I’ve never been a “Glee” watcher, so the only regular exposure that I have to Lea Michele is observing her chronic habit of pose-harding on the red carpet, more often than not in fussy, busted Marchesa gowns. By all accounts, Lea has a beautiful singing voice but seems to be clutching onto slight stardom as if she realizes her time in the spotlight is very limited, and the best thing she can do to make headlines is to try and date Ashton Kutcher. Yuck.

Anyway, In Touch has a story this week about Lea’s drastic weight loss since “Glee” started and how she talks nonstop to her co-stars all about it. To me, the above photo comparison doesn’t look like a huge difference — maybe 10-15 pounds or so? If anything, Lea simply looks more toned up and like she’s grown accustomed to fasting before red carpet appearances. She seems more “Hollywood” now, which isn’t necessarily a good thing because she looked cuter in the “before” photo. Naturally, Lea’s co-stars are tired of hearing about smaller ass and want her to STFU:

Just like annoying Rachel Berry on “Glee,” Lea Michelle is equally obsessed with perfection. A set insider says the actress never misses an opportunity to tell castmates how much weight she’s lost and the calorie count of just about everything that goes into her mouth. “It’s rubbing everyone the wrong way,” says the insider. Lea, 25, publicly said she lost weight because of an infection in her jaw and a vegan diet, but the insider says that she also works out nonstop. “I can eat some b*tches under the table!” she’s been quoted as saying. Maybe next time try eating something on the table.

[From In Touch print edition, February 20, 2012]

That “eat some bitches under the table” quote comes from an Allure magazine interview wherein Lea denies having an eating disorder. While there’s little way to know whether anyone truly suffers from an eating disorder, it’s really a standard excuse for one to insist that they really do eat all the time. Hell, I’ve used that excuse before back in my early 20s when I was actually counting the number of Cheerios that went into my mouth. Then again, I didn’t voluntarily offer up any information to anyone and only answered when asked. Lea seems much more like a braggadocio though, and I can believe that she’s talking her co-stars’ ears off about her incredible dietary control. They’re probably used to it though, and if she annoys them too much, meatball tossing is always a good resort.

Here are a few more red carpet comparison photos. In February 2011, I honestly don’t see much difference from her present figure except that she looks less “cut” here.

This photo from September 2011 may have been at the upper point of a “yo-yo” cycle because Lea is obviously covering up her figure. Yep, she’s probably got an eating disorder, but I think most Hollywood starlets do in some shape or form.

Photos courtesy of WENN