Real Weddings magazine, July 2006

 

Success with little steps

Weighing in on the 90-calorie deal

 

By Lauren Kramer

In the months just prior to your wedding day, the extra pounds most of us carry can become more and more of a disturbance. Naturally, you want everything to be perfect on the day you say I Do, and that includes your body and general feeling of health and well-being. But as wedding preparations move into high gear, it can become increasingly difficult to balance healthy, weight-conscious meals with the plethora of stressful organizational tasks you’re juggling as a soon-to-be bride.

 

It makes sense, therefore, to commit yourself to a plan that puts you in control before your wedding, rather than acquiescing to the temptation of on-the-fly fast food meals heavy in carbs and fat. Choose the plan wisely and you’ll seamlessly adjust your eating habits to ensure the weight you hate diminishes, leaving you healthier, slimmer and ultimately, the blushing, beautiful bride you want to be. 

 

Real Weddings Writer Lauren Kramer conducted some hands-on research about a weight plan that emphasizes long-term dietary changes, namely Ramona Josephson’s 90-Calorie Deal.

 

Ramona Josephson, a Vancouver-based registered dietician, best-selling author and nutrition coach is something of a legend in the Lower Mainland for her answers to healthy eating and steady weight loss. A few years ago she devised a program now called The 90-Calorie Deal, one that’s available online at www.weightlossdeal.com. Her plan is simple, memorable and easy to implement in your daily life, and its cornerstone is the 90-calorie serving size.  

 

“The key to weight loss is to choose foods smartly and deliberately, so that your food choices release energy throughout the day, and your blood sugar rise is gradual and prolonged,” says Josephson. “The problem with Jenny Craig is that the plan depends on purchasing their food, and in the real world, we don’t eat like that. It’s really expensive, and you’re not really learning how to incorporate the right meals into your lifestyle.”

 

The 90-Calorie Deal, by contrast, is very flexible, making it easy to construct healthy, weight-conscious meals that are appropriate for you and your significant other – without feeling like you’re imposing a diet on yourself. “This shouldn’t be something you do when you’re motivated, and then stop when you’re not,” explains Josephson. “Right away, you’re learning skills you’ll live with.”

 

Her plan is based on 16 “deals” a day, each comprised of 90 calories. “The little steps you take and maintain over the long-term make all the difference,” says Josephson, instructing me to substitute 1% milk for skim.

 

As a creature of habit, this plan suits me to a tee thanks to its flexibility. I simply construct a day, and repeat it on most days, with identical breakfasts and lunches that are filling, high in fibre and relatively low-calorie. Breakfast is an amalgamation of high-fibre cereals, while my lunchtime sandwich is packed with salad greens and coleslaw for added volume. My snacks should contain protein, to prevent hitting that three o’clock wall, and for dinner, fried foods are a no-no. “The amount of fat you’re adding can completely skew your calories,” says Josephson. “For stir fries, use an oil spray and spritz your pan, and to season your salad, opt for rice vinegar.”

 

The key to the 90-Calorie Deal is patience and persistence. “How fast this works in terms of weight loss depends on how radical the changes are that you’re making to your eating habits,” Josephson explains. “People tend to lose an average of one-to-two pounds per week, but what we’re looking for is small changes that can be sustained over time. Ultimately, I’m trying to show people how to deal with their hunger, not with their cravings.”