New Year's resolutions are very popular, especially when it comes to losing weight. Starting a diet as part of a New Year resolution is the number one choice of many people. You may have had this same resolution year after year, but how can you make it stick this year?
Write It Down
The first step to any diet resolution to consider for the new year is to think of what your diet goals are and write them down. If you don’t write down your goals, they can easily be forgotten within a month’s time. Writing down your diet goals makes them a reality for you and something that you can refer to periodically.
Studies have proven that writing down goals is the best way to achieve success. Maybe this has been your problem in the past. Maybe you mentally though that you would start a diet on the first of the year, but then that diet thoughts soon faded as time went on.
Now that you're prepared for success, here are 4 worthwhile diet resolutions to set for yourself this year:
1) Commit to Drinking More Water
In this world of busy schedules with long days at work and transporting children to school and activities, grabbing caffeinated drinks for increased energy is very popular, but may be loaded with calories. Avoid this habit. It is okay to have a cup of coffee or tea (with no added sugar, milk, or creamer) with your breakfast, but not in the afternoon or at night.
Commit to drinking eight glasses of water a day, minimum. Water is a great way to cleanse toxins from your body, hydrate your body, and deter false signs of hunger. Many times you may think you are hungry, when in actuality you are just dehydrated and need water. Water is a great addition to any diet plan.
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| Healthy, whole foods. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The easiest way to meet your diet resolution is to just make changes to what you eat. When you replace processed foods, such as pastries, candies, and cookies with unprocessed foods like whole grains, and cleanly raised meats, and lots of fresh vegetables, you automatically decrease calories.
A decrease in calories means a decrease in your weight. Foods that are unprocessed are usually a lot more natural or are made with natural ingredients that are easily digested by your body.
3) Eat More Often
Eat more and lose more weight! You should pre-plan your meals for each day that you are away from home so that you are eating five to six meals per day, about two to three hours apart. This is the only way to keep your metabolism functioning properly, as well as keeping your energy in balance.
When your body is fed continuously it will not recognize that you are changing your diet. All your body knows is that it is receiving food regularly, so it is okay to burn calories. When you start depriving your body of food, it will respond by hoarding calories and slowing its metabolism in preparation for what it perceives as starvation. Many people don't realize this, and when they go on a diet, they cut their food intake so drastically, the body starts actually storing fat rather than burning it - which is why they often find it so hard to lose weight!
4) Decrease Portion Size
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| A cheeseburger 20 years ago had 333 calories; a modern cheeseburger contains 590 calories. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Your mind is very powerful, and it will perceive the portion size as being the same. You will not even feel deprived, because the plate will look full to you - plus your body will quickly adjust to eating smaller portions, so you will still feel full. You will even surprise yourself by how satisfied you are when you eat this way. Losing weight may even seem effortless!
By following these 4 tips, you can lose weight this year - and keep it off - all while enjoying your food, your life, and your newly fit body. Be sure to check this blog regularly for exercise tips, fast, fun workouts, and new fun ways to exercise!
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