Me, learning to smile, relax and let go of the pain. Photo: giafrese

I know that there were a lot of posts on the site for a while that focused squarely on the ticking down of my body weight. I felt responsible to report every aspect of this journey, a weekly (or bi-weekly, depending on work) journey to self where I tried to exercise it off, diet it off, and put myself through some REALLY punishing rigors. The efforts worked: I’m down 80 lbs from my original weight, give or take this week’s bout with gastroenteritis.

Which, per this post, may or may not be the last time you see me mention a number associated with my body. Ever again.

Someone joked this week, upon my release from the ER, that I was “one stomach flu away from my goal weight” a la The Devil Wears Prada. I really wish that reference would die. It’s always a little more true than you’d like it to be and we all sort of laugh it off in that top-breath way, like we hope no one ever notices a secret longing for it to be somewhat true.

I hit a point a couple of weeks ago where I had to step away from the workouts. It got to a point where there was too much focus on the number, the size, what I looked like. I caught myself having to recount the number in polite conversation, but the ending had to be the photo of my stomach on the Internet where I underwent a thermal skin tightening procedure. I take the full blame for that: I stepped right up and let a very honest goal turn into a circus. I’ve since put the top hat down and backed away from the tigers and clowns and really focused on this last bit of body mass that seems to eluding my efforts.

We all understand the concept of plateaus, but I’ve hit these weights before and smashed right through them. What was different this time? And why have I, AGAIN, found myself in some crazy cycle of weight loss? I stepped away from the Foursquare check-ins and the constant attempts to push my body into harder and harder workouts that would claim to get that weight right off of me, and I sat back and just thought about it: what was keeping me from losing the rest of the weight?

And then it dawned on me: I’m keeping myself from losing the rest of the weight. Because I use food in ways that prevent me from achieving my goals, and at the end of it, happiness scares the shit out of me because it can be taken away.

Food and I have had a very long and complicated relationship. As a kid who had to spend a lot of time alone and bouncing from one place to another during divorces/relationships/remarriages and the like, I learned to use food as a soothing balm and a punishment. It’s a complex relationship that began a very long time ago, but the withholding of nourishment gave me control when I didn’t have any, and the feel-good feelings of comfort foods were used to soothe my feelings and replace love. Having a great day? Let’s get some popcorn saturated in butter! Not having a good day/you think that something bad is about to happen? Let’s throw down a giant bowl of mashed potatoes. Did that guy not call you? You’re too sad to eat…for the next three days.

See the pattern? Happiness arrives: I eat. I sense happiness may be going: I eat more. Happiness goes: the food goes with it.

As I sat back and reflected on these 30+-year-old patterns, it was like coming face-to-face with the bogeyman under the bed, the crazy monster in the closet you’ve always been afraid to face. I am an emotional eater. I have always been an emotional eater. I had just never really thought about it as a pattern. As an adult, I faced even more trauma and the use of food in this manner became even more prevalent, even more scary.

But there’s a difference now, a change in myself that I hadn’t detected this time: I love myself more now that I ever have. I want to give myself a chance to just be happy, regardless of the scale or the size of the pants.

I have a great desire to stop the cycle of violence against myself, I don’t want to repeat the patterns that were taught early and reinforced often. I have a chance, even at this later stage of the game, to change it…to be healthy all the way through.

And so, I decided to stop buying diet books and trying new workouts and the insanity around trying to hit a certain dress size. I just don’t have it in me anymore. I just want to be healthy. I want any and all relationships that have anything to do with pain to stop. All of them. Painful workouts, food that makes me feel like crap in an hour, people who reinforce negative views I have of myself…they all go. That’s the new diet: cutting out the pain. If it hurts immediately – or will cause pain eventually – I don’t do it.

That’s why there haven’t been new posts on the diet, and that’s why I don’t really talk about the number on the scale so much anymore. Because I’ve realized that as a grown woman, the cycle of abuse ends with me, and that includes beating myself up about the number on the scale, then snatching it away from myself with the wrong food. I’m just done.

And you know what? The clothes I want to wear fit me just fine. I stepped back from the diet books and unfriended a bunch of jerks on Facebook. I stopped entertaining negative comments (two of which came disguised as birthday wishes, if you can imagine.) The diet is Life, Pain Free. And so far, I really like it.

I’m writing this in hopes that anyone feeling that loop of insane diet fever, the quest for the dress or the goal of looking hot for someone else will just stop. Those of us who can’t find a diet that works or a food pattern that will help us achieve whatever the wild ideal we have in our mind’s eye might just need to stop, put the books down and take a hard look at the ton of pain we’re carrying around. Drop that. You’ll feel lighter within minutes. Your stomach will stop bloating because you’ll look at the cookie and the apple and the choice won’t be which is the better option, but the question will come up, “Am I even really hungry?”

My choice is to heal the emotional hunger for a while. I’ll still be working out, I just don’t want to go to such extreme, painful measures to achieve anything anymore.

The Pain Free Diet. Try it with me. Let’s see if that works.

Me, on top of my roof, contemplating my next move. Photo: giafrese

So, today is my birthday. My real, honest-to-God birthday. And while there were many days in the past I was sure (SURE) I would never see this age, here it is….and it’s awesome.

Today’s birthday was a great reminder of how far I’ve come. In 2007, I dreamed of having a full-time writing career in NYC, and here I am living that dream. Last year, I hit a SoulCycle class and really wanted to be the girl in front, riding away and light enough to keep up with the front row. Today, not only was I in the front of the class, they took my photo on that bike. It’s my new favorite photo. It’s proof that I can accomplish pretty much anything to which I focus my mind.

Sorry, I’m Late, LA. Was in a long-term relationship with NYC, but I think I’m ready now. Photo: giafrese.

And the icing on the cupcake tonight was when I got on the scale. I don’t have 15 lbs to go…I have 10. 83 pounds lost. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel….and, for once, it’s not a train. So, I’m taking the rest of the night to celebrate my successes…with a cupcake the size of my head.

Well, not that big, but it’s big, awesome, covered in icing and I deserve it.

The Instagram photo that launched a million what-the-Hell comments. Yep, it’s absolutely true: I’ll be an LA lady next year.

But I’m a big believer in setting new goals when you achieve them, and so thanks to an Instagram photo that sort of slipped out there as a message to a dear friend,it’s time to share the next big goal with you:

I’m moving to Los Angeles next year.

Ah, LA….

New York and I have had a really awesome, at-times tumultuous relationship. We’ve broken up, we’ve gotten back together. I tried to quit the city Brokeback Mountain-style and leave multiple times (three times, in fact.) But, the siren song of a writing career led me back, and we’ve been going strong since 2007.

However, when I flew in from my college reunion in April, what I had feared was a passing idea was very evident to me: the thrill is gone, baby. The thrill is gone.

My favorite fantasy that doesn’t involve Bradley Cooper…my view at the pool at the Mr. C Beverly Hills.

Los Angeles is the only city in the US that I’ve ever wanted to live in that I haven’t tackled yet. So many things are there. Yes, there will be traffic. Yes, I will stay perpetually lost for the first year. But, it’s time to live life differently. It’s time to dare greatly again…but this time, I just want to do it a little closer to the beach.

The mindblowing lobby at the Mr C. Beverly Hills. Countdown to the 2014 birthday party there starts…now.

So, the countdown begins today, June 9th, 2013. One year (give or take a few months per my lease), and my plan is to spend my next birthday at my beloved Mr. C Beverly Hills, ready to christen my maiden voyage into the California lifestyle.

A view from a recent trip to Union Square Park, where you can find me working on articles about three times a week.

But, New York and I have some unfinished business, namely a gigantic bucket list of places and experiences that I want to see, do, visit and life through before I go. There will be some adventures, there will be some tears, there will be a lot of laughs and photos to share with you, but a level of the excitement is back. It’s like that summer romance you know will be over come September – everything becomes even more exciting because you know it’s the last time you’ll ever do it. Mine just gets to last for a year.

My wish for you tonight, dear readers and friends, is to join me in making a wish for a fantastic year of adventures, amazing experiences and further exploration of a life worth living at all price points. Because, like any good relationship that’s ending, I plan on making my mark on the place. New York will always be a part of me….but this is my last year to be a part of New York. I plan on celebrating accordingly, specifically in my new favorite Jimmy Choos.

And with that, I’m blowing out the candles on another year with a huge task and set of adventures ahead of me. Buckle up, folks…we’re in for a wild ride.

This is the stretching post-workout. You see how sweaty everyone is? Yep, it’s no joke in there.

Yesterday was one of those days where I got up feeling nervous. Wednesday was one of those days that feels like someone asking you to do one more thing is like packing another pair of shoes into an overstuffed suitcase: not impossible but it brings about the lamenting and whining that usually ensues. But a workout was part of the day’s schedule, so it was off to Equinox Training Camp (ETC) I went. Because 15 lbs waits for no one, especially when I’m going to be traveling for the next few weeks.

The second session seemed to go MUCH faster than the first. My sassy, cocky side would like to say it’s because I’m just that much stronger from the first session, but I think it’s just the mental conditioning that you’re there and you might as well go with it. The pace was quick and more drills were done. We infused more Animal Flow (a workout at Equinox based on animal movements that build muscle, agility and stamina) and then we broke into teams where we ran suicides (for those who don’t know, they’re running drills where you go for certain distances at a time as fast as you can, then repeat) while our partners slammed gigantic medicine balls, then we switched. We then ran across the floor and one partner rowed while the other held plank pose for a solid minute. We used weights, we did burpees (again, I hate burpees), we did more push-ups that evolved into side planks…it was fast, it was frantic, it was tough.

At the end of it, which is when these photos were taken, we ended in a delicious few minutes of stretching, which I was thrilled to do. You’re incredibly aware of how your energy has been expended. It’s a workout where you know you got a great workout in. At the end of the class, I have to report that I wasn’t as winded as the first time. I believe this is partly because I ate better (I went in on coffee and hope the first class…and I KNOW BETTER) and the other part is – and I mean this sincerely – I’m really much physically stronger than I thought. I hate push-ups, but I can do them. I think the cardio endurance I’m going to build will really help.

I’m excited about the instructors, who are just as excited and caring as you’d want them to be (my ex-Marine friend Flex co-taught the class with Danielle this time) and it was a high-energy experience. But I do have to say that it brings out the over-achiever in everyone. I was next to a guy who was so into running the suicides he kept swinging his arms wildly so he would be in front of the other runners because we were nervous he’d hit us. Keep it up, Jack. Karma’s a bitch.

Tomorrow is session three, so I’m resting up again before I go in for more. What lies in store for me tomorrow? I have no idea but I’m throwing down grilled chicken salad tonight in anticipation. The person who was crying on her couch 78 + pounds ago is ready for this part of the journey to be over. I’m back for more. Let’s do this.

Rowing machines? Oh yeah, that’s a mere fraction of the workout.

OK, so today is Monday and this is the first of many diaries of what it’s going to take to get this final 15 lbs off. This morning was my first session of Equinox Fitness ETC (Equinox Training Camp,) which is a six-week program that works like a bootcamp amalgamation of all of the Equinox classes with some old school trainer tricks thrown in. I’ll have more images for you on Wednesday from the second class, but here’s what went down this morning.

A very large group of us gathered in a Group Fitness room at Equinox’ tony Columbus Circle location. I’m not going to lie: I was nervous. Everyone lined against the wall like we used to do in high school gym class, seemingly as nervous as I was. The best thing about the room is that it was a melting pot of body types and fitness levels, which is refreshing. Because, honestly, you’re already nervous as to what to expect without walking into a room where it looks like people run the Ironman for fun once a year.

Our instructors for today were Rico and Flex. Yes, his name is Flex and by looking at him I would say he’s earned that name – ex-Marine, ripped and incredibly bendy. Over the course of an hour, I worked alone and with a partner to do a series of cardio, strength and flexibility drills – burpees, rowing, jumping jacks, bear crawls, wall sits, overhead presses, crab walks and positions from their new Animal Flow classes (which look incredible,) etc. We’re talking non-stop movement with a couple of sips of water built in.

It’s challenging. Like, extremely challenging. About 35 minutes in, I started to feel my thigh muscles actually get sore. By the time we were stretching, I had lost the ability to speak full sentences. It was everything a Boot Camp promises to be but without the crazy screaming. The instructors were so awesome and supportive that they got more out of me than I expected.

Also, let’s also note that I am evidently going to do more variations of push-ups in six weeks that I’ve done in the past three decades of my life. I’ll have to work up to that.

But, as I’m sitting here, typing this, I’m incredibly enthusiastic about the class. Because, honestly, the whole time I was trying to stay upright and get through the burpees (burpees kill me, I hate them) I kept thinking of myself on my couch in 2006, swollen, unhappy and almost 100 lbs overweight. From that time when I couldn’t even lift my body onto a kitchen counter with my arms to the fact that I can do bear crawls across the floor now without stopping, there’s no comparison…and there’s no stopping me. I have fifteen pounds to go…I want this badly.

So, I’m off to soak my body up to my neck in epsom salt, but make no mistake…I’ll be back on Wednesday.

Bring it on, Equinox. I’m ready.

So, I’m holding strong at 15 lbs to go before I hit my goal weight. I’m not on the SHRED Diet plan, per se, but I still pretty much eat the way I ate weeks 2 and 3 with the occasional allowance thrown in (I recently rediscovered chocolate during a rather stressful end to the month March.) So, while I haven’t gained weight, I haven’t lost any either and I think it’s time for all of this to end. In other words, it was time to get a reward in mind that was so incredible, so sexy and fabulous that I would KNOW that I had really accomplished something.

And so when a recent gift card to Nordstrom landed in my lap – thank you (FTC disclosure), Jimmy Choo Parfums,and more about their amazing new scent, Flash, in a short bit – I knew exactly what to get. Behold, the Magical “Leather” Shorts from Topshop.

Da-da-DAAAAA! The magical shorts from Topshop, via Nordstrom.com.

When I ordered them, I could hear my inner teenager screaming with joy and my future AARP member shrieking in horror. Who AM I that I’m about to try and get my ass into a pair of leather shorts? I mean, seriously? Because, in my head, I’m 78 lbs heavier and buying everything I can with an elastic waistband, trying to avoid the fact that I’m constantly winded. I took them out of the box a few minutes ago and posted a shot on Instagram with a mixture of excitement….and total terror.

Let’s not even start with the will-they-really-fit fear. At the end of this, it’s going to be 93 lbs lost. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide and there’s no hiding in sexy black “leather” (they’re faux leather, kids – I’m trying to be kind here) shorts. You can’t duck and cover in a room in a pair of slippery-when-wet shorts with zippers on the side. Suit up, Buttercup: it’s Go Time.

As I’m writing this, I’m reminded of why I started this journey in the first place, the afternoon when I rolled into my doctor’s office in 2008 because my chest was hurting and I thought I was having a heart attack. The afternoon in April, that sunny day when I was given the medical equivalent of a not-so-comic face slap: with my family history of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, I would most likely experience my stroke – IF I WAS LUCKY – in the next five years. When I started laughing (which is something I do when I get really nervous sometimes,) my docto said that IF I WAS LUCKY I would survive with just minor impairments, like affected speech, maybe a little vision loss. Did insulin shots amuse me? Did a massive coronary arrest make me laugh? Because those were the realities for me if I kept going the way I was going.

And, you know, I stopped laughing.

I wish I could say I made the choice right then and there that I was not going to go out like that. It took another three years to pull it together, to take it really seriously, to get rid of all the excuses. But at the end of the day, it’s really not about vanity for me, ladies and gentlemen….

I don’t want to die.

The shorts? They’re just the cherry on top of the weight loss icing that I don’t have to live like that anymore, in fear of my left arm suddenly going numb and crunching aspirin like Pez on a daily basis.

And so, here’s how this will go down. I’m going to document the good, the bad and the ugly of this last fifteen pounds. You’ll still see me on Foursquare checking into my beloved exhale mind body spa to rock out Core Fusion and yoga classes, which is how I’ve gotten here (with the occasional SoulCycle class thrown in.)

I’ve also been asked to attend six weeks of Equinox Training Camp (and I’m thrilled that they asked me to do it.) At the end of this, it’s not just the vanity of getting into smaller jeans for me….I get a whole new shot at life.

Wish me luck. We’ll get there together. I’ll do my best to stick with it and take the rest of the weight off, you follow along and hopefully get inspired to save your own life (if that’s your inspiration…if cute shorts are what moves you, get yourself some cute ass shorts from Topshop and get in the game.)

At the end of this, let’s put on some skinny shorts and celebrate together. You in? #15lbstogo

OK, so I am obviously WAY behind on posting things, but when charitable causes that do a lot of good come across the wire, I have to let you know about them super quickly.

I’m not going to lie: I’m more than a little concerned with the bullying epidemic in the country right now. I have many theories about why it’s more prevalent now than it used to be (reality tv doesn’t help – people get paid millions of dollars an episode to bitch each other out for millions of viewers), but kids out there are really scared to leave the house. Actually, it doesn’t even stop there: they don’t want to go on living because bullying comes in via the phone, the Internet, social media and pretty much everywhere they look. It’s getting really scary out there.

But it gets bigger than that. If you remember what it was like to be a teenager (or maybe you are one, in which case I have BEEN there and it SUCKS, but it does get WAY better), you know that a whole milieu of issues come up: bullying, eating disorders, body image, depression, addiction and substance abuse being just a few. Many don’t feel comfortable talking to their parents, they’d rather text someone and just get some help.

So, I wanted to let you know that there are only a few days left in the month of March to head over to JCP (or JCPenney for those of us who refuse to give in,) to help support Crisis Text Line, a new hotline initiative for teens that is available 24 hours a day to help teens talk about the issues that are facing them. The Crisis Text Line will launch nationally in August (back-to-school, natch) but in order for it to launch, they need to raise funds now.

How does it work? If you’re throwing down some money on whatever you’re buying at JCP – towels, MNG by Mango, William Rast, the amazing new Joe Fresh offerings, a toaster, more towels to clean up the toast – you can opt to round up to the nearest dollar via their JCPCares program and that money can be donated to this initiative. It’s really simple and that change adds up quickly.

So, you know, go buy some towels and jeans and pop into Sephora while you’re there, then round up your purchases to support this important new initiative. Because it’s important to reach those who need help where they live, and for most teens that’s via text message.

K? Thx! (Sorry, had to throw some text humor in there.)

It’s been a bit since I’ve done one an inspiration board, and since I’m working on a gigantic one for my apartment (in the process of redecorating my home office) and my all-important vision board (this week has brought some really great gifts,) I thought I would share some of the snaps that are really inspiring me for the week ahead:

I spotted this necklace at the Juicy Couture Spring/Summer 2013 Preview this week and I have fallen HARD. The post on this amazing collection goes live this week, but I had to give you a sneak preview with this amazing necklace. I have a costume jewelry problem. I admit it.

As someone who is learning to let go of the past and to move toward a really bright and shining future, this was a great reminder for me.

A sculpture in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt New York by Jaume Plensa.

It’s occurred to me that I don’t have nearly enough exposure to art in my life, which is absolutely criminal since I live in New York City. I happened upon this amazing sculpture by Jaume Plensa at an event at the Gtand Hyatt New York, where it sits quietly guarding the lobby. I love Plensa’s works: they’re like these gigantic, peaceful guardians. I had to stop and snap a photo.

If you’ve not seen this video yet, I highly encourage you to check it out. J.Crew’s Jenna Lyons has opened the door to her insane (289 pairs and counting) shoe collection in celebration of the J.Crew Italian shoe collection. My girl crush on Jenna only grows with this video. Which has always led me to a rather unhealthy obsession with a pair of their shoes:

The Collection Etta Sequined Pump. Le mew, le purrrrrrr…..

And finally, it was a wild week of weather here in New York, but the snow settled on my beautiful Cosby neighborhood and created a blanket of quiet. It makes me really grateful for those moments like this one, where everything is silent in the city that never sleeps, where everything is pristine for just one moment. You have to snap moments like this before they’re disturbed. It’s like having a clean house before a child’s birthday party.

What’s inspiring you this week?

But now I have to expand to the second hand because I’ve seen screeners of some of Bravo’s new Wednesday night line-up and, well, damn it, they own my Wednesday night and a good part of my DVR now. Because I have a tiny stylist obsession and this ENTIRE NIGHT is dedicated to the wackiness of Los Angeles-based stylists. I’m in, I’m popping popcorn and I will be tweeting up a blue streak.

Starting tomorrow night, Wednesday, March 6th, here’s the lineup of my new Hump Day Fashion Hook-Up:

Click to watch the trailer for The Rachel Zoe Project, Season 5.

First up, the celebrity styling juggernaut that is Rachel Zoe in The Rachel Zoe Project. People, let it be known that I freaking live for Rachel Zoe. This show has been on for four seasons and they can keep filming until she’s styling fellow nursing home tenants and I will STILL be watching. This season evidently centers around the building of the Rachel Zoe clothing line, which is “rumored” not to be going well. In any case, we get to watch Zoe do her thing and the banter between Rachel and Rodger makes me giggle. Plus, at the end of the day, they’re one of my favorite couples.

Click to watch the trailer of Season 2 of It’s a Brad, Brad World.

Next up is Brad Goreski in It’s A Brad, Brad World. First of all, let’s talk about the sort-of scandal that could be conveyed that they put Brad’s show right behind his former employer’s. Pause. Ok, so now that everyone’s gotten past that, let’s talk about the fact that they guy is SUPER talented in his own right and has done some seriously great work on his own (published author, dressing Stacy Keibler in that SICK Naeem Khan dress at the Oscars, the fact that Jessica Alba looks like a rock star on the regular.) I’m down to see what Brad’s up to now, starting with his styling the Kate Spade New York Spring 2013 presentation.

Click to watch the trailer for Season 1 of Dukes of Melrose.

Finally, the newest addition to the Bravo family is Dukes of Melrose, which makes my inner gay man (and my external one, I am half Drag Queen, after all) practically explode with Happy Glitter. The show follows the inner workings of Cameron Silver and Christos Garkinos, who are partners in Decades, the mecca of all things vintage in Los Angeles where all the insiders find those serious gowns, bags, shoes and jewels. I don’t have enough organs to sell currently to shop there, but I can save my body parts and just live vicariously through the drama of running the place and all the fab people they meet. Just screened the first episode and I am in for the long haul, especially since I’m madly in Fashion Love with Cameron Silver after meeting him at his book launch party in December at the MAC 5th Avenue store. He completes me.

SO, if you want to join the fun on twitter tomorrow night, I’m sure there will be plenty of us tweeting up a storm. Join in the fun or set your DVRs to “stunning” and just watch it later.

Ta-da! 13 lbs lost! Excuse the sloppy workout gear. Laundry day!

Alrighty! This isn’t the absolute and final post, but I wanted to post the results of the official SHRED Diet program by Dr. Ian Smith and how I plan to utilize the diet to finish losing the weight I want to lose:

Week Six
Pounds Lost: 3
Total Weight Lost: 13 lbs
Total Sizes Lost: 1.5 (I’m in a no-man’s land of sizing but I can say I’m in a rock-solid size 8. Denim sizing is all over the place.)
Waist Inches lost: I lost four inches around my waist.

Notes on the program

• Week Six is a cake walk compared to the other weeks. You’re used to eating the way you have been for five prior weeks, so the snacks and meals become second nature.
• You DO get sick of being on a diet by that point, though. It’s like coming out of a really intense romantic relationship where suddenly you become aware that there are actually other people around. But, like any good romantic relationship, the urge to cheat is only that, an urge. You think of all the amazing things that you could do if you could drop the rest of it. So, you stay committed. It’s just that simple. Do I love Magnolia Bakery cupcakes? Absolutely. Do I want the three classes of Core Fusion Cardio or two classes of SoulCycle I’d have to take to burn them off AND keep working out on top of that to stay on track? Nope.
• Speaking of cheating, I did actually cheat on the diet. I had an unnerving craving for fried chicken one night so I ordered a salad and one thigh. I have never been so grossed out almost immediately afterwards and I was sick to my stomach that entire night. After over a month of not eating crappy food, I might be Crappy Food Intolerant now. But at some point, I’m sure I’ll be a freak and try it again.

At the end of the diet, these are my recommendations:

• Suck it up and just follow the diet. People I lost 13 lbs in six weeks. That’s crazy pants to me. My body is stronger, trimmer and my belly fat is no longer a struggle. Do you always want to do what Dr. Smith says? No. Should you do it? Yes, if you want change.
• There are no shortcuts to losing the weight. I still have 15 lbs left to go to reach my ultimate goal, so I’ll be repeating weeks 1-3 over and over again until the weight is gone. I will keep getting up at 6 am to work out, I will keep doing double workouts on Sundays, I will keep making skinless chicken and large salads and sugarless beverages until this is DONE. I want my belly button in the right place more than I want anything that would keep it from getting there.
• The way you look at food will change. People used to say that to me and I would laugh as I stuffed another buttered roll in my mouth, but it’s a different game now. I look at food as fuel, as the right type of food for the right time of day. I don’t munch, I just keep my blood sugar up by eating properly. It’s a great way to look at food. I also don’t obsess over what I’m having to eat. I just try to pick similar foods to what I’ve been eating and it seems to work just fine. Well, minus the Fried Chicken Incident.

But I’ll keep checking in as the pounds come off. I hope you’ll give the diet a try. Again, 13 lbs is nothing to sneeze at and it just works. Also, again, no one paid me to promote this diet or to go on the diet. I, like you, just wanted something that seemed like it would work. I’m happy this time I chose right.

I’ll check back in as I repeat Weeks 1-2. In the meantime, pick up the book!

And now, the post I’ve been waiting to write all morning:

CHARLIZE THERON.

I mean, let’s all just agree that her appearance on the red carpet essentially just shut the whole thing down. We could have just started the broadcast when The Most Genetically Gifted Woman On The Planet showed in a Dior gown and makeup by the same. I’ve been waiting all night to figure out how to get the look. This is how the world’s most beautiful woman – and the face of J’Adore  - was made even more luminous:

Fashion

Star: Charlize Theron
Gown: Dior Haute Couture
Jewels: Harry Winston
Shoes: Roger Vivier

Beauty

Celebrity Makeup Artist: Pati Dubroff
Products Used to Get the Look:

Face

• Diorsnow White Reveal Moisturizing Lotion
• Diorsnow Fresh Cream
• Diorsnow White Reveal Illuminating Eye Treatment
• Diorskin Nude BB Cream

Eyes

• Diorshow Mascara in #090 Catwalk Black
• Dior 5-Couleurs Eyeshadow in Incognito
• Dior Twin Set Eyeshadow in Beige Ribbon #530

 
Lips

• Dior Addict Lip Glow
• Rouge Dior Nude in Indiscrete #228