Poor Weight Loss Resolutions – Part 2

You’re finishing up the first full week of your New Year’s resolution to lose weight, but the numbers on the scale aren’t dropping very fast. Don’t feel discouraged – just stick with it.

And especially don’t attempt a drastic way to drop the pounds faster. Remember, sure and steady wins the race.

Throughout the month of January, we’re highlighting 12 ways – 3 per week – of a poor way to try to lose weight and then a healthy alternative to stay on track. In the end, you’ll feel better and be proud of your accomplishment.

Extremely reduce calories – If you cut your calories in half, of course you’ll lose weight. The problem is, when you start eating normally again, you’ll be right back to where you were before – or worse. Yo-yo dieting and starving yourself is unwise and unhealthy. Those who can’t maintain their drastic weight loss usually eat – and ultimately gain – more due to shame and stress.

Instead, reduce your calories by about 500 to safely lose fat. Based on a general 2,000-calorie diet, you may consider reducing your intake to about 1,500 calories per day. Even losing just a few pounds can boost your confidence level and give you a sense of pride.

Drastic juice-cleanse – After too much holiday celebrating, detoxing your body with a juice cleanse can be a good idea. But extreme cleansing that replaces all of your food for an extended period is not a good idea.

Rather, jumpstart your weight loss by replacing 2 meals a day with fresh, cleansing juices and then a sensible meal with 4 ounces of high-quality protein, fresh vegetables and whole grains. Do this for up to 5 days and you’ll not only lose weight, you’ll feel much better about yourself.

Going vegetarian – Abruptly cutting all meat out of your diet doesn’t necessarily decrease the amount of calories you’re eating. Sometimes, vegetarian foods are high in processed carbohydrates and have hidden calories that sabotage your weight loss.

It’s better to just limit your intake of lean animal proteins to 3 – 4 ounces or – for an easier visual – just a quarter of your plate. Fill the rest of your plate with whole grains, fruits and vegetables. If you’re still trying to avoid the protein from meat, but don’t want to skimp on the protein, try incorporating more beans or tofu. The addition of phytochemicals and antioxidants into your diet has even been found to elevate your mood.

Next week, we’ll highlight 3 more common scenarios and how you can beat them to stay on your nutritional journey in 2014.

Sources

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20501331,00.html

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

http://www.thecultureist.com/2013/06/24/10-healthy-juicing-recipes-for-detox-cleanse/

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/yo-yo-dieting-dangers

https://www.insidetracker.com/blog/post/44141140157/phytochemicals-why-you-should-eat-the-rainbow

Poor Weight Loss Resolutions – Part 1

If you’re like most people in America, your New Year’s resolution has something to do with losing weight. No matter if it’s just 5 pounds – or even 50 – everyone wants to drop a few pounds.

The problem – most weight loss resolutions go out the window the first time you walk past a donut shop or get a strong whiff of French fries from a fast food joint. An even bigger problem, expecting too much from yourself when it comes to changing your eating habits.

Throughout the month of January, we’ll be highlighting 12 ways – 3 each week – how people often fail when it comes to keeping diet resolutions. By seeing how it doesn’t work – and then learning a wiser way  – you’ll be able to set and accomplish more realistic goals.

Plan to lose too much – if you choose a large number like 25 or even 50 pounds, that’s not a very manageable way to lose weight.

In its place, decide that you’ll lose 1 pound – or even half a pound – per week for the year. It’s the same amount, but just broken down into smaller, more realistic goals. Then learn what it would take to lose that much each week. Cut out a few high-calorie coffee drinks. Don’t finish everything on your plate. Small goals are much easier to attain.

Fads are for fashion – Don’t get hooked on every new diet fad that comes along. They’re usually too extreme and not good for your overall health – both physical and emotional. They often backfire and cause you to gain more weight back afterwards.

Rather, eat well-balanced meals comprised of healthy proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Sound lofty? Basically, skip the big plate of pasta, add more vegetables and be sure to include approximately 4 ounces of lean protein at each meal. Enjoy delicious, satisfying snacks like nuts, fruit or yogurt. Eating like this has been proven to help people lose weight and keep it off.

Eating only at home – It’s often true that foods at most restaurants are higher in calories than meals cooked at home. But it’s not realistic to boycott everything not prepared at home. You can’t just skip every social outing that involves food.

Instead, go out with your friends, but eat wisely. If you can’t keep your hands out of the bread basket, move it away, or just allow yourself to try one kind. Don’t go to the restaurant starving either. Eat a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts before you go. They won’t fill you up enough to skip eating, but they will curb your appetite a bit so you don’t order something too large.

Next week, we’ll highlight 3 more common scenarios and how you can beat them to stay on your nutritional journey in 2014.

Sources

http://www.bdaweightwise.com/eating/eating_plan.html

http://www.ivillage.com/10-diet-resolutions-anyone-can-keep/4-b-414560

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/30/new-years-resolutions-diet-mistake_n_4519070.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You Say You Want a Resolution

It’s that time of year again to make New Year’s resolutions. If you’re like many, you’ve come up with a list a mile long to fix every possible flaw in your life.

What happens within a few weeks? That list of possible improvements is crumpled up and tossed aside like holiday wrapping paper.

Experts say that resolutions should be manageable and things you can gradually work on throughout the year – not major life-altering changes that should take years to accomplish.

Here are 5 tips to keep in mind when you start planning what you’d like to work on throughout 2014.

Start small – Make resolutions you think you can keep. Don’t say you’re going to work out 7 days a week. That’s unrealistic. Try for 3 or maybe even 4 days. If you say you’re going to eat healthy this year, think about how you would do that. Maybe eat dessert only one day per week and have fruit the other days instead. If your goals are more realistic, you have a better chance of being successful.

Work on one thing at a time – You didn’t develop all of your bad habits overnight. So, fixing them all won’t happen that fast either. Pick a few things to work on during the year and set time limits for each. Work on one goal in January, then maybe another will span February through April – and so on.

Talk it out – If you share what you’re working on, chances are someone else you know may be working on the same goal. Ask around among your family and friends. If one of your resolutions has a support group, consider joining it. By including others in your goals, you’ll increase your chances of being successful.

Relax – Remember, you’re not perfect. Maybe you’ll miss a week at the gym because you’re not feeling well. Maybe you’ll splurge on an extra big bowl of ice cream. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Commit to moving past your slip up and keep on with your long-term goal.

Reach out – Some resolutions are more involved than just working out or shedding a few pounds. They may be deep-seeded issues that need more than just a friend’s support. If you’ve acknowledged a situation that needs to be changed, but it is a major issue, consider seeking professional counseling from a mental health specialist.

No matter what your resolutions are for 2014, remember to be realistic and gradually work on improving your situation. Writing down your resolutions, setting timelines and being practical will increase your chances of crossing them all off your list by the time 2015 rolls around.

Sources:

http://www.resolve.org/support-and-services/what-are-resolve-support-groups.html\

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1595

http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html