A standard day’s meal might begin with: one cup of bran cereal, one cup skim milk and one banana. For lunch: whole grain bread with two slices of grilled chicken (no more than three ounces), dijon mustard and a tomato slice. For dinner: three ounces of tuna filet, three-quarter cup of green vegetables, one cup lettuce, half-a-cup of cherry tomatoes, half-a-cup carrot, with two teaspoons of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Then, for indulgence, a fresh peach for dessert. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? This diet requires patience. But thankfully it does include one or two carefully timed sadly nutritious snacks.
On day six I wake up feeling refreshed. In fact, I bound out of bed in the mornings now. I have far more energy. Away from my typical winter comfort foods: lattes and mochas in the morning (far too caloric), and those rich fettuccini al fredo pasta lunches, I grudgingly traipse off to munch on a turkey slice on whole grain bread, complete with low fat mayo, a cup of carrots, or red pepper, or celery and for dessert, a lone apple. I am determined.
Each morning I wake up and I can’t wait to look at the scale. I am either terribly happy or just short of crest-fallen. Every pound lost or mysteriously gained is documented. Any 1200 calorie diet guru will guide their participant to keep meticulous food diaries. Within those food diaries you’re encouraged to chronicle your loss of pounds.
By week three I am positively dreaming of shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate. I will not lie: a 1200 calorie diet is not fun. It is totally time consuming, obsessive–and it will surely put the cramp on your social life.

But after five weeks people in the office are stopping me to tell me how great I look. Even I notice my skin is glowing–and I’ve gone down two dress sizes.

After seven weeks on a 1200 calorie diet with no soda, no lattes, mochas or shortbread chocolate cookies, I have lost fourteenth pounds! One pound beyond my goal. Yesterday after steamed broccoli, three ounces of grilled halibut, and a small but heavenly, sweet nectarine, I slipped on that stylish, bright, pink bikini. Tomorrow marks the first day of summer–and if I do say so myself, I look amazing.