I Love My New Body...

By Julie Van Rosendaal

At age 7, I started a cupcake company. At 12, I won a chili competition. After college I launched a low-fat cookie business and wrote a bestselling cookbook, One Smart Cookie. But while I knew how to prepare healthy meals, I seldom followed my own advice.

At 330 lbs., I was making a ritual out of punishing myself with strict diets, my whole life, I would start a new diet every Jan. 1st,” she says. If that didn't work, "I would started a new diet every Monday morning, or after my birthday, or after Christmas.

At a New Year’s Eve party in 1997, I caught a glimpse of myself in a full-length bathroom mirror. Mortified, I locked myself in the bathroom for an hour. The next day, I vowed to lose weight. The difference this time: Was I’d do it on my own terms. I realized that instead of finding a new diet to try, I would have to figure out what worked for me.

Moderation became my mantra. I’d have pizza for dinner, but only one piece. I didn’t eliminate any foods from my diet; I just started eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats.

And of course I exercised regularly.

My first month, I lost 10 lbs. A year and a half later, I had gone from a size 28 to a size 10. I didn’t know what it was like being thin, but now at 165 lbs stretched over a 5’11” frame, I get a thrill every time I board a plane because I no longer need a seat belt extender.

I love my new body and the way I feel, and I'm going to do everything I can to keep it that way.

Julie Van Rosendaal is the author of: One Smart Cookie, Starting Out: The Essential Guide to Cooking on Your Own, and Grazing: Portable Snacks and Finger Foods for Anytime, Anywhere.