long run. It's something very undignified about a former Vice Presidential candidate getting into a pissing match with a 19-year-old. That is much more indicative of her character.

Are you going to take a look at his nude spread in Playgirl magazine?

You'll forgive me, but there's something a little dirty about a 47-year-old woman looking at a 19-year-old man naked in a magazine. I understand being a cougar is popular right now, but that's not a cougar. That's on the verge of something different!

I have to ask this. Meredith Vieira, Lisa Ling and Debbie Matenopoulos have all returned to 'The View' as a guest in the last two years. Any chance you'll ever go back for any reason?

I doubt it very seriously. Unlike everybody else, I was there for nearly 10 years. There are tremendous memories, but I would rather focus on the memories of the good times and not the bad times. Not being a guest has allowed me to do so.

*****

Fore additionally stories on Star Jones, read also: 'New View: Star Jones Launches Blog & Tapes Oprah Appearance.'

& 'Open Letter: Star Jones Checks Bill O'Reilly's Racist Remark.'