Weight Loss for the New Year

Well the holidays are over and if you are like many Americans the bathroom scale is not your friend any more. The New England Journal of medicine reported last year that the average weight gain over the holidays is just less than a pond. Not too bad, but multiply that by 20 years and then there are the extra pounds put on during vacations and we wonder why our clothes don’t fit.

Remember that energy intake has to be balanced by output. If not, the energy (consumed in the form of calories) will be stored for future needs (as fat). It is much easier to gain weight than lose it and this becomes more (painfully) obvious as we age. So the time to take action is now, not next week or next month.

First come up with a plan to increase your energy expenditure. Aim to exercise every day. Any activity will do, walking, running, biking, dancing, swimming, aerobics, skiing etc. The goal is to move energetically enough to raise your heart rate. During the rest of the day add as much activity as you can, take the stairs, park further away from the store, get off the subway one stop away from your destination, get up and change the TV channel rather than using the remote. An ideal exercise program incorporates aerobic activity, resistance exercises to build muscle mass and stretching to improve flexibility.

Next evaluate your energy consumption. To lose weight you have to expend more than you consume. Look at what and how much you are eating. Develop a healthy eating plan. Portion sizes have to be controlled. America has been accused of excess and when it come to portion sizes this criticism is true. A simple way to cut calories is not to change what you are eating but just eat less. Have a half a bagel for breakfast instead of a whole one. The other half can be saved for lunch. We all have this idea that we have to eat all the food we are given or it is being wasted. If you can’t get past this idea then put half of your meal in the refrigerator and have it for lunch the next day. Eating out is deadly for anyone trying to lose weight. A packed lunch can help you control calories and save money. Remember serving sizes, a deck of cards is a good reference point for portion sizes of most foods.

Don’t fall into the "I’ve been good all week" trap and eat to excess on weekends. A few meals out over the weekend can easily sabotage the gains made during a week of healthy eating. Be careful of mindless eating…finishing the kids chicken nuggets or graham crackers, grabbing a few candies each time you pass the candy bowl at work, the hidden calories in your coffee with cream or your mocha latte!

Ideally we can increase our energy expenditure, reduce energy consumption and also evaluate where the calories are coming from. Every article or book I read about nutrition and healthy eating seems to have a different theme. But, one thing seems consistent. Food should be as unprocessed as possible. In other words an apple is much healthier than apple juice. Why is this? Because unprocessed food has more fiber than processed foods it takes longer to digest and thus makes you feel fuller. Also nutrients in foods can be removed during processing. As importantly, food just tastes better when in a less processed state. Try to experiment with different kinds of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. There are many cookbooks available to help expand your repertoire of nutritious and tasty foods.

Now that the holiday season is over take positive steps to improve your health and well-being. Increase your energy expenditure, decrease energy consumption and make sure everything you eat is tasty as well as nutritious.