Meet Cynthia Stadd, our new healthy living expert on Elastic Waist.  Cynthia will never tell us to eat Lean Cuisines. Ever. Her approach to a balanced life is practical, funny, and not just about food, which makes us like her a lot. Or maybe it's that she was the little kid with a beehive and green eye shadow dancing in the movie Hairspray. Both are pretty awesome. She'll be answering our weekly queries right here, so send us your questions and we just may run them by her. You could also visit her website and cash in on that free 20-minute consultation.  Though her advice, we gotta say, is worth a fortune.

Your practice is rooted in Eastern philosophy. Can you explain what that means?

It's Eastern and Western both. Counting calories, food guide pyramid, that's the Western system. The Eastern system is about how food is used for healing. It's not just about the food, it's a holistic system. When somebody comes to me with an imbalance, there could be influences other than just physical. It could be energetic, it could be emotional.

What's the number one thing clients always ask?

How can I eat healthy without spending a fortune and spending all my time on it? It might seem more expensive, but a) you'll be eating out less, and b) you'll be saving money. It's not a lot of money when it comes to your health. Three extra dollars for organic chicken is better than going to your doctor because your hormones are out of balance. Work slowly, make changes slowly. Make two or three changes a week. 

How do you reward yourself?  Do you even use food as a reward, or is that just part of the problem?

Yes, I do reward myself. Every day I play a game using what I call the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of the time I eat well, make healthy choices, and eat good food, and 20 percent of the time is party time. I plan on that 20 percent. I plan for the fun, and that's my lifelong strategy. It's the only way to live in modern society; it's okay. 

Plan on 2 meals out of the week for your 20 percent. Look at your week ahead: When are you going to be in situations when you're going to be the most tempted? Think about it, and then give yourself two nights to really enjoy where you are.  But that doesn't mean you have to overindulge.

I don't reward myself with food. I was a severe binge eater for 15 years. That's shifted: Now my rewards genuinely give me pleasure. Food doesn't really give you the pleasure you're looking for. Slowing down and watching a movie, getting a massage, those are my rewards that really give me genuine pleasure.

Sometimes, when faced with a huge plate of delicious food, we keep eating until our plate is clean and we have to lay down on the couch and unzip our pants. Do you have any tips for overeaters?

The thing you have to do: breathe and chew. If you breathe and chew thoroughly, you will eat half of your plate and be satisfied. You can't really breathe and eat fast at the same time. So you're body is going to register that you're full and it will be much harder to overeat. 

Any words on Scary Skinny Hollywood?

Frightening! I want to grab them all and throw them in my house for a week and help them all.