DIETS THAT WORK The Streamlining Energy Diet

Will + Grace = Weight Loss for Debra!

Debra Messing knows it takes energy to power through the challenges of life as a working single mom. So the former star of Will & Grace made serious improvements to her diet with the aim of feeling more vibrant — whether she’s on set (she’s in ABC’S upcoming Dirty Dancing musical) or at home with son Roman, 12. The alterations, including ditching junk food and ramping up her produce intake, worked. Bonus: Debra, 48, dropped 20 pounds without having to overexert! “[Weight loss] wasn’t my intention,” the actress says. “I made the change [to my diet] because I was just tired all the time.… It made a big difference.”

IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD

That mindset — along with a little willpower to stick to her refined meal plan — helped Debra slim down gracefully. “One of the things that impresses me is she didn’t really approach it as a ‘diet,’” notes Keri Gans, M. S., R.D.N., a nutritionist in NYC who hasn’t worked with the star. “She just decided to eat better, to change her habits. When you have the right mentality, it makes it so much easier to lose weight naturally.” The actress had a few major bad habits to break. Debra says she grew up consuming fast food and candy every day — and that “vegetables were not a part of my life at all.” Now, however, she’s cut out sugar and fried fare, as well as dairy, gluten, alcohol and coffee, instead eating organic fruits and veggies, nuts and fish throughout the day and kick-starting her mornings with a nutrient-rich green juice (made from kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, ginger and lemon). The switch to whole foods gives her high-quality, sustainable energy rather than short bursts that lead to crashes. “Debra was listening to her body,” notes Gans, author of The Small Change Diet, “using her energy and how she was feeling as indicators of what works for her.”