Are you fed up of making failed resolutions every year? Maybe you’ve planned to lose weight and never quite managed it. Let’s face it. Christmas and New Year are the worst times of the year to attempt to lose weight, with all the extra food bought and the parties to attend.
Here are a few tips to help you succeed for a healthier 2012:
1. Wait until after New Year is over before you start your resolution. There’s nothing worse than trying to diet with plates of roast potatoes dripping with goose fat staring you in the face, or watching everyone else eat leftover Christmas pudding while you get nothing.
This sets you up for failure before you’ve even begun. Make sure all the temptations are gone before you embark on your new lifestyle.
2. Don’t be tempted to buy reduced price Christmas food in the January sales. If you don’t have it in the house, you can’t eat it. Cut out all potato chips, cookies and other non-essential food items you don’t need.
3. If you find this difficult, write a shopping list before you go out and stick to the items on the list only.
4. Leave your debit and credit cards at home and take only cash. That way you can only purchase items you need to get and can’t be persuaded to buy those extra purchases. It will slim down your bills as well as your waistline.
5. Instead of having a diet based on eliminating lots of foods, consider one that is high in protein. Protein fills you up for longer so you won’t feel the need to snack as often. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, when patients increased their protein to 30 percent of their diet and carbohydrates amounted to 50 percent, they were less hungry and achieved more weight loss. Sources of protein include meat, fish, eggs, milk, soy milk, yoghurt, tofu, cheeses, kidney beans, lentils, nuts (including peanut butter), vegetables, grains, bread and pasta.
6. There are other diets that can help you lose weight. Some people have found success by adding more raw foods into their diet. One woman from the UK who used to be a UK size 28 dress managed to lose 160lbs and gain a boyfriend after switching to a raw food diet!
7. If you love chocolate and that’s what causes your downfall, you don’t necessarily have to give it up. There are other healthier ways to enjoy chocolate in your diet without so much fat. If you are on a raw diet, you can make or buy raw chocolate treats. Another option is switching to vegan chocolate and puddings (that contain no animal or dairy products). These days, vegan alternatives taste very similar to dairy treats so you can get your chocolate goo factor with half the fat.
8. Remember to exercise as well as modifying your eating habits. Pick an activity you actually enjoy so that it will make it easier to incorporate it into your schedule. For instance, if you hate walking don’t take up jogging, try swimming instead. That way it will feel like a new hobby instead of a punishment.
9. Enroll in a fitness class. If you have paid to attend you are more likely to keep going and you can gain support from others who have the same goal.
10. Give yourself only small weight loss goals, for instance, psychiatrist Jill RachBeisel, M.D says if you want to lose 50 pounds, you should aim to lose five pounds at a time. Once you have lost five pounds you can then aim to lose another five pounds. This breaks down the resolution into something that is manageable and you won’t get upset if losing weight is taking longer than you thought.
Sources:
High-Protein Diet for Weight Loss, WebMD. Web. 16 December 2011. http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/high-protein-diet-weight-loss
Woman goes raw, loses more than half herself, CNN Health. Web. 16 December 2011. http://articles.cnn.com/2008-09-26/health/weightloss.angela.stokes_1_raw-food-plant-based-diet-typical-american-diet?_s=PM:HEALTH
Where to Begin: Expert Advice on Maintaining Resolutions, University of Maryland Medical Center. Web. 16 December 2011. http://www.umm.edu/features/prepare.htm
Fat Free Vegan Recipes, Desserts and Sweets. Web. 16 December 2011. http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/category/desserts-sweets/
Joanna is a freelance health writer for The Mother magazine and Suite 101 with a column on infertility, http://infertility.suite101.com/. She is author of the book, 'Breast Milk: A Natural Immunisation,' and co-author of an educational resource on disabled parenting. Her resolution for 2012 is to try and lose 2 stone over one year.
Reviewed December 16, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith