Paula Deen is looking svelte on the cover of this week’s People, but we have to wonder why she waited three years after her diabetes diagnosis to lose the weight.
Paula Deen didn’t exactly surprise some fans when she admitted her diabetes diagnosis earlier this year. However, fans were surprised when the Southern chef admitted the diagnosis wasn’t recent — she’s known about it for three years! The only reason Deen came out with it was because of her endorsement deal with diabetes medication Victoza.
The delayed reveal didn’t exactly please the butter-loving cook’s critics: She continued to pitch her high-fat, high-cholesterol recipes (like the bacon, beef, egg and donut Deen’s Lady’s Brunch Burger) even after her 2009 diagnosis and only vowed to stop after admitting her illness. So now it seems that her 30-pound weight loss — officially revealed on the cover of this week’s People — is a bit delayed, too.
“It took me a couple of years to get to this point,” Deen told People. “If you make a few small changes, they can add up to big results.”
Great! We’re all about people taking control of their health. Still, why did it take so long for her to drop 30 pounds — she could have lost the weight much more quickly if she started after getting her diagnosis. It makes us wonder if she has another endorsement deal coming up — or is planning a new business venture to capitalize on her new wisdom.
Are we wrong on this thinking? Maybe, but it seems like celebrities only come out with their “news” when they have something to sell. Still, it does sound like Deen is venturing away from fatty foods into a more fruit and vegetable-based diet.
“I’m arranging my plate differently,” she told Prevention magazine recently. “[Before] I would have had a lot of ham and just a little bit of squash. But the night before last, I had lots of squash, a little slice of ham, a nice serving of green beans and a tablespoon of fresh peas.”
And she’s learning about exercise from her kids — son Bobby is a runner.
“I just try to show by example. I live my life, if that affects Mom in a personal way, that’s great,” he said earlier this year, adding that he gave her a pedometer to use on her daily walks. “She has a little more pep in her step now. She’d been guilty of being a little too sedentary — like a lot of people.”
We’re happy for Deen — and hope she lives a long, happy life — we just hope she’s in it for the right reasons.
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