NOW Years Resolution: Weight Loss
Kimberly Rae Miller

Without a doubt, the most popular New Year’s Resolution of all time is to lose weight – or get in shape. If that’s your resolution, you should feel comforted in the fact that you’re so not alone. Of course, you may not be that comforted as you elbow your way through the gym this time of year.

Seriously, it’s a madhouse…

If you’re feeling like you’re rowing up stream without a paddle, or the awesome calorie burn, here are a few tips to get your resolutions off to the right start:

Start Small…

I know you want immediate results, but chances are you’re probably not going to have them, so why not aim for keeping your sanity intact. In fact, people that gradually lose weight have a higher incidence of keeping it off long term. Why? Because extreme denial of calories or carbs creates equally extreme reactions to binge later. Start small by leaving a third of your plate leftover, or cutting out sugary items, and then work your way down to a Jackie Warner-esque diet.

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Seek Support…

Whether that means through a friend, online community, religious group, Over Eaters Anonymous, or Weight Watcher’s meeting, having a support system for your weight loss goals can make the whole process a lot more manageable.

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If You Bite It, Write It…

People that keep food journals are more likely to lose weight. Why? Because there’s a lot of calories we eat unconsciously during the day. Think of that cookie at the meeting this morning, and the coffee with unknown mounts of cream and sugar you get from the cart on the corner, and the nibbles you eat while making dinner at night. All those little bites here and there can add up to what equals a full meal or more. By writing down what you eat as you eat it, you’re more likely to see where you’re eating those extra calorie and nip them in the bud without having to cut back too much elsewhere. Free food diaries are around online with calorie counts, or you can go the ole pen and paper route.

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Get Thee to a Movery…

You don’t necessarily have to rock out at the gym (although that certainly can’t hurt). You can burn calories all day long: take the stairs at work, park further from the grocery store or get off the subway a couple of blocks early. All those calories add up. You can even workout at home with a handy-dandy exercise video, that we just happen to review on 92.3 NOW!

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Eat Regularly…

Keep your metabolism burning steadily all day long and not only will you be starving, but you’ll burn more calories. Stop skipping breakfast and go for the 3 small to moderate sized meals a day, with 2 in between snacks.

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Weigh Yourself Regularly…

The diet gods used to say that you should only weigh yourself once a week, but they’ve recently retracted that statement. Weighing yourself daily can actual keep you in the presence of mind to make positive food choices during the day. Before you hop in the shower in the morning, hop on the scale and see what you have to work with that day.

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Create Milestones…

If you have a lot of weight to lose, looking at the big picture can be daunting. Try losing 10% of your body weight at a time (err, the first two numbers of your weight). Not only will you feel like a rock star more often for achieving your goals, you’ll be able to make your weight loss journey seem more manageable.

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Have a Cheat Day…

Seriously. You can’t be amazing all the time. The ratio that most fitness experts go by is be good 80% of the time, have fun 20%. Not only will taking a day off to rest your weary dieting soul, but it will trick your metabolism. Diets can shock the system and cause a fear of starvation in your fat storing cells. Taking a day to eat those goodies you’re craving will keep you sane in your soul and in your cells. That doesn’t mean go overboard, though, moderation is still key.

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Schedule Exercise…

We’re all busy, it’s a busy world and an even busier city, so I get that you don’t have time to exercise. But I don’t believe it. Open up that Outlook or Filofax, or whatever calendar you use and block out time, just like you would for drinks with friends or a meeting at work, and get your butt to the track, gym, or yoga mat.

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Forgive Yourself…

You’re going to make mistakes, we all do. So, if you have a doughnut, or an extra serving of mac & cheese, enjoy it and move on. Screwing up is not an excuse to throw all your hard work out the window. It’s a cliche statement, but if you got a flat tire, you wouldn’t slash the other 3 tires because your car is pretty much useless, right? Right. Food is just food, and honestly it probably didn’t do as much damage as you think it did.

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2010 is your year, you can do with it what you may. Think about how much you can accomplish in the next twelve months, heck the next 6 months. Is anyone else thinking short shorts this summer?

Actually, I can’t even think of shorts right now it’s so cold, but that’s a good thing – it makes for a bigger reveal of your new body come summer months.