The Fashion Insiders' Diet

Allure Magazine published an article called the Fashion Insiders' Diet in their August 2009 issue. The article revealed how the pretty people do it, how they stay sample sizes while running around in the fashion frenzy of the "it" world. The methods to the madness are all very simple and common sense, but there are some tricks to the trade that I found to be very helpful and creative especially during this time of holiday get-togethers and stress.

The holidays are a time when not only size two fashion buyers are scrambling to find the perfect pair of Manolo's best and running in and out of department stores with a million lists and strict deadlines and food court aromatics teasing the senses into thoughts of refueling with something quick, easy, and greasy. So, here they are, bits of advice from the goddesses of the fashion industry on how to stay slender during times of stress, travel, and parties.

1) Have a routine menu for breakfast and lunch. Fashion insiders very rarely diverged from their daily menu of scrambled egg whites and fruit for breakfast and bright, vibrant, and colorful salads for lunch. The strategy here is the less you think about it, the smaller the chance of choosing anything unhealthy. The more simple the choices, the less risk for reaching for that office doughnut and frozen latte with all the fixings. So, my take on this advice is, have four staple choices within my calorie range for breakfast and lunch. Keep it simple.

2) The routine for breakfast and lunch provides more "wiggle room" for dinner, and when dining out, these insiders eat rich, but very small portions, and they never go to a party or restaurant hungry so to avoid the temptation of being a member of the "Clean Plate Club." One piece of etiquette I always used to follow was to mentally divide your plate into fourths. Eat the first section slowly, while making conversation and drinking plenty of water between bites, and if you're still hungry move on to the second section, but never eat more than half your portion. Another piece of advice that wasn't in the article was to avoid asking for a "doggy" bag unless you have someone at home other than your self to feed. Leave the decadence at the restaurant.

3) When at a party, keep your hands full. Put a clutch in one hand and a drink in the other. Alternate from a glass of wine to a glass of water so you keep your liquid calories under control, and learn how to refuse food politely.

4) When traveling by plane, train, or automobile, take your own healthy food to snack on so that you are not left feeling famished with expensive calorie ridden air food, trolley pastries, and drive-thrus as your only options for nourishment.

5) Now this tip surprised me the most. I always thought that people fainting at work due to starvation as a stereotypical norm in the fashion industry, but those who were interviewed for the article said that snacking throughout the day helped them avoid overindulgence later. Now, of course they don't mean raiding the vending machines for snacks; instead, they have nuts, dried fruit, and quartered granola bars to get them through the mid-morning and mid-afternoon slumps.

6) Daily exercise. Simple right? And, if these women who work 12 hours a day can find time, what's my excuse?

7) Occasional treats. Rich and satisfying treats that don't cause the cravings that the diet fat-free substitutes can bring on. Now that I think about it, it's so much easier to take just one bite of Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and retire my fork for the night than it is to open just one 100-calorie pack of chocolate covered pretzels and refuse to open the remaining six packets left in the box.

I'm going to test a couple of these tips out and let you know how it goes. I think that the daily exercise (obviously) and the simple/routine breakfast and lunch options would be the most beneficial for me to try. Here goes!