Weiss - The skinny jeans diet : change your thinking, change your eating, and finally fit into your pants!

To my husband, Stephen; my beautiful children,
Alix and Evan; and my extraordinary parents,
Gari and Ira Dansky. I love you all so much.
You take my breath away.

This book is written as a source of information only. The information contained in this book should by no means be considered a substitute for the advice of a qualified medical professional, who should always be consulted before beginning any new diet, exercise, or other health program.

All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this book as of the date published. The author and the publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained herein.

Do you obsess about brownies? Do chocolate chip cookies drive you to distraction?

Have you ever tried to get in the mood and realized that the only thing you were in the mood for was a bag of potato chips?

Have you ever finished a slice of half-eaten cake from the trash or dipped into your kids Halloween stash? Do you binge on batter, chow down on Cheetos, or munch mercilessly on M&Ms?

Do you have a favorite dress that now barely fits over your arm, let alone your thighs?

Do your jeans let out a sigh of relief after you take them off?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then you need to get clear on one thing: youve got a problem with food. But it doesnt have to be that way. Food doesnt have to rule your life. Finally, you can learn to rule food.

The Skinny Jeans Diet is a back-to-basics, how much can I eat and still fit into my pants survival guide for the millions of women who struggle every day with their weight. In the pages of this book, youll discover essential tips, tricks, eating strategies, and recipes that have helped hundreds of women lose and, more important, keep off thousands of pounds. This is the first and only eating plan thats built not around some arbitrary, government-structured pyramid or food plate, but around you. The Skinny Jeans Diet teaches you how to live thin... forever. And along the way, youll learn how to fit back into your skinny jeans. What could be better than that?

Food is our best friend and also our worst enemy. In fact, it may be our most complicated and troubled relationship. From childhood, were taught that food isnt just food. Its a reward after a tough day, a treat for a job well done, and a pick-me-up when were down. Its love, support, and comfort.

However, if you think of food as a source of love, I have news for you: its not. Food, as I tell my clients, is the ultimate booby prize. For millions of dieters, its a source of self-loathing, poor body image, lack of self-esteem, and ill health. The Skinny Jeans Diet is for any woman who wants to break free of a destructive and demoralizing relationship with food. Its self-empowerment for ending the dangerous and disheartening cycle of losing and regaining weight. The Skinny Jeans Diet gives you the keys to the kingdomthe essential knowledge you need to live comfortably in a world in which food temptation lurks around every corner.

But the Skinny Jeans Diet isnt just an eating plan. Anyone can tell you what to eat. Scour the Internet, browse the aisles of your local bookstore, visit a nutritionist, watch the morning talk shows, pick up a womens magazineyoull find more than enough sound, reliable information about what and what not to eat to lose weight. Creating a diet for my clients is the easy part. Getting them to stick to a diet is a whole other matter!

Thats why the Skinny Jeans Diet is, at its core, a thinking plan. I guarantee that if you dont change your fundamental thoughts, feelings, and assumptions about food, then youll end up just another failed dieter. And youll have millions to keep you company.

WHEN IT COMES TO DIETING, IVE DONE IT ALL. IVE LOST AND gained weight more times than Lady Gaga has changed outfits. Ive been really fat, and Ive been super-skinny. Ive been bulimic, and Ive been anorexic. I binged and I purged. I shrank to a size 2 and ballooned to a size 14. Ive counted points, eaten like a cavewoman, dined at South Beach, lived on cabbage soup, eaten for my blood type, and been in the Zone. In my darkest moments, Im still a weight-crazed, food-obsessed lunatic. In other words, Im just like you! Here is just a smattering of my food crimes:

Picking the chocolate coating off of a dozen or so ice cream bars

Licking the vanilla glaze off of an entire box of Munchkins... and then polishing it off with a sugar cube

Buying two batches of cookie mix... and putting just one in the oven (can you guess where the other batch went?)

My obsession with food started early. By the time I reached the sixth grade, my rapidly developing body had become a source of shame and embarrassment, causing me to stand out from the other girls. Needless to say, I felt intensely self-conscious. From tight bras and big shirts to slouching and wearing loose-fitting pants, I did everything imaginable to hide my shape.

This was when I also discovered that food was an ideal escape. It never talked back, didnt put me down, didnt break my heart, and provided immediate relief from whatever unpleasant feeling or experience I was dealing with. Whenever I felt self-conscious, uncomfortable, stressed out, or anxious, Id eat. Food became the perfect outlet for my inner turmoil. Even fantasies of fitting into a pretty dress couldnt pry me away from a box of doughnuts or a package of Pillsbury cookie dough. And though all of my binges were always followed by shame, guilt, self-loathing, and social isolation, I just couldnt seem to stop myself.

As I got older my eating caused me to stand outbecause I couldnt wear what was cool. When tight-fitting, acid-washed jeans were all the rage, I wore flares. To balance out my heavy frame, I wore shoulder pads... long after everyone else had put 1980s style in the rearview mirror.

There isnt a diet program I havent tried, weight loss support group I havent attended, or lite food I havent sampledall resulting in failure. At breakfast Id dream about lunch, at lunch Id fantasize about dinner, and at dinner Id already be thinking about what I could eat during my regular late-night refrigerator raids. Id dream up occasions that called for cookiesjust so I could binge on raw batter. I stashed bags of chips under my bed. I strategically placed candy all over the house and then hid the wrappers in my pillowcase to hide my shame.

Of course, none of this worked. I hated myself and hated the way I looked. My confidence plummeted, and my self-esteem was nonexistent. My life was like a runaway train.

How did I stop?

By learning a better way. I became a nutritionist. When I started my nutrition studies, it was clear that Id been preparing to be a nutritionist my whole life. After living through what seemed like a lifetimes worth of eating disorders and experiencing my own issues with food, I soon realized my calling.

Nutrition wasnt just something I wanted to doit was something I needed to do. Unlike many of my colleagues who entered the field to help othersto spread the gospel of healthy nutritionI had goals early on that werent nearly as lofty. I became a nutritionist in large part to heal myself.

The idea that what we put in our mouths plays a critical role in our overall well-being was something I always was tangentially aware of, but couldnt do anything about because I had spent the better part of my life mired in fat thinking. It became obvious that I had never developed a healthy relationship with food, no matter how much weight I lost.