Buy Walking VideosMargaret Cho’s “F**K It” Diet
With all the celebrity diets that have been splashed across the magazine covers lately, there is one that has gone completely unnoticed. Margaret Cho, a comedienne and activist, wrote a blog entry about her dramatic weight loss over the last year or so.
The “F**K It” Diet by Margaret Cho
With all the gawking and hee-hawing about Jessica Simpson’s nearly naked form for the Dukes of Hazzard movie, I’m surprised that no one has noticed how absolutely fabulous Margaret is looking. The only comments she ever gets about her appearance are the jeers for the totally cool peacock feather dress she wore at the Grammys last year. The press didn’t even notice how thin and perfect she has become.
Her story is far more compelling to me than Jessica’s. Maybe it’s because I relate to her much more than some skinny blond who suddenly got skinnier for a movie role. She talks honestly about her fight with food and her abandonment of dieting.
The last line of her blog entry, “So there you go. Big secret diet. Love. Love and the audacity to actually waste food,” has been the most healing for me. To be willing to order Prime Rib because I want it and throw out nine of the twelve ounces is such a big step for me. I am now able to pay $2.50 for one of those Chantico drinking chocolates from Starbucks and only drink an inch off the top and throw the rest away.
In my mind, it was never about the money. It was always about the waste. “It took a lot of people time to grow, ship and cook this food and if I don’t eat it all, I’ve wasted it.” That concept was so powerful for so long that I struggled with weight loss until I was able to discard it.
Before I was able to break free of that idea, I was only happy at a restaurant if I shared an entree with someone else. If I ordered an entire entree for myself and only ate part of it, I was unhappy because I “wasted” it. If I ordered an entire entree for myself and ate it all, I was unhappy because it would literally make me sick. If I ordered an entire entree for myself and took the rest home, I was unhappy because I had some yucky thing sitting in my fridge for days that I didn’t want to eat and constantly chided me, “Wasteful…” whenever I opened the refrigerator door.There was no way for me to win if I didn’t share my food with someone else and it’s so rare to find someone who wants what you want at the same time.
Now, I can happily order whatever I want. If I want an appetizer, I get it and eat one or two. If I want an incredibly fattening dish, I order and eat only enough to feel satiated. If I want a dessert, I order it and eat a bite or two. It’s ok to throw it away.
It’s actually better for the economy if I order what I want and discard what I can’t eat. The restaurant gets paid for all that food. The waiter gets tipped a percentage of all that food. All of that money goes to the people who grew and prepared the food. I can’t send my leftover Prime Rib to the countries that are starving. All I can do is make sure that I don’t let it go to “waist.”
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July 1st, 2005 at 12:49 pm
This is a superb attitude–irrespective of whether it is engaged in by males or females. It is true….no one is forcing us to eat all the food on the plate. It takes a little self discipline I am sure; I just like the general notion of how it is presented! The pyschology behind it is positive!
Thanks
(A friend was telling me about this “diet”)
I would rather call it an “healthy eating plan” as opposed to a “diet”
As you know, both describe an entirely different eating plan.
Sincerely
Sean
April 27th, 2006 at 6:10 am
This makes so much sense. I have found in the past that by avoiding what I want, I end up wanting it even more, and then eating it in excess. To feel like nothing is banned , just to have a bit, when you fancy it seems like the way.
Good on you Margaret for inspiring us!
And you look fabulous!
Sara
May 14th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
People starving, and you think waisting food is a good idea, that is a solution for empowering yourself, for improving your poor self discipline. Just because you CAN do it, because you’re not poor. You ARE wasteful, and you DON’T deserve the meal you eat.
No one should eat more than what their stomacks can process. No one should waste any food. You may order less amount of it. And why is it that you cant wrap it up and take it home with you? I don’t get it, really.
That’s the Americans’ mentality.
Money cant be eaten, you know.
May 14th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
wittysucks,
That is exactly the attitude that kept me fat for years. I can’t stop those people from starving by stuffing myself. I can’t force restaurants to serve me smaller portions. All I can do is throw it away.
Laura
June 1st, 2007 at 8:03 pm
All I can say is, Thank you Margaret Cho! I grew up being told, “Eat everything on your plate!” and “Don’t waste food!” Especially growing up in a family with a tight budget, I was always taught to, “Get your money’s worth at buffets”. But that’s not what I want! I like to get just a taste of what I eat, and not be a gluttonous pig by shoving it all down my throat. Like you said, you can waste your food, just don’t let it go to “waist”
Thanks for inspiring me.
You’re a true hero in my eyes.
~Kat
June 1st, 2007 at 8:05 pm
“wittysucks Says:
May 14th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
People starving, and you think waisting food is a good idea, that is a solution for empowering yourself, for improving your poor self discipline. Just because you CAN do it, because you’re not poor. You ARE wasteful, and you DON’T deserve the meal you eat.
No one should eat more than what their stomacks can process. No one should waste any food. You may order less amount of it. And why is it that you cant wrap it up and take it home with you? I don’t get it, really.
That’s the Americans’ mentality.
Money cant be eaten, you know.”
She must be fat!! XD AND JEALOUS
January 21st, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Laura Moncour writes:
“I can’t force restaurants to serve me smaller portions. All I can do is throw it away.”
You don’t have to throw it away. Wrap it up and take it home! Unlike WittySucks says, I’d say, order whatever you want. But as far as taking food home, why not? Not only can it make for a nice meal the next day, but if you don’t want it, you can always give it to somebody else who lives with you like a boyfriend or girlfriend, or sibling or whoever lives with you that you’re close with. If they’re worried about germs, they can just pop it in the microwave for a few minutes.
While I agree that no one should eat more than they feel like, I don’t understand why someone wouldn’t want to take the leftovers of a nice meal home with them. Throw it away later if you or nobody else wants it, but you don’t have to waste it by not taking it home!
March 17th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Hasn’t anyone ever thought of asking a restaurant for a small or half portion? I do this all the time, especially if I can’t take a to go portion. I think that wasting food is sinful. You are the customer, and any restaurant worth going to will realize that and give you the portion you ask for. No need to throw food away!
April 28th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
I think the concept of this “diet” is great, however I still can’t get past the guilt of throwing out food. I always take home my leftovers but am then upset by the amount of plastic it took in the form of containers to take my food home! I try to take a container with me whenever I go out to eat but I don’t always remember and it’s not always convenient. Perhaps if we all start eating only small parts of the gigantic meals restaurants serve they’ll catch on and start serving realistic portions.
Thanks Margaret, Emily R
June 19th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Am I the only one who lives in a city with homeless people? Wrap up the leftovers and place them by a sleeping pile of blankets on the sidewalk; or place them on the cover or top of a public garbage can - gross, but this seems to be the main source of sustenance for the methed-out demographic.