Paula Deen: 'It's Not Easy to Lose Weight!'

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Take a quick peek inside Paula Deen’s fridge in her Savannah home, and it’s evident big changes have been made in her kitchen. There are bowls filled with strawberries and cherries, containers of low-fat yogurt, and a bag of the latest buzzed-about health craze, chia seeds. But what about that small stack of mini key lime pies? “I would never eat that!” says a horrified Deen, clarifying that they’re leftovers from a recent party she hosted. “Did you read the calories on them-450 calories! You couldn’t pay me to put one of those in my mouth!”

For the love of butter, is this the same Food Network chef who famously sandwiched a burger topped with a fried egg and bacon in between two doughnuts? Since she publicly announced in January that she has type 2 diabetes, “I do think differently now” about food, says Deen, 65. “The architecture of my plate has changed. I double up on greens-whether it’s salad or vegetables-and my carbs are just a spoonful.” For dessert, “I’ll have a bowl of sugar-free ice cream with strawberries and blueberries on top.” As for that doughnut burger? “I certainly don’t recommend eating a doughnut cheeseburger more than once in your lifetime!” she says.

That piece of advice may come too late for critics who condemned her, not only for pushing calorie-clogged cuisine in light of her diabetes diagnosis. Deen’s health revelation was also conveniently timed to a drug endorsement deal she landed for an undisclosed sum. “I was surprised by the depth of hate,” says Deen of the backlash. “This is not something I chose. I had been given lemons and I had to try and make lemonade-without sugar!”

Deen’s healthier approach to her diet has helped the 5’6″ cook shed more than 30 lbs. in six months and drop from a size 18 to a size 10. More importantly, it’s built up her confidence. “I feel a thousand times better,” says Deen, who also gives herself daily injections to control her blood-sugar levels. “I have more energy, I sleep better. The weight loss has made my health issues better.”

Just acknowledging those health issues is a huge leap. “I denied my diabetes for so long because I didn’t want it to be true,” admits Deen, who was first diagnosed three years ago. “My doctor said to lose weight. So I gave up sweet tea but I continued to eat as I always ate. I thought, ‘I’m not really obese.’ So if I wanted two biscuits, I ate them. Every day I thought, ‘I hope my medicine works.'” Gradually, Deen started to also reexamine her diet and learned. “I was overindulging. What I’ve got to do is enforce moderation.”

What helped her do that was crossing her trigger foods off of the grocery list. “I’m not bringing home as much white stuff-potatoes, bread. Cutting potatoes out was the biggest challenge. When it comes to potatoes, I am weak,” says Deen. “I buy more broccoli and sweet potatoes. And I’m definitely buying more fruit. I’ve started making smoothies for breakfast.”

For the rest of her meals, fried food is no longer a regular option. “Instead of fried chicken once a week, I have it once a month. I have baked chicken now,” she says. Even when she hosts a family dinner for her husband of eight years, Michael, 56, her sons-Jamie, 45, and Bobby, 42-and her three grandkids, health comes first. “We love fried pork chops, but I never cook them now,” she says. “We cook our pork on the grill.” Her love affair with butter, however, lives on. “I still use real butter,” says Deen, who now adds only a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon to her grits. She also allows herself “one day a week to have anything I want,” says Deen, whose cheat meal of choice is a cheeseburger wrap, sometimes with a side of fries. “None of us want to go through life craving something we can never have again. In the past when I tried to go on a very strict 1,000 calories a day diet, that would drive me insane.”

Deen says she also started exercising for the first time since she was a high school cheerleader. “I try to walk 30 minutes every day. I heard that exercise is addictive. So far, it’s not like cigarettes!” she quips (see box). “But when I’m done, I feel proud.”

The big question remains: Will the lighter side of Paula Deen affect her sinfully rich cooking shows? “I will probably give people hints: ‘If you want to lighten this up, try doing this,'” she says. But her on-air philosophy remains the same: Fans don’t want to be lectured. “They turn on the TV for entertainment,” she says. “A lot of people eat vicariously through the food I make.”

For now, Deen is happy to focus on the tangible benefits of her weight loss. “To be able to polish my own toenails is a be-yoo-ti-ful thing,” says Deen, gesturing to her pale pink pedicure. “And let me show you something I haven’t been able to do in years [she places her right leg over her left]: Cross my legs!” While she still hopes to drop another 15 lbs., “I have no desire to be skinny,” says Deen. “I do have a desire to be healthy for my age.”

CHICKEN KEBABS WITH GRILLED GREEN ONIONS

Paula’s Healthy Recipes!

Makes 10 appetizer servings

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. teriyaki sauce

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Pinch pepper

Pinch salt

1 lb. chicken tenders, cut in half

1 small bunch green onions

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, teriyaki sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt. Add the chicken. Seal the bag and chill for 1 hour. Meanwhile, soak 10 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.

2. Spray a grill rack with nonstick cooking spray, then preheat grill to medium high. Drain the chicken, discarding the marinade. Thread the chicken onto the skewers. Grill chicken about 3 minutes on each side. Grill green onions until browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Arrange onions on a platter. Top with the chicken and serve.

MARINATED VEGETABLE SALAD

Serves 8

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup white wine vinegar

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. minced garlic

¾ tsp. salt

½ tsp. sugar

½ tsp. ground black pepper

3 cups cauliflower florets

2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup bottled cherry peppers, halved

3 medium zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces

3 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, Italian seasoning, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, sugar and pepper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, tomatoes, cherry peppers, zucchini, carrots and onion. Pour the dressing over the vegetables, tossing gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with a slotted spoon.

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