Eating Herself Thin

A few years ago, my best friend Lisa decided to lose weight. I thought she looked great, but then, I was officially obese. It took her more than a year, but she whittled away substantial pounds (25-30) and this is how she did it. Mini-meals. Every 2-3 hours. She joked to her husband that she was “eating herself thin.” And wow did she ever.

There’s more to her plan, of course. Plenty of cardio. She walks her miles and likes dance classes. Almost three years later, she has kept the weight off, has boundless energy, and looks fabulous. As every woman who has ever gone on a diet knows, keeping the pounds off is the difficult part.

Stars know I’ve had plenty of experience there. Not a better yo-yo on the planet than yours truly. And at the time of Lisa’s weight loss, I was struggling with some difficult numbers for cholesterol and blood sugar. I asked her to help me work her plan and, like the bestie she has been since fifth grade, she pitched right in. It was an uphill battle, because yoga is my exercise of choice and I love cake, but she gave me the goods, including recipes that were simple to adapt to my vegetarian palate.

It’s been a slower process for me than for Lisa, as I had to be brought round to no sugar and limited refined carb rule by a second bad blood report. I do not want diabetes more than I want cake, chips, and cookies. On the bright side, we brought my cholesterol down without medication. and I was losing weight. Just very slowly.

But I kept at Lisa’s plan because persistence has paid off well in my life. It took me ten tries to kick cigarettes, but I did. 25 years ago. Persistence also saw me into becoming a published novelist, as I just would not give up. And now I have some persistence rewards to report on the weight front. I have not been obese for over a year. I don’t weigh myself like I should. I published two novels this year and a new edition of a third. I write in PJs or sweat pants. I had to buy smaller sweat pants this winter because they fell to my ankles every time I got up from my desk.

I thought they were just stretched out. I bought new jeans last summer but this spring they were so loose I could pull them on and off without unzipping. So this reluctant shopper took herself to the mall last week and tried again. I had not lost one size over the winter, but two. I still have a long way to go, but finally I feel the click Lisa talked about when you change your mind about food and how to eat it. Since starting Lisa’s plan, more than a year ago, I’ve lost 25 pounds. I have more to go, but this time, I’m confident I can make it work. Forever.

Lisa’s breakfast burrito: 80 calorie [whole wheat] tortilla, egg-beaters [1 egg], sprinkle of cheese. *Brackets indicate my modifications. Enjoy!