HAVE A RESOLUTION TO LOSE WEIGHT IN THE NEW YEAR? FOLLOW THESE TIPS TO TURN YOUR GOALS INTO REALITY.

It takes more than simply making a New Year's resolution to fulfill your weight loss goals.  To make your resolution plan realistic, first try to identify exactly what you want to accomplish.  Once you know your goals, then consider how you are going to get to where you want to be.  Try to make your plan as specific as possible.  Small changes are usually easier to stick with than dramatic changes. 

 

Keep track. One of the most effective ways to follow through on dietary changes and lose weight is to write down everything you eat and drink.  Dieters who keep track of everything they eat lose twice as much weight as those who don't, research shows.  When you keep a food journal, you think twice about your eating decisions and have a clearer understanding of your intake and food patterns.  You can write down what you eat in a notebook, or track your intake online or on your smartphone/Blackberry/Ipad.  The apps provide you with a weight loss calorie goal and count your caloric intake so you can know how much you can eat to stay within your calorie goal.  Here are some of the most common apps along with my rating of their quality.

 

·         Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker by MyFitness Pal (free) - Tracks a combination of fitness goals and nutrition analysis to help you lose weight. If you choose, this application allows your nutritionist or friends to view your diary.  This is the app NYCC’s nutritionist recommends for tracking intake.  RD Rating: 4.5 stars

·         Calorie Counter (free) - Tracks food, exercise, weight and all the nutrients listed on a Nutrition Facts label. Includes daily inspirational articles, healthy recipes and an easy-to-understand help section. RD Rating: 4 stars

·         Calorie Counter by MyNetDiary (free, enhanced version $3.99)- Allows user to personalize a calorie limit for weight loss, gain or maintenance. RD Rating: 3 stars

·         Calorie Counter: Diets & Activities (free) - Features a classic food diary that tracks calories, water, fitness and the time each food item is consumed and an option to create your own diet and physical activity plan and an Integrated Body Tracker. RD Rating: 4 stars

·         Calorie Tracker by Livestrong.com ($2.99) - Food and fitness diary designed to help you achieve your diet and nutrition goals, whether you want to lose, maintain or gain weight. RD Rating: 4 stars

·         Daily Burn (free, enhanced version for fee) - Keep track of calories consumed and track workouts to see how much energy is burned. RD rating: 2 stars

·         Lose it! (free)- Keeps track of foods you eat with its detailed food database. RD Rating: 3 stars

·         Sparkpeople Food and Fitness Tracker (free) Fitness and food tracker for people looking to lose a half-pound to 2 pounds per week or to maintain weight. Includes menus you can personalize.  RD Rating: 4 stars

·         Weight Watchers Mobile (free)- Follows the Weight Watchers plan step by step, using interactive tools, RD Rating: 2 stars

 

HERE ARE 25 USEFUL TIPS FOR WEIGHT LOSS IN THE NEW YEAR

·         Check- in with your reasons for wanting to lose weight.  Try making a list of the specific reasons you want to lose weight.  Whenever you feel your motivation waning, look back at the list to renew your resolve.

·         Set a realistic weight-loss goal. Most experts recommend aiming for half a pound to 2 pounds a week.

·         Motivate yourself. Get out a pair of pants that are too tight and hang them in the kitchen instead of the closet to keep yourself inspired.

·         Get help from family and friends. Dieters who have support from a partner at home lose more weight than those who don't, studies show.

·         Move it to lose it. Research shows that people who do physical activities such as walking or biking for two to four hours a week during weight-loss efforts lose an extra 3 to 5 pounds over a year.

·         Pay attention to portions. A 3-ounce portion of meat, poultry or fish is about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards; 1 teaspoon of butter or margarine, a standard postage stamp; a cup of cold cereal, berries or popcorn, a baseball; 4-inch pancake or waffle, the diameter of a CD.

·         Clean out your pantry and refrigerator. Get rid of the foods that sabotage your weight loss.

·         Create "a dinner deck." This would include 10 favorite quick and healthful dinners written on index cards.

·         Avoid hunger. Eat regular meals and snacks. Make sure you have some protein foods such as yogurt, tuna, beans or chicken for most meals. Research indicates protein helps you feel full longer.

·         Keep produce on hand. Place a bowl of vegetables such as broccoli, snap peas, cucumbers or carrot sticks in the refrigerator. You can eat them as a snack or when preparing meals to take the edge off your hunger.

·         Stock up on "impulse fruits." Keep things like grapes, Clementines, small apples, small bananas and pears around the house. These foods are easy to eat without having to do much cutting and slicing.

·         Make some stealth changes. That will get everyone in the family eating healthier. Buy lowfat/nonfat dairy products and lean cuts of meat. Use them to cut the fat and calories.

·         Cut out liquid calories. Eliminate high calorie sweet drinks such as soda, sweetened iced tea, sports drinks, juice, and alcoholic beverages. Liven up the taste of water by adding lemon, cucumber, mint and/or carbonation. Choose skim/1% milk.

·         Practice the "Rule of One." When it comes to high-calorie foods, you won't go wrong if you allow one small treat a day. That might be one cookie or a fun-sized candy bar.

·         Pace, don't race. Aim to eat more slowly and savor each bite to consume less and increase satisfaction.

·         Hydrate before meals. Drinking 16 ounces, or two glasses, of water before meals may help you eat less.

·         Downsize plates, bowls, glasses, silverware. Using smaller versions will help you eat less food naturally.

·         Adopt the motto "after 8 is too late" for snacks after dinner.

·         Buy a pedometer. Health experts recommend taking at least 10,000 steps a day, which is roughly 4 to 5 miles, depending on your stride length.

·         Treat yourself occasionally. If your chocolate craving is getting to you, try diet hot-chocolate packets. If you need a treat, go out for it or buy small prepackaged portions. If you love chocolate, consider keeping bite-size pieces in the freezer.

·         Dine at a table. Eat from a plate while seated at a table. Don't eat while driving, lounging on the couch or standing at the fridge.

·         Dine out without pigging out. Figure out what you are going to eat in advance. Get salad dressing on the side. Dip your fork into the dressing and then into the salad.  Pack up half of large portions for another meal.

·         Get plenty of sleep. Insufficient sleep increases levels of hunger hormones and carbohydrate cravings.

·         Weigh yourself regularly. That's what successful dieters and those who manage to maintain weight loss do. Some step on the scales once a week. Others do so daily.

·         Reward yourself. When you meet your incremental weight loss goals, say losing 5 pounds, treat yourself to something — but not food.