Nutrition Strategies to Achieve New Year’s Weight Loss Goals, By Susie Clothier, DC

Dr. Susie Clothier of PSSM Lawrenceville

The New Year is a perfect time to re-vamp your eating habits. Right around Thanksgiving most people throw caution to the wind when it comes to eating and drinking while getting into the holiday spirit. And then there are all the holiday parties, Christmas/Chanukah, and then New Year’s events. The average person only gains approximately one pound during the holiday season, but unfortunately if you are already overweight you may gain anywhere from 2-7 pounds during the holiday season.

 By the time January rolls around many people are ready to embark on their New Year’s resolution of eating better, quitting smoking, working out, etc. There are several strategies that you can try that will you achieve your weight loss goals:

– Journal: Get a journal or download a journal app on your smote phone and start logging everything! This may be tough at first, but if you write it all down it’s easier to recall what your strengths and weakness’ are. Journaling helps you see if there is a correlation between how you are feeling and how you are doing with your diet. The following are a couple things that should be included in your daily journal:

•  How much sleep you got the night before
•  How you felt when you woke up
•  How much water you drank
•  Everything you ate and what portion size
• What supplements you have taken
• What exercise you have done that day
• Journal how you felt that day and if anything happened that may have affected your eating/exercise habits for that day

– Exercise: The key to losing weight is to burn off more calories than you take in that day. If you are at negative calories by the end of the day then your body will be losing weight. It may be tough at first to get into an exercise program and studies have shown that it takes approximately 3-4 weeks to form a habit such as working out on a regular basis. The key to working out is making it a part of your daily schedule, not something that you will “try” to get to. Block it off in your calendar and make that time the time for you to focus on yourself and your health. You should aim to work out 5-6 days a week, some days can be just cardio and other days focus on different body parts to gain strength. Here are some tips to help increase you activity:

• Start by going for a walk. The first day you may not be able to get very far, but try to beat what you did the day before. And before you know it you will start walking at a quicker pace and eventually may be able to start jogging.
• Find ways to trick yourself into doing more exercise for example take the stairs instead of the elevator, park a little farther away from the store, take micro-breaks from your computer at work and take a quick walk around the office or to the water cooler
• If you are watching your favorite TV show at night make the commercials into a circuit training unit. Each commercial break you can do a different exercise such as: squats, lunges, jumping jacks, pushups, sit ups, mountain climbers, wall sits, etc.

– Water: The average person should be drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water a day. If you are exercising or doing strenuous labor the amount drank should also increase. Here are some tips to help you get adequate water:

• Many people mistaken dehydration for hunger and that is why they never feel satisfied. The next time you get hungry drink a glass of water and wait 10-15 minutes before eating anything. If you are still hungry after that choose a healthy snack
• Drink a large glass of water before each meal and snack. It will help you feel fuller and decrease the amount you eat
• Keep a bottle of water with you at all times and have one in the car. Sip on it throughout the day
• Buy two reusable water bottles and mark them with time increments such as 10AM, 12PM, 2PM, etc. Make it your goal to drink to that level by that time

– Weight/Measurements: This may be the hardest part, but it’s important to know where you are starting at. Get your current weight from an accurate scale and have someone take your measurements of Chest, Waist, Hips, Thigh, and arm. Weigh yourself only once a week and take your measurements once a month.

– Find a buddy: It’s always easier to try to get on a healthy bandwagon if someone is there right along with you. Recruit your significant other, friend, coworkers or find an online buddy. They can be your moral support and if you want to add some excitement try mini challenges with rewards so that the process doesn’t seem so tedious.

Changing your lifestyle is a huge choice to make and you must be aware that these changes take time. If you have a bad day and fall off the wagon don’t throw the towel in. Just look for what your triggers were that day that let you slip and start the next day fresh and ready to go.

If these tips were helpful and you are looking for more advice and guidance feel free to schedule a nutrition/weight loss consultation with Dr. Susie Clothier or Dr. Mike Dougherty at your earliest convenience. Happy New Year!