Stop dieting. Start living.

My BFF has a grand plan to get a posse of a half-dozen or so of our closest friends together to recreate the entire cast of Gilligan’s Island this Halloween as a “group costume”. It’s a tall order, and it takes a lot of logistics (and involves the subtle needling and convincing of some key cast members), but should it happen, it will be amazing.

The goal though, should it all come to be, is for her to be Ginger, and me, Mary Ann. This is exciting, but a challenge.

In short, we both need a little bit of work (and toning) to make our costumes a reality.

Last night though, we attended an event that Weight Watchers hosted for beauty editors, focusing on the Weight Watchers ideal of living vs. dieting. I’m a big champion of this - a few years ago I lost a great deal of weight on the South Beach Diet, which also operates under the plan of integrating sensible eating into our lifestyle, rather than following rigid rules of no carbs/no fat/no sugar/no fun, what-have-you.

Weight Watchers, based on a points system (and now a dual core/flex plan), allows you to eat pretty much anything you wish as long as you stay within your points value. Want pizza? Fine, just compensate with smarter choices the rest of the week. It’s not really about dieting so much as learning the art of moderation, good choices, and healthy living. (For instance, at the party, we ate tuna tartar, lobster wraps, steamed chicken dumplings, and several other indulgent yet healthy finger foods. We even learned about the bartender assistant on the Weight Watchers web site, which allows you to learn the points value of your favorite drinks - and compare them with other, smarter, options. (Let it just be said, tonight at happy hour, we will be more conservative with those lychee martinis.) So, in a way, you don’t even have to be on a diet, or looking to lose weigh, to do Weight Watchers, it’s all about being a smarter/healthier you! Hopefully, with Mary Ann legs…