Photo: Christine Gaugler/Diane Meacham

Putting a new twist on sound weight-loss advice, UK-based fashion and beauty journalist Mimi Spencer's new book, "101 Things to Do Before You Diet," introduces new ways to think about body image and achieving the look you want. Some is fashion-based wisdom, such as the "10-pounds lighter print," which Spencer says, "will carve off weight simply by tricking the eye." Some is research-based, such as the one tip she'd pick of the 101, which is to advise women who "give a great deal of thought to the number of calories in a sandwich, but have little idea about how their body demands, absorbs and utilizes those calories" to understand their hormones and learn to maximize their weight-loss potential.

That's Fit: How much of your personal experience was the inspiration for "101 Things to Do Before You Diet"?

Mimi Spencer: So much! After I had my kids, I ended up with the kind of body I didn't really love anymore -- a softer belly, heavier thighs -- and a bathroom scale that could make me weep. I tried all kinds of diet fads (I remember the maple syrup diet was big at the time, but I also tried to combine diets, drink cabbage soup, and of course, do Atkins and GI like everyone else). But not a lot changed. I was the same size and doubly unhappy.

So I started to think about all of the things that affect weight -- not just calories-in (though those are important), but also things like psychology, hormones, sleep patterns and habits. I also knew from my years in fashion journalism that there are hundreds of ways to appear slimmer, simply by knowing the tricks of how to dress thin. What it came to was a 360-degree view of a woman and her life, not just a narrow "don't eat!" message.

That's Fit: We always thought that looking trim was about eating smart and working out, now you're talking about hair cuts, panties and bra sizes -- why do they matter?

Spencer: I have been concerned for a long time that our ideas about how to get and remain slim are woefully narrow-minded. We talk about eating and exercise -- which are, of course, the foundations for it all -- but we overlook the fact that we are human beings. Everything we do affects our body shape -- everything influences how, what, when we eat, how active we are, and (crucially), how we perceive ourselves while we do it. Happiness doesn't arrive in the mail when you reach your target weight. Part of the issue is a psychology which drags us down and teaches us that we are worthless if we don't subscribe to a media-driven image of womanhood. I want the book to help women lose weight -- sure -- but much more importantly, I want readers to feel more confident and content in themselves. I want them to know that they are beautiful now. If you think about the most beautiful women in the world, they're not necessarily the thinnest. In fact, thin often looks sour and tense. Sometimes, we need to give ourselves a break!

That's Fit: How much of an impact do you think the fashion and beauty industry has on women's standards for their own bodies, in terms of beauty and ideal size?

Spencer: It is a crucial element in our perception of ourselves. We are bombarded daily by airbrushed images of how women "should" look -- and invariably the model/actress/pop star will be freakishly thin (and not even real; much of what we see has been Photo-shopped out of existence). We all know about the size-zero debate and how pernicious that can be for women who inhabit a normal range of weight. I think the beauty and fashion industries do have a responsibility to show a broader range of body types -- but never forget that we are the ones buying into this ideal. If we want it to change, we need to make that happen. If you're fed up with the ultra-thin model on the advert, don't buy the product. If your magazine only carries photo-shoots of cadaverous teenagers, don't buy the mag. We are not the puppets, we are the puppeteers.

In an interview with our sister site StyleList.com, model Crystal Renn speaks out about the fashion industry's size-zero obsession.