Turns out, Paula Deen’s headline-making, miraculous 36-pound weight loss happened just like normal people: by cutting calories.
Y'all ready for a shocker?
Paula Deen, the celebrity chef who's made a fortune pushing greasy Southern recipes (covered in butter, rolled in sugar, then deep-fried) is now giving weight-loss advice.
The Huffington Post sold the story as "Paula Deen reveals weight-loss secret." Woman's Day has a complete slideshow of her "weight loss tips," including – brace yourself – moderation, portion control and eating slower.
The best line? "She has a small sliver of cake and fried chicken monthly instead of weekly."
So her incredible "secret" to shedding extra pounds is to eat healthier? She put down the multiple sticks of butter and maybe considered a vegetable or two?
Turns out, Paula Deen's headline-making, miraculous 36-pound weight loss happened just like normal people: by cutting calories.
I get it. It's the season for weight loss, and it's no wonder HuffPo and the like are pushing the story. After all, getting into better shape after the holiday gorging is on most people's minds. We should all be praised for stepping away from butter, and without question, Deen should be congratulated for making a healthier choice, especially in light of a recent diabetes diagnosis. (Similar to when Robert Atkins, of Atkins diet fame, had a heart attack, Deen's diabetes was met with collective non-surprise.)
I'm all for praising those who've dropped weight and kept it off. (In fact, I do exactly this in a weekly feature here.) But there's something inherently off-putting about diet advice from a celebrity who's solely famous for covering butter in butter and calling it food.
Maybe my salad-filled, health-crazed January is making me extra cranky, but Paula Deen making news for an ever-so-slight shift to a normal diet is rather appalling.
But one look at her website – one quinoa salad in a sea of fatty-fat fatness is the only hint of change – and I start to think Deen's epiphany about healthy eating is just to make headlines. Or, at the very least, it certainly won't stick.
Are you inspired by Paula Deen's weight loss, or is it a publicity-grabbing schtick?
Amberly McAteer