"Thanks," I replied, pausing and wondering if I should tell her my news. 

"I recently lost 45 lbs," I confessed.

"You did? You should write a book about that," she said.

"Funny you say that. I'm an author."

And then I told her about my new book, Stories of Faith and Courage from the Revolutionary War. I assured her I had no plans to write a book on weight loss. There are so many diet books out there, I don't think I could begin to make a contribution. Plus, it seems out of sync for me to go from writing about the Revolutionary War to firing off on the topic of health and fitness. Wrong shelf. Barnes & Noble might be a tad confused. Besides, my knowledge about weight loss is not the result of a professional background or intellectual study but from my personal experience.

More Cherry Blossom pics

Over the weekend, my family and I celebrated my son's one-year birthday by taking pictures among the cherry blossom trees in Washington DC. I wore my new white jacket. When I got home, I remembered I had worn a white shirt for a similar outdoor picture eleven months earlier, the previous Mother's Day. When I compared the photos (above), I was amazed at how different my son and I both look. Since his birth on April 5, 2007, a year ago, he's gained about 17 pounds. I've lost 50.

John Adams made an interesting observation about the idea of a revolution. He decided the Revolutionary War was more than just a war. It was a changing of hearts and minds. If his definition is accurate, then my weight loss in 2007 was a genuine revolution.

After getting married in 1994 (at the ripe old age of 23), I steadily gained weight. I lost some here and there, but after a certain point, I could never get back to where I wanted to be. I could never deprive myself of all the food I loved long enough to lose enough weight.

But something deep inside of me changed after giving birth to my second son in 2007. My pregnancy was difficult. I had gone into pre-term contractions at week 25 and remained on bed rest for 89 days. Understandably, I came out of that time of seclusion determined to live my life differently. And then, when I got on the scales a few weeks after Zachary's birth, I was astonished at the ugly number staring back at me. I grabbed my laptop, searched the Internet, and looked up my healthy weight range based on my age, height, and bone structure. I bawled when realized how overweight I was. I had only gained 25 pounds with that pregnancy, but I started the pregnancy 20 pounds higher than my marriage weight. I cried for days. And days. 

Also "weighing" on my mind was my schedule. In three months, I was supposed to attend one of the largest conferences in the book publishing world. As part of that event, I was scheduled to do a TV interview for my book, The Faith of America's First Ladies. I had to get some of the weight off. Even if it was just ten pounds, I had to get something off.

What made the difference this time around was my desperation. I prayed. I cried out to God for direction. And throughout the rest of 2007, I underwent a weight-loss revolution. By that conference in July, I had lost twelve pounds. By the end of the year, I had shed 45 pounds. Today, I've lost more than 50. In hindsight, I can't point to any particular diet. I read and skimmed several, and ultimately realized that God had given me my hunger mechanism for a reason. For me, hunger and satisfaction or empty/full is the best way to gauge how much food my body needs each day. Calorie-counting doesn't work for me, especially because I'm on the short end of the height scale. At four feet, eleven inches, my calorie needs are lower than the average person. 

The kicker coming out of my desperation was not giving into food depravation. I decided not to deprive myself of any type of food. I could eat anything I wanted as long as I was hungry. When I was full, I stopped. Technically, I lost weight by limiting my portions, not my food content. However, I also gave up emotional eating. I realized I frequently looked for food, particularly sweets, when I was upset. I stopped that. I distracted my mind when I was upset. I made a conscious decision to pray more often instead of reaching for food to satisfy my emotional needs. I looked to God, not food, for comfort and direction. His truth, that he created me and loves me (no matter my size) was my compass. Doctors have come up with the healthy weight numbers based on reasonable standards, and it made sense to me that God created a healthy weight range for my body size. I owed it to him to get there and stay there. I knew getting the weight off would boost my confidence and help me to be a better wife and mom in the long run.

I also put aside a lot of weight loss advice, such as "Don't weigh every day." Not all advice is true! I decided to weigh every day, knowing my weight would fluctuate but also using the scale as my accountability "partner." As a result, I began to see the nuances of my eating, which helped me to understand the value of eating dinner early, drinking water, opting for healthy choices, and so on. 

When I worked at the White House, I tried Weight Watchers with several colleagues (including some of you who have read this article!). I had some success, but I couldn't bust my plateaus because I couldn't make the change I needed to in my heart and mind. Weight Watchers is a good program to be sure, but I couldn't wait until I could get off the diet, stop counting points, and get back to eating what I wanted. That kind of thinking is not a weight-loss revolution. One reason I know I have truly changed is this fact: I have no desire to return to my previous habits. I learned through trial and error what works for me and my petite frame. When I overturned the prison of my eating habits, I walked out in freedom. 

Today, I eat whatever I want, but I find I often desire health--fresh foods, lean meats, fruits, green beans, etc. I let myself eat chocolate, but do so when I'm hungry. I can make a piece of chocolate cake last for two or three snack times. I can eat a very small scoop of ice-cream and not want more. I also took up Pilates and went back to Body & Soul, a nationwide aerobic exercise and strength-training class. God has radically altered this area of my life, and I'm now at a healthy weight. In fact, I weigh less than what I did when I married. Because of Pilates and Body & Soul, my muscle tone is better and my waist is smaller. I don't need a lot of food to be healthy and satisfied. I enjoy food but not at the expense of my body--ironic, isn't it?

Not only did I find myself celebrating my son's birth as we took pictures among the cherry blossom trees, but I also celebrated the quiet revolution in my heart, the one that has radically changed my mind and body and put a serious smile on my face. 

I thank God for revealing his plan for me. He created me uniquely. And just as he made each of us unique, so he's also given us each a unique way to manage and care for our bodies. The nuances of what works for me, works for me and may or may not work for someone else. I can't tell you or anyone how to best lose weight for you, your habits, your life-style, or your body type. No one-size diet or weight management plans fits us all. But I can tell you that weight-management is a heart, mind, and soul issue. To change our bodies for the long haul on the outside requires a change of heart and mind on the inside. That's the way God designed us. He uses heart changes to make a difference--perhaps even revolutionize--other areas of life.

So, that' my weight-loss revolution. It's not a book's worth of insight, but certainly a page worth's!

(PS. I've emailed more than 100 of you, my friends, to let you know I decided to be brave and post this article. Thank you for your warm response! Feel free to email me. Sincerely, Jane Hampton Cook, jane@janecook.com)