Diet Advocate

Published: June 2, 2010

Think "Sex and the City" goes on a diet.

That's Hungry Girl, the franchise Lisa Lillien launched as a way to fill in the gap between hard-core nutritionists and dieters struggling to stay on a plan. You know, the women — and men — who want to lose some weight, but don't want to stop eating what they love.

She approaches food from a sassy single-girl mentality, offering up advice on tweaking popular foods to get a smarter, healthier result. It's not a diet plan, she says, and she's no nutritionist.

Still, more than 900,000 people follow the e-mail she sends out daily, offering such tidbits as "Bite It! Or Fight It!" (pitting a homemade, low-fat Oreo cheesecake vs. the decadent 850-calorie version at The Cheesecake Factory) and "2 Good 2 B 4Got10" (in support of Jell-O's Mousse Temptations, which she loves "BIGTIME").

Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Hungry Girl brand reaches well beyond the Internet. Lillien's first book was a 2008 New York Times best-seller, and subsequent cookbooks have followed suit. Her latest, "Hungry Girl 1-2-3" ($19.99, St. Martin's Griffin), is the current No. 1 paperback, and on June 22, she releases a snappy little party companion, "Hungry Girl Happy Hour" ($14.99, St. Martin's Griffin).

The former Nickelodeon and TV Land writer and producer spoke recently from her Los Angeles base about her Hungry Girl persona and being a rabid food fan.

4you: The Hungry Girl brand was born in part from your own successful weight loss of nearly 30 pounds. You had dieted before, but this time it stuck. What was different?

Lisa Lillien: "I realized one thing: It's not about finding a magic bullet. It's about finding a plan you can live on forever. … Hungry Girl is a lifestyle people can fit into their life however they want."

4you: Hungry Girl appeals to a lot of people, partly because of her humor, but also the fact that she's not living in any certain city, nor is she any certain age. Why does the broad "every girl" approach work?

LL: "It's not even just for women. It just so happens it looks cute, and a lot of it is pink. It's not preachy or too serious. Hungry Girl is about food and having fun and understanding the big picture of food. I feel like Hungry Girl is everybody's best friend."

4you: A lot of your e-mails focus on eating at restaurants, and warning readers about the calories and fats on menu items. But you don't suggest they avoid going out. Instead say they should select lighter fare, special order or even take just a few bites of a dessert.

LL: "It's not realistic to think you'll never eat at TGI Fridays ever again or McDonald's. …Too many people think its OK to throw it all out the window … but it's just little things that make a difference. I eat out all the time and I know how to read menus, and that doesn't mean I deprive myself of foods that are decadent."

4you: You depend on low-fat and low-calorie products for nearly all your recipes. But some people think they taste awful. How do you convince them to substitute ingredients?

LL: "A lot of foods out there that are low in calories do not taste good. If you ate them on their own, they are not delicious, like fat-free cream cheese or mayo. But when you mix it with different ingredients, it takes it to a whole new level."

4you: Your commentaries are sometimes raving and positive, other times negative. And while your website and e-mails include paid banner advertisements, you do not receive money from any restaurants or food products you write about. Why is that important?

LL: "I won't have ads for products I don't like or wouldn't use. I do that so the audience can have some level of comfort with anything they see in the e-mails. Whether it's in the ads or in editorial, it's a product I like and would write about."

4you: You spend an hour a day walking the treadmill but keep Hungry Girl exercise talk at a minimum, offering commonsense tips such as parking at the far end of the supermarket parking lot, or walking the stairs at work.

LL: "Hungry Girls, they are a little bit intimidated by the idea of a very strict workout schedule. I try to convey that even small changes can make a difference."

For more about Lisa Lillien and Hungry Girl, visit Hungry-Girl.com