That Time I Went On GMA

So, that happened.

It's been quite a week. Last Monday, when we published the first installment of The Anti-Diet Project, I knew there would be a response. Our readers are nothing if not vocal, and I was betting that you, like me, were ready for something new and different. I was overwhelmed by your incredible comments, tweets, and emails. Truly, you guys are the wind beneath my elliptical machine.

A couple days later, I got an email from an ABC producer who was equally pumped about the project and wanted to know if I'd like to talk about it on Good Morning America. My answer was something along the lines of "HELLZ YEAH!" — but ever so slightly more professional. While my head was certainly spinning, I found myself not entirely shocked. When you create something like this, from a place of passion and honesty, it resonates. All those years of self-improvement and professional hustle, and it turns out my kindergarden teacher had it right all along: Just be yourself.

That's what The Anti-Diet Project is really about, so I wasn't worried about blanking on camera or sounding like an idiot. Well, just kind of worried. Mostly, I wanted to make sure I said everything I wanted to say. My biggest fear was that somehow this segment would come off like a diet piece — the anti-anti-diet intention! I knew the GMA team understood (and believed in) my mission, but I worried I wouldn't be able to get my message across while still keeping it sound-bite-y enough for a quick morning-show segment.

Thank goodness for Sara Haines, the correspondent who interviewed me. She was obviously a total pro, and the second we sat down together, I relaxed — because we couldn't. Stop. Talking. Whether or not the camera was rolling, we chatted all day about our personal experiences with bodies, food, exercising, feeling-eating, etc. We were on the exact same wavelength when it came to diet burnout, and she led me in and out with questions that covered pretty much every angle.

Next, we hit the gym where I fake work out — then actually worked out with Sara and my trainer-angel-buddy Stephanie Irvin for the cameras. The hairstylist asked if I wanted to put my hair up in a ponytail, and I told her to back away from my luscious curls. I'm sorry, but if I'm going to do the elliptical on national television, I'm going to do it in full hair and makeup. Sorry, guys. I can't get that real.

Nevertheless, we knew this segment would only be a few minutes at most (Ricky Martin needed his airtime, too). So, while I'm absolutely thrilled with the way the piece came together, I do have one teeny tiny, pizza-related clarification. When Sara and I were looking through the food in the kitchen, I explained that I used to always try to eat in an austere, ultra-healthy way, seeing things like kale as GOOD and pizza as BAD. That's what tripped me up in the past, and lead me to bingeing. Now, all food is created equal. Pizza is not the enemy, and kale is not the savior. They're both just food. So, if I eat the pizza instead of the kale salad, I'm still the same person. Lunch does not define me.

Perhaps I'm being overly cautious, but I just didn't want you guys to think I was maligning pizza in any way. I love you, pizza. Love you, too, kale. Let's all be friends, okay?