All politics is local, even Debbie’s diet

Warned about ballooning, tiny Wasserman Schultz thought, “I’ve never gained weight in my life. I’m always the exception, no I won’t. I ate the same way, I didn’t change my eating habits.” Over two years, her size 2 dresses morphed to 8s and 10s as she fought the disease–and indulged her sweet tooth–while packing on 23 pounds.

Then last year, while cheering the Fresh Start diet firm in her district for winning a Small Business Administration award, she noshed on their snacks. “The food is really good. I have to do this,” she recalled thinking. “I realized, OK, I’m definitely a size 8 and almost close to a size 10 on a five-foot, two-inch body. I wasn’t  happy and it didn’t make sense for me.”

Wasserman Schultz told Secrets Wednesday, “I’m a very focused person, I’m driven. If I set my mind to something, I’m not going to let it beat me.”

Fresh Start was her savior, offering a normal menu of three meals and two snacks a day for about $22 a day from their Florida or Washington kitchens. “I didn’t want it to be something weird, like have only shakes or grapefruit for breakfast every day,” she said. Along the way, she learned portion control and curbed her intake of sweets, but did sneak in a daily low-fat Starbucks.

Six months later, she’s lost the 23 pounds. “It’s really nice for me,” said Wasserman Schultz. What’s more, she’s been off it for two weeks and hasn’t gained back an ounce.

Part of her diet strategy was convincing her daughters that she wasn’t ashamed of her body, but just wanted to get healthy. “Girls are just so body conscience,” she said. “I was careful about trying not to make negative comments about my own body even though I was unhappy about the way I looked.”

Now, she gushed, “I’m back to a size 2. I have not worn this dress in two years and it feels big. I have to take it to the tailor.”