Weight Loss Resolutions For The New Year (That Are Worth Keeping)
The holidays are a wonderful time to get together with family and friends and to enjoy one another’s company. And more often than not, those get-togethers were probably accompanied by good food and good drink. Lots of good food and good drink.
So when January (or February, or March) rolls around, we sometimes find ourselves rolling around as well. Our clothing seems to fit just a little bit tighter. Our bathroom scales seem read just a little bit higher. And our Gym cards seem to be just a little bit heavier with all of the dust that has been settling on them while lying around on the counter for weeks at a time.
And as we look at ourselves in the mirror, we finally come to the realization that it is TIME TO STOP EATING SO MUCH. Once again, It is time to resolve to make a new set of weight loss Resolutions for the coming New Year. So here are five easy ones that will help you get yourself back on the right weight loss track.
1. Keep A Calorie Log For One WeekOK. This is not really an ”easy” one. Counting calories is a painful, painful exercise. But nothing else will bring the excessive eating patterns of the holiday season down to a screeching halt faster than the cold, cruel mathematics of tallying up your daily caloric intakes. Resolve to keep track of those calories for at least a short period of time so that you can get a realistic handle on exactly how many calories you have been/are taking in.
2. Drink MoreMore water. Not more eggnog.
Sugary drinks are bad enough, but when you add alcohol to the mix, you have yourself a whole new level of worry about which way the numbers on the scales will be going. So here are just some of the reasons why alcohol might not be so good for your weight loss efforts:
Alcohol consists of nothing but “empty” calories (devoid of nutritional value).
Alcohol is burned preferentially by the body as a fuel source, sparing carbohydrate and fat calories (and making them available for storage).
Alcohol gives you the superpower to binge-eat without any guilt whatsoever.
On the other hand, drinking more water can have many beneficial effects in terms of losing weight in a healthy fashion. Some of these include:
Water contains zero calories. ZERO.
Water stimulates the sensation of satiety, effectively making you eat less.
Water enhances metabolic efficiency, helping you to burn more calories.
Bottom line: hydration (with water) - good; dehydration (with alcohol) - bad.
3. Eat BetterI know. This one doesn’t sound right, but it is. After all, the holidays are the time to eat all of your favorite foods, and then some. And what could be better than that?
Although you’d enjoy it you can’t have Creme Brulee every night for dessert and expect not to start gaining a few extra pounds. Eating better means getting back to eating whole foods like fresh vegetables and lean proteins (think shrimp) and foregoing the sugary treats and snack foods that abound during the holiday season.
Learn to eat “mindfully”. If you cut out all of the psycho-babble, this means to:
Enjoy your meals at the dinner table, without distractions (phones, TV’s, etc.).
Enjoy the company of those eating with you
Eat slowly and deliberately, enjoying each bite.
Savor the flavors of the food that you are eating.
Stop eating before you become full. Not after.
Eat “mindfully”, and not mindlessly (shoveling the food in as fast as you can while watching your favorite binge-worthy series on Netflix).
4. Get Moving AgainThe holidays make it all too easy to fall off of the exercise bandwagon. After-hours Christmas Party? After-hours workout at the Gym? The Party will win out every time.
Plug that Peloton back in and dust off that Gym Card. Combine aerobic exercises with strengthening exercises to get the best overall results. You can cut back on calories, but if you don’t combine calorie reduction with increased activity (exercise), you will never achieve long-term success with your weight loss efforts.
5. Celebrate MoreYOLO. You only live once. Don’t restrict your joy to just the holiday season. Celebrate every day. Make time for your family and friends. Do something interesting. Explore a new hobby. Go on hikes to new places. Meditate. Try new forms of exercise. Take a new class. Learn a new skill.
Stop and breathe in the fresh air. It contains ZERO calories.
If you can follow these five simple Resolutions for the New Year, you will find those numbers on the scales starting to drift back down again. You will find yourself to be happier. And you will find yourself to be healthier. And you will find yourself more than ready to greet the next holiday season head on.
