Confessions of a Last-Minute Dieter

by Jennie Lucas


Okay girls, it's confession time.

This isn't easy to admit, but you all have a right to know.

I'm cheating.

On my diet.

With another diet.

The reason this is so embarrassing is that many of you might remember my post "Stupid Diet Tricks" on January 8, 2006. I'd lost fifty pounds from having my first baby, without any diet per se, just by making better choices and gently nudging myself towards better habits. In the blog, I exhorted you all to do the same. I insist that diets don't work, and that it's better to have patience and actually keep the weight off for good. Then I backed it up with research proving that punishing, restrictive diets are basically just stupid, and like 95% of people gain all the weight back that they lose that way.

I still agree with all that. But here's the thing...

I had my second child this last Christmas Eve, with another impressive 50-pound gain. And quite simply, I just couldn't wait ten months to lose the weight. Why? Well, a very important reason. Super-important. Like, life-and-death important: I'm presenting at the RITAs in Dallas, I need to buy a new dress, and I don't want it to be a muu muu.

But I know I'm an idiot. I know it. My stress level as I try to finish my third Presents novel--due next week-- is why God created chocolate. I'm still not sleeping through the night. And yet, like an idiot, I'm counting points on Weight Watchers, measuring my cereal by the half cup, trading in my chicken-fried-steak and hash browns for a breakfast of egg-beaters and veggies al dente.

Or maybe I'm not such an idiot. I've lost six pounds in the last three weeks -- tripling my previous rate. That's worth a little crazy stress, isn't it? 51 pounds down, three more to go, then maybe six to make it a nice even 60. Then---dress nirvana! (And a chocolate chip cookie or ten once I'm off this @%*$# diet!)

So is anyone else out there doing something desperate and crazy to lose weight in time for conference? If so, how's it going? And do you have any tips?

posted by Jennie Lucas @ 10:42 PM