Press Kit

Kami Gray, author of The Denim Diet: Sixteen Simple Habits to Get You Into Your Dream Pair of Jeans (New World Library, March 15, 2009) is a TV and Film Wardrobe Stylist with a Ph.D. (Pretty Hot in Denim). Kami says a dream pair of jeans can be a great motivator for losing weight and keeping it off. She doesn’t trust the bathroom scale, but says a pair of jeans will never lie.

Thanks to her “green” upbringing, her plan focuses on being slim and trim while simultaneously minimizing the impact we make on the Earth’s resources. She calls it the List. Food is either on the List, or it’s not on the List. Items that are on the List are habits to make and those that aren’t are habits to break. It’s not about discipline and willpower. It’s yes or no, and it has worked flawlessly for Kami for over two decades, including effortlessly losing the baby weight after the birth of her two children, now nineteen and seventeen.

Kami explains how to lose the weight easily and healthfully and keep it off for the rest of your life…one simple habit at a time. Her unique sense of humor and passion for her topic make The Denim Diet an engaging and lighthearted read. Her personal stories and anecdotes entertain and motivate while her fun, positive attitude helps readers go easy on themselves and realize that striving for perfection will only lead to another failed attempt at weight loss. According to Kami, “good is good enough and it’s a lot less boring!”

The Denim Diet is chock full of practical tools and advice from Kami designed to help readers immediately apply the book’s concepts to their lives. Things like…

• A 25-page section of gourmet “healthy diet, healthy planet” recipes
• A grocery store list for packing the pantry
• Guidance on what to order while dining out
• Tips for dressing to look five pounds slimmer

“Some people have shared with me that their body is so out of control and so far gone and the planet is such a mess that they feel helpless; they ask what they can do to reverse the situation and create real change,” writes Kami. “Little things, that’s what!  This book is about these little things — these little good things that can make a world of difference toward having a healthier body and a healthier planet.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kami Gray is a Portland based TV and Film Wardrobe Stylist with a Ph. D. (Pretty Hot in Denim). She has worked with Hollywood stars like Patty Duke, Shannen Doherty, Amy Smart, John Corbett, and Jenny McCarthy. Her creations have appeared in commercials for Toyota, Nike, Discover Card, and other major companies and in television shows such as House, Veronica Mars, and Hell’s Kitchen. Visit her online at kamigray.com

EDITORIAL REVIEWS:

“The Denim Diet is brilliant. You’ve dieted before, but have you ever really tried to eat your way to a healthier you? Kami Gray will teach you how. Let her be your food coach, and your life will change forever!”

— Matthew Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Rhythm of Life, The Dream Manager, and Perfectly Yourself

“Kami Gray has broken the secret code every girl has been searching for when it comes to staying fit, healthy, and looking fabulous in her favorite pair of jeans. And she’s done it without giving us yet another diet to follow. With humor, wisdom and practical advice, Gray gives women a great gift by simplifying the overwhelming mounds of data on the market about food, diet, and exercise into easy-to-follow, common sense habits that anyone could take on. The proof is her denim and now there’s no reason it can’t be in ours too!”

— Christine Arylo, author of Choosing ME before WE, The Every Woman’s Guide to Life and Love

“Kami Gray is a terrific teacher.  The Denim Diet addresses and puts into perspective a difficult and complex subject – what we eat, how we feel, and how we look – with humor, encouragement, and vast knowledge – in a way that is inspiring, and most of all, practical and doable.  I don’t worry about how I look in jeans (perhaps I should), but I immediately put Kami’s lessons about healthy eating, and a healthy lifestyle, to good use.”

— Marc Lesser, author of LESS: Accomplishing More By Doing Less

AN INTERVIEW WITH KAMI GRAY

Why do you call your program The Denim Diet?

Due to a flight cancellation en route to a family holiday, I took an unplanned six-hour drive from Dallas to the Texas Panhandle. It was my first trip to Texas. Along the way, I saw numerous billboards for seventy-two-ounce steaks and a mind-blowing number of obese people. While visiting a store called Sheplers in search of the perfect pair of Wranglers, I came across a pair of jeans so large that I jokingly said to my friend that even the denim needed to go on a diet. I also wanted a catchy title for my book and who can’t relate to fitting into a great pair of jeans? I also happen to be a wardrobe stylist and I’m completely denim addicted. I use my jeans as a replacement for the bathroom scale. What better way to tell if I’ve been overdoing it. If they feel a little snug or a little muffin top is forming around the top of my waistband, I know I need to rein my eating habits back in and make sure I’m getting plenty of exercise. It’s The Denim Diet – creating good habits to get you into your dream pair of jeans or maintaining good habits so your favorite pairs will always fit.

As a wardrobe stylist do you have advice for people who are in search of the ultimate pair of jeans?

First of all, there are good jeans at every price point. I often shop at resale shops for designer denim so I don’t break the bank. For women, keep it simple. For the most flattering look, go for bootcut jeans with a bit of stretch that sit high enough on the hips that they don’t slip down, expose your backside, or make you feel uncomfortable, but don’t go any higher! The higher they go, the longer they make your backside look. The darker the denim, the more slender you’ll appear.  Unless you are absolutely averse to wearing a bit of heel, don’t hem them for flats. The longer, the leaner and the hem should almost reach the floor. They should have pockets in the back (I prefer flap), but no weird pocket designs, no embellishments, no rips or tears – just dark bootcut denim hemmed perfectly. For men, keep it even simpler, buy Levi 501s.

What are three examples of ways that your plan helps readers help the planet while they are losing weight?

• Encourages readers to eat less processed food. Instead of food manufactures using earth’s energy and resources to process grains by refining them and taking them apart to remove the outer (and healthiest) layers, people who eat whole grains are using their body’s energy instead. This burns more calories while it requires less from the planet.
• Encourages readers to use public transportation like light rail which requires walking to and from drop off and pick up locations. Also encourages readers to walk or bike to run errands or go to the neighbor’s house.  This cuts down on driving which results in less carbon emissions and less fuel consumption and adds a little more exercise on top of regular workouts. Taking stairs is another way to burn calories and not use the massive amount of energy required by elevators.
• Encourages readers to eat less red meat which has large amounts of saturated fat, which contributes to obesity as well as to the number one killer of women – heart disease. This is good for the planet because beef production and processing accounts for nearly seventy-five percent of the water pollution in the United States. The problems associated with global warming and climate change are also increased due to the enormous amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, emitted by cows. By replacing land used for the production of cattle with growing plant-based foods like organic soybeans, dramatically less people on our planet would suffer from starvation and obesity.

High Fructose Corn Syrup has been in the news a lot lately. What’s the controversy and what is your take on it?

It’s big fat bad news. I think our country would be considerably less overweight if it hadn’t been introduced in soda pop and scads of other products in the 80s and 90s. We need to get off this toxic stuff.  I think that’s coming. A lot of companies will have to spend millions of dollars reformulating their products and packaging. I’m looking forward to that.

What advice would you offer to people who are having a hard time finding the willpower to stick with the Denim Diet?

Don’t think of it as a diet. Think of it as a set of lifetime habits. Habits are actions that you practice over and over until they stick.  Take it one habit at a time until it takes root, then move on to another. Do what works for you. Know your own shortcomings. If you can’t do all of them, don’t. Even some habitual changes in the right direction are better than nothing. Don’t strive for perfection.  I’m a firm believer in good is good enough.

If someone was going to choose just one of the 16-habits to focus on, which do you feel is the most important and why?

There’s a reason I chose high fructose corn syrup and sweeteners as chapter one. If you can get a handle on your sweet tooth; meaning no HFCS, no artificial sugar substitutes, trying foods like grapefruit unsweetened, and drinking water instead of regular or diet soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks, you’re half-way there. All that stuff contributes to obesity and because it’s all empty calories, it offers you nothing in the way of nutrition. You become overweight and unhealthy. Processed, refined food would be next – which is why it’s chapter 2.

You say that once you started viewing food as fuel, your relationship with it changed dramatically.  What was your relationship with food like before that? And how can people who still view food in that way begin to shift their perceptions?

For me, I didn’t know at the time, that you are what you eat. I got away with eating high calorie, fattening foods as a child and teenager for two reasons: We didn’t have HFCS when I was a child and I was extremely active. I did at least a couple hundred cartwheels a day from age three on. Even today, I do a few every week. I was very active, but I didn’t understand the basics of healthy eating. From doing workshops with my sister, I’ve discovered that this is a problem for a lot of people. Just like authors write what they know, many people eat what they know. Once some new information is provided in a sensible, practical way, I’ve found people can start slowly changing their habits. Because it works and it’s not a gimmick or a fad, people are sticking to it.

I see that hard alcohol and coffee are on the List. How so?

Always in moderation so as not to affect your health adversely or contribute to one being overweight, but the occasional vodka martini with no simple syrup is okay in my book. It’s roughly 100 calories and metabolizes slowly so it won’t spike your insulin levels which can create fat storage. Red wine is better though. It contains polyphenols which is a form of antioxidants that reduce inflammation. Inflammation can increase plaque build-up in your artery walls and lead to heart disease. Studies show red wine also slows down aging and helps fight obesity.  According to Dr. Oz of the YOU book series, coffee is America’s leading source of antioxidants which help fight free radicals that can cause all sorts of bodily damage at the cellular level. The Mayo Clinic website says that 2-3 cups per day is unlikely to be harmful.

I see that small, high protein, low glycemic carb snacks are on the List. Can you give us a few examples of those?

• Slices of nitrate-free turkey rolled up with avocado slices inside
• Sautéed or steamed veggies with half cup brown rice or quinoa
• Whole grain toast with 1 tablespoon pure peanut butter or almond butter
• Scoop of tuna salad or egg salad in whole wheat pita made w/ lowfat mayo

What is the difference between organic and regular food?  Is it really worth the extra money?  Does it help the planet? If so, how?

BIG difference! Certified Organic means that your produce, eggs, meat, and poultry are not raised using antibiotics or growth hormones and must be produced without using pesticides, commercial fertilizers, synthetic ingredients, sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation. In addition, organically raised animals that produce meat and dairy products must be treated humanely and given access to the outdoors and fresh air. Sewage sludge? Sick. I say, stop poisoning yourself and your family, reduce your chances of getting cancer and other ailments, pay the extra money, have more peace of mind, and try to eat organic as often as possible. My book offers several cost-cutting strategies to buying organic food.

You’re not a doctor or a dietician. In fact, you’re a wardrobe stylist, why should anyone listen to you?

Before my literary agent agreed to take me on as a client, he asked me “Who are you Kami and why are you writing this book?”  He was essentially asking the same question, you’re no expert, you’re not a doctor, you’re not a dietician, why should anyone listen to you?  Who I am is you. I’m a regular person who figured out a long time ago how to live my life in a healthy way and by doing so, have managed to maintain an ideal, healthy body weight, easily and effortlessly, for twenty-one years. That’s the real secret: you don’t need to be a doctor or a registered dietician to figure it out. You can be you – just a regular person who wants a healthy, slim body that lasts for as long as possible.  Although doctors and experts are an absolute necessity, I’ve been doing my own research for over twenty years and then I apply experience, logic, reason, and what my body tells me.  I was also fortunate in that I had an unusually health-minded and green upbringing and live in one of the most health-conscious cities in America. The Denim Diet isn’t only about getting into your dream pair of jeans; readers that follow my guidance will become a better steward of the Earth as a natural consequence of the habits, activities, and choices they’re making.

The List is all common sense…People don’t know this stuff already?

I realize that of the sixty-five percent of Americans that suffer from obesity, a fair percentage make choices they know they shouldn’t be making. I also know from my workshops, travels, and conversations with readers, that many people simply don’t know how to eat and find the concept of healthful eating daunting and overwhelming. My goal was to simplify this and make it less scientific, heavy-handed, and complicated. In the same way, it should be completely obvious to me how to keep my office organized, but until I had someone come to my office, train me on some new habits, and simplify my system, I kept failing over and over. I don’t go digging through drawers to find a receipt anymore…primarily because she took away my drawers.  That girl should write a book!

Do you think people really don’t know how to eat or is it that they just don’t care?

Some people don’t care or will say they don’t care so they don’t have to change their behavior. My sister was like that for years. She said I only cared because I’m vain and I like cute clothes. And I would respond, well good for me! My knees and back don’t ache like hers used to and I don’t need to lie down on the couch at family events because I have tons of energy from making good choices and keeping my body on the slender side. For every person who says they don’t care, I believe there’s another half dozen that simply doesn’t know that diet soda pop and sugar substitutes actually contribute to obesity and that processed foods like white bread spike your insulin levels, which is what creates fat storage.

What do you think of the Atkins and other low carb Diets?

I think they cause fast and temporary weight loss and then once you can’t maintain such a strict diet, the weight returns with a vengeance and brings with it an additional ten or twenty pounds. I think common sense should tell you that a diet that instructs you to eat a high-fat, high protein diet is not going to contribute to your long-term health and longevity.

What do you think of supplements?

I don’t take supplements and never have. I have regular check-ups to determine if I’m deficient anywhere and lacking any necessary nutrients and so far so good. I get what I need from real food. That may not always be the case, but for now, I don’t require them. The School of Harvard Public Health says that antioxidant supplements, for example, have not been proven to decrease free radicals and that antioxidants need to come from the food we eat. I’ve always taken this stance, but I’m not one to argue with the braniacs at Harvard either.

What’s the issue you get most fire up about?

Childhood obesity. I think some families in this country feed their dogs better than they feed their kids. Tiger gets gourmet, healthy dog food and junior gets a nitrate-filled, pressed meat sandwich on white bread with potato chips, oreo cookies, and a juice box with no actual juice in it. We’re making our kids fat and unhealthy and it’s no wonder that Type II Diabetes rates are sky-rocketing in this demographic. I think it’s sad and so preventable. I don’t think the answer is to berate parents or punish them like what is being considered in the UK, but I do think we need to work harder at educating parents before babies are off the bottle or no longer being nursed. The government can help with this by providing classes, passing laws for healthy food to be served in public schools and other agencies, as well as enacting legislation that ban trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, GMOs, and other harmful substances. Some states have such laws currently in effect or slated for upcoming elections.

The Denim Diet is a publication

March 15, 2009 • Trade Paper • 304 pages Price: $14.95 • ISBN: 978-1-57731-661-9