New Book

This week I've started reading a new book by one of the Real Housewives of New York City, Bethenny Frankel. It's called Naturally Thin, and she came to Los Angeles this week to promote and sign copies of it. I started reading it last weekend and went to see her on Wednesday in Century City. I had to fight traffic to get there as President Obama was in town AND staying right around the corner from the bookstore where Bethenny was signing. Security was of course at a high and therefore, traffic was rediculous.

I arrived a half hour before Bethenny was scheduled to come out, and there were only 2 other women there when I arrived. At first I felt bad - what if no one showed up? It wasn't very well publicized. I only found out about it because I happened to check out Bethenny's blog, which I've only recently started to do. But between the time I arrived and the time Bethenny came out, Borders had to put out twice as many chairs as they originally had and people were still standing!

To be honest, I didn't really want to buy another diet book. I only bought it because I've become more of a fan of hers from the first season of the show to the second. But as far as the book itself went, I really didn't think it could help me. I mean, Bethenny's a size 2 (and after seeing her in person I dare say she was a zero at the signing). I'm the complete opposite of a size 2. How could her book possibly help me? She wrote it for people like her. After all, it's what worked for her. So buying the book was more just to show support. But then I started to read it.

It was a little crazy. I felt like this size 2 person, this Bethenny, was inside my head. She said things in her book that I've only said in my head. How is that possible? Bethenny has never been over 150 pounds in her life but she related to me. I related to her. I don't even eat healthy foods and she's a natural foods chef. We couldn't be more opposite. But I got her message. And even though I'm only a few chapters in, it's starting to work on me. What I mean by that is I always eat everything on my plate when I go out to a restaurant. One of the things Bethenny talked about was eating until the food doesn't taste as good as the first bite did. When I read that I thought to myself, "but every bite for me tastes as good as the first. I still won't quit eating if I follow that rule". But then, 2 nights in a row I was out, and both nights I was surprised at how much food I didn't eat. That was a huge breakthru for me. I took the time to really taste the food instead of just eat the food, and I saw that there is a point where it stops being as great as the first bite. It blew me away. And that's just ONE thing in her book that had an effect on me right away.

Let me clarify that her book is not a diet book (thank God!) and it's not a recipe book (although there are some recipes in there). I am really thankful that it's not a diet book, because diets suck. Bethenny's book doesn't restrict you from eating anything. It's really more about how to eat what you love and how to relate to food like a thin person does. In a healthy way. And one of the things that was really inspiring to me is that Bethenny's turning point with food came to her when she was 33. I'm 33. I know I have a lot farther to go than she did (she only needed to lose about 25 pounds, I have 4 times that to go!). But it gives me the help I need in the form of her tips that will still allow me to not deprive myself of things that I like to eat. Kudos to Bethenny for a very helpful new book! It made #5 on the NY Times best seller list this past week! Oh and for the record, Real Housewives of NYC is the only housewives show I watch... they have a certain class that's missing from the other housewives drama.

For more information about Bethenny, go to http://www.bethennybakes.com/



Week 11
Weight: 246.6
Pounds lost: 2.6
Size: 18
Goal: 150
Pounds to lose: 96.6