The 90/10 Weight-Loss Plan
The worst part of any diet is feeling deprived when favorite foods are forbidden. Knowing this, Bauer, a registered dietitian, developed the 90/10 Food Plan to meet the needs of her clients. Bauer recommends that ten percent of daily calories come from “Fun Foods.” When clients aren’t deprived, the ninety percent of healthy and nutritious foods are reasonable and balanced, and the diet is more likely to be followed.
Three plans, complete with daily menus for fourteen days, are detailed—1,200 calories, 1,400 calories and 1,600 calories. Readers determine which plan to select by figuring their desired weight loss, their dieting history, the rate of weight loss, and the amount of exercise they are willing to do each week. Ten additional dinner recipes are provided, such as Sour Cream Chicken, Veal Piccata and Creamy Zucchini Soup.
There is a chapter devoted to answering commonly asked diet questions, such as “Will carbohydrates make me fat?” The answer (“no”) is followed by a discussion about the role of carbohydrates in a healthy diet. Questions about combining foods (a popular diet option) are answered, as well as questions about herbal remedies and weight-loss supplements such as Ma Huang/ephedra.
Readers can set a goal weight with the help of charts about body fat percentages, weight ranges for men and women, and the body mass index (BMI) scale. Menus for each caloric level are straightforward, and for dieters who don’t want to eat the Fun Food portions, food substitutions are suggested. All Fun Foods are approximately 250 calories, and there is an extensive list of them, broken down by category: cakes, muffins, and donuts; cookies; candy; sports bars; frozen foods; salty snack foods; combination foods; and alcoholic beverages and soft drinks. All of these are listed by brand name and serving size. The list is extensive enough to make broiled fish worth it! Finally, a food log is included, and there is a chapter on weight maintenance.
The philosophy behind this book is that losing weight is a series of strategies, and food can be both healthy and fun. The 90/10 approach to weight loss doesn’t require contortions to get through it, and the author acknowledges the role that fun foods play in dieting.
Reviewed by
Tracy Fitzwater
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
