Is it actually possible? Melissa Clark seems to think you can be a food writer, eat out every night, and fit into a size 2. It’s genetics, you say! She says, no. She must have figured something out, right? She does eat at the best NY restaurants nightly and tastes endless parades of chocolate mousse and foie gras. She cites in her article that she changed her foodie outlook and realized she didn’t need to finish everything on her plate, and only eat what she likes. I can remember so many amazing, tasty meals at restaurants and at home where I felt a button was going to pop on my jeans. It’s not a very good feeling. The food would taste just as good if I ate 2/3 of it than if I cleaned my plate with the bread basket, letting out a long slow exhale of stuffedness. Her other point is not denying yourself food you like, but ordering more veggies and not finishing the main plate, just enjoying the taste of your favorite food slowly. As a woman who is eternally trying to lose weight, I can attempt to subscribe to the Food Writer’s Diet - which also comes with a side of exercise…. grrr….. I don’t get away that easily…. It’s going to be hard not finish my favorite beurre blanc lobster gnocchi next time it’s wafting in front of me in all its buttery glory. We’ll see if it happens… Here’s an excerpt I think summed up Melissa’s food strategy, “By using this eat-what-you-like-don’t-eat-what-you-don’t-like strategy, together with ordering (and eating) a salad or a vegetable side dish every time I went out, plus exercising 3-4 times a week, the weight came off. It’s stayed off since”. The Bon Appetit article also has some other tips like ordering appetizers, and making sure there are 3 forks for every dessert ordered. So, if your mama told you to always finish your plate because there are starving children around the world, maybe it’s time to block out this particular mama-ism and trim your waistline instead.