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 creating a wiser weight loss plan – 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
Related Article
Poor Weight Loss Resolutions – Part 2
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