Weight Loss – 3 Tips for a Healthy New You in 2010
This is the year you are going to be successful! You just need to rethink a few of your ideas regarding healthy eating. To be successful with your healthy eating and weight loss plan you need to keep it simple.
Here are three tips to get you started on the right path this year:
- Focus on nutrient dense foods.
Select nutrient dense foods to promote your overall health and weight loss. The nutrient density of a food is measured by the amount of nutrients a food contains versus the number of calories. For example, fruit is very nutrient dense while potato chips have a low nutrient density.
- Lose the diet mentality.
Diets typically backfire. If you lose weight by following a diet it’s very likely you will gain the weight back. Studies even show you will gain back more weight than you lost. Following a diet can lead you to start obsessing about food and eventual binge-eating patterns. Instead of “going on a diet”, focus on healthy new eating habits.
- Eat well-balanced small meals.
Keep your metabolism high by eating 5-6 small well-balanced meals everyday, instead of the standard 3 large meals with no snacks. This allows your body to burn calories efficiently versus storing extra energy as fat. Shoot for a small meal or snack every 3-4 hours.
As a special New Year’s bonus you’ll recieve a complimentary copy of the Calorie Counter for Dummies when you sign up for a Mini Diet Makeover. Learn more here – https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/minidietmakeover.html
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Weight Loss – 5 Tips to Stay Motivated in 2010
New Year’s is just around the corner and you know what that means. . .New Year’s Resolutions! Every year you set a goal to make a change for the better. This should be a time of great excitement; however, you may be approaching it with a sense of dread instead. Will you achieve your goal? Or will it end up being another resolution that falls to the wayside?
The statistics are not very encouraging. Most people give up on their New Year resolutions within three weeks. According to one discouraging study, only 8% of American’s actually achieve their New Year resolutions!
How will you keep yourself motivated and make this the year you achieve your goals?
Here are five tips to stay motivated:
1. Set realistic goals.
Set a goal you know you can achieve. If you are currently inactive, it’s unrealistic to set a goal to run 5 miles three times a week. Instead, set a goal you can achieve, such as “I will walk 30 minutes 3 days a week.” Realistic goals can be motivating because once you achieve your goal you can set a new one! This allows you to “see” the progress you’re making. Which brings us to the next important strategy. . .
2. Set measurable goals.
Measurable goals make it possible to track your progress. For example, instead of setting the goal “I will eat out less this year” change it to “I will eat out no more than once a week this year”. By setting measurable goals you can easily track if you are sticking with your goals.
3. Write your goals down.
Writing down your goals makes them “real” versus keeping a mental list. Post your resolution where you will see it everyday as a reminder and added motivation.
4. Tell a friend.
Share your goals with others. This provides a sense of accountability. It’s much easier to let yourself down, but when you’ve shared your plan with someone else, there’s often an increased desire to succeed.
5. Reward Yourself!
When you achieve a goal, reward yourself. It’s important to recognize your accomplishments and treat yourself. Just make sure your treat is in line with your goal. If you want to lose weight, this isn’t the time to treat yourself to an ice cream sundae. Consider other small rewards you’d enjoy, such as a good book, new music CD, or new pair of shoes.
As a special New Year’s bonus you’ll recieve a complimentary copy of the Calorie Counter for Dummies when you sign up for a Mini Diet Makeover. Learn more here – https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/minidietmakeover.html
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Weight Loss in 2010: The Non-Diet Way
A Non-Diet New Year’s resolution? Yes, you’ve read this correctly. More typically, your friends, family, and perhaps you would be kicking off the New Year with the latest fad diet to change your appearance and achieve a more socially accepted thin figure. Before making this decision you should consider that dieting often leads to some unwanted side effects, such as low energy levels, feelings of deprivation, low blood sugar, and cravings for those favorite foods that you won’t allow yourself to eat. Some people may even experience overeating or binge eating as a result of going through periods of low nutrition or deprivation. To top it off, the weight loss that you may achieve is most likely temporary. Coming off a diet usually means that you will return to the previous eating patterns that you were dissatisfied with and that drove you to diet in the first place.
You can make your New Year’s resolution more reasonable by adopting the Non-Diet way to achieve a healthy figure, and peace with food and your body. Rather than a love-hate relationship, try learning to develop a more healthful relationship with food.
- Listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues.
- Learn how to identify and respond appropriately to these cues and make more informed decisions about when to start and stop eating.
- Follow your taste preferences.
All foods can fit into a healthful eating plan when eaten in moderation. Balanced eating, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, can curb your appetite, result in feeling satisfied after eating, improve energy, stabilize blood sugar levels, and also help to maintain a weight that is appropriate and healthy for you.
Along with your newly adopted Non-Diet approach to eating, challenge yourself to explore forms of movement that you find enjoyable. Your weight management goals will be met more easily by incorporating regular activity that you look forward to doing.
Keep your personal weight goals realistic. You may want to evaluate your own ideas about thinness and move more towards accepting that health results from sound nutrition and activity practices and comes in bodies of all shapes and sizes.
Now, how are you going to make your New Year’s goal a reality in 2010? Join dietitians Ursula Ridens RD and Lisa Nelson RD for the free teleclass “5 Steps to Kick Start Your Weight Loss in 2010!”. You’ll learn exactly how to move from where you are now to where you want to be by the end of 2010. Go to https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/newu/newyearcall.html to sign up! Come prepared to participate!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
