Julia Griggs Havey
Encyclopedia
Julia Griggs Havey is an American
author of several diet books, written after her experience fighting obesity
.
. She and her mother would stay up late into the night, watching the news from Vietnam, and eating ice cream to improve their mood.
Havey attended Parkway Central High School
, graduating in 1980 and then going on to the University of Missouri
, studying communications and journalism. She left college in 1984 to work for TWA
as a flight attendant
until 1989. Maintaining her weight at the required 125 pounds was difficult, and she often resorted to purging
before weight checks.
She met her husband, a union representative, during an airline strike. They married in 1986, but her weight further increased during her pregnancy with her daughter, from 175 to 260 pounds. They later had a second child, a son. At the time of his birth, Havey, at age 32, weighed 290 pounds. Shortly after that she learned that her husband was having an affair. After divorcing from him in 1994, she made a series of lifestyle changes and went on to lose 130 pounds. She sent her story to Woman's World
magazine, which published it in 1997 under the title "Now She Has Her Dream Body!" and launched her writing career. She went on to write and self-publish several diet books describing her weight-loss regimen, as well as her autobiographical Awaken the Diet Within, and "The Vice Busting Diet". In 1999, she entered and won the "Mrs. Missouri" pageant.
She worked as a "Master Motivator" for the diet-loss website eDiets.com
, writing a weekly column from 1999-2006. In January 2007, she was interviewed by Dr. Mehmet Oz
on XM satellite radio
's "Oprah and Friends"
She currently lives in Nashville, TN with her two children, writes for CBN.com and Diet.com and serves on the board of Turn the Tide Foundation founded by Dr. David L. Katz to fight childhood obesity.
In January 2011, Havey launched a new campaign to help end obesity for one million people, giving out free diet plans.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of several diet books, written after her experience fighting obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
.
Biography
She was born in Colorado Springs, to Colonel Leonard L. Griggs, Jr. and Virginia Spicer. Her weight problem started when she was 11-years-old, while her father was on duty in the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. She and her mother would stay up late into the night, watching the news from Vietnam, and eating ice cream to improve their mood.
Havey attended Parkway Central High School
Parkway Central High School
Parkway Central High School is a secondary school located in Chesterfield, Missouri. The school's mascot is the Colt. Parkway Central High School is the original high school in the Parkway School District in St. Louis County. It serves 1,353 students in grades 9-12...
, graduating in 1980 and then going on to the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
, studying communications and journalism. She left college in 1984 to work for TWA
Twa
The Twa are any of several hunting peoples of Africa who live interdependently with agricultural Bantu populations, and generally hold a socially subordinate position: They provide the farming population with game in exchange for agricultural products....
as a flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
until 1989. Maintaining her weight at the required 125 pounds was difficult, and she often resorted to purging
Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time, followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed, usually by purging and/or by laxative, diuretics or excessive exercise. Bulimia nervosa is...
before weight checks.
She met her husband, a union representative, during an airline strike. They married in 1986, but her weight further increased during her pregnancy with her daughter, from 175 to 260 pounds. They later had a second child, a son. At the time of his birth, Havey, at age 32, weighed 290 pounds. Shortly after that she learned that her husband was having an affair. After divorcing from him in 1994, she made a series of lifestyle changes and went on to lose 130 pounds. She sent her story to Woman's World
Woman's World
Woman's World is an American supermarket weekly magazine with a circulation of 1.6 million readers. Generally marketed with other tabloid papers, it concentrates on short stories about popular woman-focused subjects such as weight loss , relationship advice and cooking, though also...
magazine, which published it in 1997 under the title "Now She Has Her Dream Body!" and launched her writing career. She went on to write and self-publish several diet books describing her weight-loss regimen, as well as her autobiographical Awaken the Diet Within, and "The Vice Busting Diet". In 1999, she entered and won the "Mrs. Missouri" pageant.
She worked as a "Master Motivator" for the diet-loss website eDiets.com
EDiets.com
eDiets.com, Inc. is an online service offering professional dietary, nutritional, and exercise advice through its website. The company was formed in 1997. Originally called Practi-cal the original 12 week weight management program was based on Weighting For Wellness, written by Donna DeCunzo,...
, writing a weekly column from 1999-2006. In January 2007, she was interviewed by Dr. Mehmet Oz
Mehmet Oz
Mehmet Cengiz Oz , also known as Dr. Oz, is a Turkish-American cardiothoracic surgeon, author, talk show host, and commentator for The Dr. Oz Show, a daily television program focusing on medical issues/personal health....
on XM satellite radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
's "Oprah and Friends"
She currently lives in Nashville, TN with her two children, writes for CBN.com and Diet.com and serves on the board of Turn the Tide Foundation founded by Dr. David L. Katz to fight childhood obesity.
In January 2011, Havey launched a new campaign to help end obesity for one million people, giving out free diet plans.
Works
- The Easiest Diet I Never Went On
- Take Control Recipes
- The Vice Busting Diet (St. Martin's Press) ISBN 0-312-34836-3
- Awaken the Diet Within (Warner Books) ISBN 0-446-69122-4