At last, the ideal diet

Although I'm currently happy with my weight and figure, there have been times in my life when I wasn't, like after suffering through high school by binging on ice cream and pizza and after having my third child. I was about thirty pounds overweight both times and I dealt with it the same way, although it was considerably harder once I was in my thirties.

I didn't adopt any fad diets like only eating pineapple or cutting out all carbs. I love food way too much to eat un-naturally. I simply ate less (probably too little in college, but that's another story). Junior Year I once made a beurre blanc for two sauteed scallops - my roommates thought I was crazy - but I was happy with my tiny little feast, and afterwards, I was fulfilled. I love butter, cream and chocolate - but I don't like eating so much that I feel stuffed. I'm a food snob, I get very grumpy when I don't like my food.

I was reading the September issue of Bon Appetit this weekend, and I came across an article that described my diet exactly. It was written by Melissa Clark, a food writer, who has written a book called The Skinny - how food writers don't get fat. She eats out most nights, and manages to remain a size 2. She doesn't have a fast metabolism - she actually used to be thirty pounds heavier in college - but she sticks to a few rules that let her stay thin. 1) She only eats what she likes - but not too much of it. 2) She tries to eat salad or vegetables with each meal. 3) She exercises 3 to 4 times a week.

I got so excited reading this article, seeing my approach to eating in print. I have a running battle with my husband who is always embracing new diets, maybe getting him a copy of this book will finally convince him that the right diet is choosing to eat delicious food in moderation rather than depriving yourself of things you crave.