Many of the top 10 most commonly broken New Year’s Resolutions, according to a survey by Time.com, involve lifestyle changes:
#1 – Lose weight and get fit
#2 – Quit smoking
#4 – Eat healthier and diet
#8 – Be less stressed
#10 – Drink less.
It’s not surprising that losing weight and getting fit captured first place. But even though it might feel like those holiday goodies have gone straight to your hips, research has shown that most people only gain about 1 pound from November through January. The key is taking off that extra pound, rather than letting it accumulate from year to year, which can result in a 10-pound weight gain per decade.
Here are some simple tips that will help the new year get off to a good start:
- Beware of fad diets that promise miracles: If they sound too good to be true, they probably are too good to be true.
- Evidence shows that people who lose weight slowly and steadily (1-2 pounds per week) are better at keeping off those pounds.
- Creating a daily caloric deficit is best done by eating a bit less (fewer calories consumed) combined with moving a bit more (more calories burned).
- Plan ahead by making grocery lists for your week’s meals, use a slow cooker, make extra quantities of food and freeze them for later use, or even cook a meal with others and split the final creation.
- Don’t let yourself get so hungry that you become ravenous and find that you can no longer eat with self control.
- Go online to look at a restaurant’s menu before you arrive so you’ll have a plan of action. Ask how the menu items are prepared: Request no sauce, or get sauce and salad dressing on the side, so you can control the amount used.
- Look for triggers in your life that cause bingeing, and find ways to reduce the influence of those triggers. Keeping food records, with notations on mood and level of hunger, can help you determine eating situations that cause you to eat inappropriately.
CentraState Healthcare System offers helpful resources that will help you stay healthy in the new year. Search for classes that promote weight loss, healthy cooking, wellness programs and more.
