Heather Bauer - The Wall Street Diet: The Surprisingly Simple Weight Loss Plan for Hardworking People Who Dont Have Time to Diet

T he Wall Street Diet has been an incredible journey and one that I could not have successfully completed without the help of some very smart, generous, and talented people.

I am endlessly grateful to my agent, Margret McBride, for sticking with me through the long gestation of this book and for introducing me to the wonderful and brilliant Kathy Matthews. And thanks to Kim McBride for her clever suggestions.

Judy and Joel Bauer, my incredibly loving in-laws, got the ball rolling by introducing me to Margret McBride. Theyve always been my most enthusiastic supporters.

My great thanks to Kathy Matthews for her ability to hear my voice and understand my ideas and translate them into written words. That ability is truly a gift. I am so glad to have met her, not only because of this project, but also because Ive found a wonderful and supportive friend. Her calm demeanor and incredible writing skills, combined with her sense of humor, make her a true pro.

I am so grateful to the team at Hyperion. They have all been a dream to work with. Brenda Copeland, my editor, has from the very beginning shown an enthusiasm and zest for this book that is more than I could have ever asked for. Im especially thankful to Will Schwalbe, Will Balliett, Ellen Archer, and Kathleen Carr, who supported this book from the very start. My thanks, too, to many others on the Hyperion team, including Beth Gebhard, Jane Comins, Navorn Johnson, Claire McKean, and Fritz Metsch.

My Nu-Train team is the worlds greatest. I owe them all a debt of gratitude for their enthusiasm and support. Lauren Cutrona runs the show and is a wonderful and energetic presence. Stephanie Middleberg is always ready with a helping hand. And Molly Kyle has shown herself to be Nu-Trains greatest intern ever. Many thanks to you all.

I must acknowledge my brother, Jordan, and my sister, Jessica, for always pushing me to work harder. My loving and wonderful grandmother Mimi Nickelsporn, your constant check-ins always mean the world to me. And to the rest of my family and friends, thank you for your support and encouragement.

And finally, I must thank my fantastic clients. You all inspired me to create the Wall Street Diet. Your stories and your successes make each day special for me. Thank you for your inspiration. Keep eating well!

Heather Bauer

This book has been an extraordinary voyage. Heather Bauer is the real deal: smart, perceptive, funny, energetic, and an absolute delight to work with. Her clients know how lucky they are to have her, and her dedication to them is remarkable. It was my good fortune to be able to participate in this project with her.

Margret McBride, our agent, has been the dynamic force who championed this book from the beginning, and to her and her office staff, particularly Faye Atchison, many, many thanks.

Working with Brenda Copeland, our editor at Hyperion, has been a joy. Her enthusiasm and total dedication to this project have been nothing short of awe-inspiring. Her sense of humor in particular has smoothed the road and turned Wall Street into Easy Street. I add my thanks to the team at Hyperion mentioned by Heather. Theyve been truly extraordinary in their willingness to go the limit for this book.

On a personal note, I must once again apologize to my family for yet another year of occasional neglect. Fred, Greg, and Ted, you have, as always, been my anchors and my inspiration. Thanks also to the Island Girls, Jean Drumm, Julie Karpeh, and particularly Nancy Nolan, for giving me a place to work and not making me go to the beach.

Kathy Matthews

Y ou can see them hailing a taxi at 5:30 A.M . on Park Avenue or rushing to catch the 6:10 from Greenwich to Grand Central Station. Theyre bankers, lawyers, CEOs, CFOssuccessful, hardworking people who are at the top of their field and the top of their gameand theyre heading to Wall Street. Theyre ambitious, of course, and the determined looks on the faces of these men and women would convince you that they could accomplish almost anything. And they can. They close deals, manage billions, hire and fire. When it comes to work, theyve got the world on a string. But the one thing theyve had trouble figuring out is how to lose weight. Its not for lack of intelligence or effort. Its not for lack of drive or focus, and its certainly not because they dont understand nutrition. Some of them know nearly as much about weight loss as I do, since theyve been on every diet youve ever heard ofand some you havent. So why have these otherwise successful people struggled with their weight? Its a four-letter-word: work.

For the Wall Street elite, the elephant in the room that no one has addressed beforecertainly no dietis their work: they work long hours, entertain frequently, and travel too much. Their work dominates their lives and theyre not interested in changing that. Some of them never cook, rarely shop, and have little time for an exercise regime. They want to continue to entertain business associates, work long hours, and drink a glass of wine while losing weight and maintaining their overall health.

These people came to see me as a last resort. A doctor or a friend had told them that I was a nutritionist who was different. Theyd already heard that I wouldnt hand them a sheet of menus. This clientele offered a special challenge when it came to weight loss. They werent going to count points, cook special meals, order off diet menus, or give up too much of what they enjoyed when it came to dining out. They simply werent interested in making what they eat a very high priority in their day. Many of them had tried other weight loss plans and found themselves frustrated and annoyed by the demands of these plans and the results they experienced. Of course they could lose weight if they could portion off part of their day to shop, measure, and cook. But they couldnt and they wouldnt.

This was the challenge I faced in constructing the Wall Street Diet: devise an effective weight loss plan that could fit seamlessly into a busy, demanding, hard-charging lifestyle. It had to be nutritionally sound, safe of course, and highly effective. It had to be simple to understandno complicated categories or combinationsand it had to be totally portable. It had to work in the airport, at the highway rest stop, and at the Ritz in Paris. It had to be bulletproof when it came to buffets, cocktail parties, and lazy Sunday afternoons at home. In other words, these people needed a simple plan that started with them . Their lifestyle wasnt going to change. They couldnt work with a diet that asked them to revise their lives; they needed a diet that revised the very concept of what a diet is. That was the key for me. Dont start with the diet: start with the lifestyle.

Here are the obstacles that make weight loss such a challenge for the men and women of Wall Street:

• They have no time (to cook; to shop; to make food a priority in their lives).
• They endure business meetings and conferences where the only food choices are high in fat, carbs, and calories. (Bagel or giant muffin?)