Karen the editor's page.

Anyone who knows me won't be shocked to hear this--I love food. Growing of the time in France and part of the time in the United States, I would bounce between Pop-Tarts and patisserie, magret of duck and mac 'n' cheese. My mother (who's French, hatch) was a firm believer in "everything in moderation," so I never worried much about what I was eating as long as it wasn't by the bucketful. French onion soup? Bring it. Filet of beef with potato gratin? Heck, yes. Chocolate torte? Oui!

I happily traveled for years on my rack of lamb-laden road ... until GL gals asked us for help making great choices in their own diets. That led us to create our Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy You program, headed up by our amazing associate editor, Katie A. And let me tell ya, Katie doesn't just write about being healthy, she lives it. At the desk next to mine. Katie keeps a sign on top of her computer that says "Eat Clean." (And no, this isn't a reminder to avoid a Cheeto that's spent more than five seconds on the floor.) Her diet rolls something like this: Fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, salads, lean proteins like grilled chicken, healthy snacks like rice cakes with natural peanut butter and loads of veggies and whole grains.

If you doubt there's such a thing as influenced eating (see online editor Cait Rohan's awesome Special Report starting on page 78 for more on that), try hanging around someone who treats her body like a temple. Because without ever saying a word, Katie's clean eating made me realize my diet was in desperate need of a Swiffer. Fat-laden foods began to lose their luster. Processed? Pshaw. I started reading nutrition labels with the same interest as gossip websites.

That lasted for about a week--I'm just not cut out to be a complete health nut. But thanks to Katie, I'm much more aware of how to eat in a way that'll not only keep me energized through the day, but will satisfy my stomach, too. The Pop-Tarts have been replaced by peaches. The rack of lamb? Still on my plate, but I try to have brown rice with it instead Of white, I'll still chow down on something salty when I get hungry at 4 p.m., but I'll pick pita chips over potato--and then pair 'em with good-for-you stuff, like hummus. OK, so yeah, it would be better to go for carrot sticks instead of those pita chips, but I'm working on it. Hey, it took the Romans years to build the Pantheon. Apparently, my temple is going to take a little time, too ...

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"A last-minute gypsy costume. I actually still have that red blouse!"--Karen

"My fave part of the outfit were the pom-poms on my shoes. I dug them out of my memory box when I found this pic!--Jess

"I won a big gold trophy with a pumpkin on top at the costume contest for this work of art. Thanks, Mama Rohan!"--Cait

"This Raggedy Ann number was handmade by my mother. She does a pretty good job, huh?"--Katie

"I LOVED wearing dance costumes, but that haircut is the reason I now wear my hair long, Scarring!"--Katie A.

"I'm OBSESSED with Hello Kitty so I had to dress up as my fave oddly proportioned idol!"--Jiae

"I loved this because it was scary in a 'Hey, I'm a cute 7-year-old withch' kinda way."--Keri

"My BFF and I had so much fun, but everyone though my friend was really a guy! I still have that Afro wig!"--L'Oreal

"'The flapper' was handmade by my Aunt Mary Beth. It was the perfect excuse to break out in dance throughtout the day."--Trish