The No-Diet Diet Is the Next Big Thing

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Jan 15th 2009 7:00PM

Most of us have come to accept that diets don't work. So it's only natural, then, that the next big trend in dieting is ... to not diet at all. But intentionally not dieting is, in a sense, a different sort of diet. Confused yet? There is a method to this madness -- I'll explain.

Esther Blum, author of Eat, Drink and Be Gorgeous and nutritionist to celebs like SJP and Teri Hatcher is the one spearheading this non-diet diet. She thinks you should ditch the detoxes, the gimmicks, the so-called quick fixes and just. start. living. The first step is accepting your body -- flaws, curves and all. The second is eating what you want, as long as it's fresh, natural and wholesome (yes, this even includes butter.) The third is signing up for exercise that you actually like. You can read more here.

Sounds fun ... but does it work? Considering that Blum herself is teeny tiny, just like the celebs who endorse her book, I'd say it probably has some merit. Your thoughts?

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u262f 1-15-2009 @ 9:17PM

I haven't read the book, but the description sounds exactly like what I've been doing for the last few years, and I've lost 65 lbs so far doing it. So yes, I think it works.

I don't exercise. Instead, I get physical activity by playing video games (Dance Dance Revolution). I never have to find motivation or psych myself up or what not because playing video games is just that much fun.

I also eat everything I like. I've mostly learned to like minimally processed and minimally cooked foods like sashimi and fresh fruit, but I still have chocolate truffles and oatmeal cookies and potato chips every now and then. I think the part about making sure to have fruits and vegetables too is very important. Too many people skip that part. As long as people have sufficient fruits and vegetables, the "bad stuff" doesn't have as bad of an effect.

I strongly agree with eating full-fat foods: meats and nuts and eggs in particular. I used to drastically limit nuts, eggs, and meats because fat and cholesterol were supposed to be bad, but I've become considerably healthier (and lighter and thinner) since I started eating more nuts, eggs, and meats. I also try to avoid sugar substitutes. I've been much healthier ever since I decided to never again buy anything labeled "low-fat" or "sugar-free".

It's a lot of fun, and it works great for me. However, it takes patience. It doesn't work quickly, and the changes are very tiny, so if people are looking for fast weight loss, this won't work for them. (But if people are trying to lose weight, they're doing it wrong anyway.) Doing the math, I only average a half pound of weight loss per week. In reality, I gain and lose 5 lbs per day and 10 lbs per month, so the weekly changes get lost in the noise and the overall changes are only noticeable when I look at the year-long graphs. So, it's taken me years, but I lost 65 lbs so far. I've had fun the whole way. At 36, I'm now mostly back to what I weighed at 18 -- after having hit 200 lbs several years ago. I've made no sacrifices, I've put in no effort, and I've stopped depriving myself of foods I want to eat and video games I want to play. I've been enjoying my life a lot more.

Just keep in mind that the results may not be visible for a very long time. This is about long-term quality of living, not about short-term weight loss. If you want to lose 15 lbs by inauguration, or if you want to fit into that size 4 dress by next Christmas, you're not going to reach such goals by doing this. But, I've been very happy and healthy living this way, and isn't that what's important?