Article: My diets are tricks-of-the-trade, not...
My diets are tricks-of-the-trade, not acres of scientific research with graphs and charts nobody cares about. As a nutritionist, I know the facts and figures about weight loss, but I also know that what works. The two aren't always the same! I learned that valuable lesson more than a decade ago during a chance encounter with a celebrity. This encounter changed my life, although at the time the celebrity concerned thought I only changed hers.
I can't tell you her name, but she was well-known. I knew of her from the polo circuit but I met her properly when called upon to entertain her as the wife of one of my husband's clients - Michael is a litigation lawyer and his client had flown in from the States to consult him. I took the wife to lunch and to be honest, it wasn't easy.
She seemed self-obsessed and dreary. She had undergone a lot of cosmetic surgery and was both polished and gorgeous but deeply unhappy about herself. To my eyes, she had no problems at all - she was rich, famous and truly fantastic looking. I found it hard to cope with somebody so privileged, who didn't seem to appreciate her charmed life. Just before the end of this interminable lunch, she asked what I did for a living. (Not surprisingly, she hadn't been remotely interested in me). When I told her I was a nutritionist, it was like a light coming on in the darkness. She was suddenly animated. She had a problem with bloating, she told me, it ruined her social life and invaded her confidence. She knew she was considered a beauty but if only she could find a cure for her irritable bowel and guarantee control over her bloating, she would feel complete. She talked for about an hour and I started to warm to her. She might be thought of as an important person, but Mother Nature didn't know it, I told her. Her insides were like anybody else's, and she making a couple of major diet mistakes. I gave her my golden rules for reducing the dreaded bloat, rules I had drawn up for myself over years of squeezing into tight leotards to teach dance and movement classes. I had since instructed numerous models, actresses and private clients who needed to look good at short notice, knowing the camera lenses would be trained on their figures. This lady and I parted some time later. I never expected to hear from her again.
Then quite out of the blue, a month later, she called me. She was excited and asked if she could fly over from Boston to see me. Could she bring two friends? The trick had worked magic and not only was her stomach flatter and bloat-free, she and her friends had all lost between ten and fifteen pounds. She told me I would be mad not to write a book about it.
I wrote the first version of 5 Days to a Flatter Stomach in 1996 and it was fully updated and revised in 2004. I am so thrilled it is out in the United States and adapting it for the American market has been the most enjoyable job I had all year. I have adored finding new recipes and my wonderful editor at Warner Books, Andie Avila, had the job of trying them out for me. I can hardly believe it took two days for us to work out what coriander was in American (cilantro) and I am still convinced that Shepherd's Pie (ground beef in gravy topped with mashed potato) would have gone down a treat in New York. Andie begged to differ!
I came over to New York for the launch in May. I love America and plan to come back soon. I have a NYC publicist and welcome questions through my website from readers (http://www.monicagrenfell.co.uk).
This book has been my best-seller in the UK and is translated into French, German, Russian and Indonesian. The principle of starch reduction has changed the way people eat, away from low-carb and high protein to true beauty food without a low-fat alternative, low-sugar substitute or carb curfew in sight! It has also transformed the Dairy industry in England and Wales, which has seen an upturn in fortunes since 2003. Live and active yoghurt and milk are back in vogue again, due to their amazing tummy-flattening properties. This is all great news for health and fantastic news for flat stomachs! I hope you enjoy the book as much as I loved writing it.
Copyright © 2005 Monica Grenfell