A New Year… A New You: Diet Tricks

New Year’s resolutions are imminent, they’re a given.  What better milestone is there to evaluate one’s life, to endure a cathartic appraisal of one’s weaknesses and revision of personal destiny, and most importantly…to lose weight?  Without a doubt, the Weight Loss New Year’s resolution surpasses all others in popularity and, more often than not, failure to endure.  Yet year after year people awake on January 1^st with the unwavering commitment to turn their health around.  And most of them will fail, for different reasons and at different phases of the success ladder, but they will inevitably fail.  So what can be done to overcome this finale of disappointment?  The answers may be surprising.

Ready, Set, Go

Many dieters set themselves up for failure long before New Year’s Eve.  Picking the wrong work out plan, deciding on a diet that will too-drastically change their eating habits or setting unrealistic goals are all nonstarters.  If someone has done nothing but eat cheeseburgers and ice cream for the last 30 years, it isn’t likely they’ll be able to wake up on the first of the year and immediately transition to eating spinach salads and grilled salmon.  The same goes for working out; a couch potato cannot magically transform into a dedicated gym bunny overnight.  If you are committed to be successful in 2013, it’s vital to set yourself up for success:

• Research 3-5 appealing diets, choosing the one that is the most realistic for your preferences, lifestyle and food availability
• Set a realistic workout goal.  If new to working out slowly ease into a conservative schedule, increasing frequency and intensity as you adjust to the new activities
• Create a plan to follow before you begin:  Where will your workouts fit into your schedule?  What recipes are you going to use?  Will you need to find a healthier grocery store to shop at?  What restaurants are acceptable and which ones are you going to avoid?

Keep a Food Diary

New dieters are often surprised at what they typically eat and how much of it they consume.  Keeping a food diary is a simple solution and is absolutely essential to starting a program.  Food diaries enable users to log the times of their meals, portions sizes and other details to ensure they’re following the requirements of their chosen diet.  Equally important, a meal journal gives dieters one last chance to consider the food they’re about to eat.  Should I really do this?!?

Buddy Up

By sharing plans of weight loss with friends and family dieters are significantly more likely to stay on track.  This increases accountability and generates support from loved ones, promoting a healthier environment to maintain goals.  Plus, countless research has shown that people miss fewer workouts and cheat on their diets less if they are engaging in this process with a friend.  Workout and diet buddies are a great motivator, and many find it comforting to endure the obstacles and stress of losing weight when they have a friend that is experiencing it with them.