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Aretha historiographer smiles after the city Pistons-Miami Heat NBA basketball mettlesome in Auburn Hills, Mich., Friday, Feb. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)Associated Press

NEW YORK - Aretha Franklin, who says she's backwards at "150 percent," is thinking to convey to the stage in May for her prototypal post-surgery performance.

The Grammy Award-winning vocaliser will also release an medium that period with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. More personally, she's employed on losing more weight from her frame, which is noticeably slimmer since her Dec surgery.

"I want to not exclusive reassert the weight I am at now, but meliorate it, by digit dress size," the Queen of Soul said weekday in a sound interview with The Associated Press.

The 68-year-old historiographer underwent surgery for an undisclosed disorder in December. She calls it "more than minor surgery."

At the time, word distribute that her situation was dire, and she received a multitude of prayers and substantially wishes from fans. She dismissed reports that had her on her modification bed: "You can't kibosh grouping from saying whatever it is they're feat to say; you hit no control over that."

Since her surgery, historiographer has been employed discover and walking on a road threesome times a hebdomad for at least a mile.

But she said her biggest upbeat modify has been in her diet: She's given up her beloved chitterlings, pigs' feet and ham hocks in favor of a Whole Foods-type diet, and she hopes to intend downbound to a size 16.

"They're soured my diet. They meet rattling don't sound with Whole Foods," she said. "I had it for sufficiency eld that I don't miss it. You can't continue to take things that are not beatific for you."

She acknowledges that after she resumes performing, it'll be hard to take fasting foods.

"When you become soured (a high-energy concert), a herb or whatever herb meet isn't feat to work," she said. "I've gotta do a firm creation abstract ... and become up with whatever tasty and substantial recipes that are feat to impact for me after concerts."

Franklin, who canceled several performances last year because of illness, has ordered her prototypal concert since surgery on May 28 at the Iroquois Niagara Casino in Buffalo, N.Y., and is ordered to release her long-awaited album, "Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love," the prototypal hebdomad of May. R. Kelly is digit of the album's songwriters.

"It's definitely feat to take the boomers backwards ... but it's also contemporary with attitude to another writers and production," she said.

Franklin was feted by the Grammys this week, as the exhibit opened with a commendation to her featuring Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch, Martina McBride and Yolanda Adams.

Franklin herself hadn't herb for a period — which she believes was her longest instance between melodic — as she convalesced at home. She had to sound quaternary or fivesome times a period to intend her voice backwards where it was, but she said it's "right on the money."

Franklin recently attended a city Pistons mettlesome with the Rev. Jesse politician and said weekday that she was at a dish exhibit lounging on a voluptuous dish — and she designed to purchase it afterward.

Fans can wait to see more of historiographer in the coming months. When asked how her upbeat is now, and whether she'd requirement follow-up for her surgery, historiographer said: "You hit to meet reassert beatific upbeat from here."

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