On the Sharpton Diet

The New York Times writes about Al Sharpton's weight loss.

Ms. Ross [Sharpton's personal trainer] has, in fact, helped carve out a trimmer Al Sharpton.

In the first six months of his weight loss regimen, Mr. Sharpton lost 15 pounds, 5 inches off his waist and 6 percent of his body fat. A couple of months later, he's down a total of about 30 pounds and headed toward his goal of weighing 200 pounds, which might be considered svelte for a guy who once tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds.

For some, New Year's resolutions may slowly be giving way to the humdrum of daily life. But Mr. Sharpton has not given up. He doesn't just want to lose the weight; he wants to keep it off.That has meant more than just a diet. It has meant a change of attitude, part of Mr. Sharpton's long-term project to convince people that he is a tamer version of his former self. The old Mr. Sharpton, the Tawana Brawley Mr. Sharpton, the Days of Rage Mr. Sharpton, was an out-of-control Mr. Sharpton, at least in terms of what he was eating.

"In terms of my personal diet, total out of control," Mr. Sharpton said, as he sipped on a banana-strawberry smoothie whipped up at Green Symphony, a one-room health food restaurant on West 43rd Street.

It's not so much that you are what you eat as it's you are how you eat.