The Top 10 Weight Loss Tips for an Effective New Year's Resolution

 Top 10 Weight Loss Tips for an Effective New Year's Resolution

It’s almost 2019, and it’s time to make your new year’s resolution! Are you making the same one you always do? Here are some tips to help you finally achieve lasting weight loss in 2022!

 The Top 10 Weight Loss Tips for an Effective New Year's Resolution

• 1) Determine your goal
• 2) Nutrition is key
• 3) Get support from family and friends
• 4) Write down your goals
• 5) Use technology to help you
• 6) Exercise regularly
• 7) Set realistic goals
• 8) Practice gratitude every day
• 9) De-stress your life as much as possible
• 10) Move as much as possible

 The Top 10 Weight Loss Tips for an Effective New Year's Resolution

1) Determine your goal

The best way to set a realistic weight-loss goal is to calculate your body fat percentage. For example, if you're 150 pounds and 5'10, multiply 150 by 2.3 = 339.5 pounds; divide that by your height in inches (5'10) and add it together with your sex (150+339.5=489.5 divided by 5'10 equals 107). Round down to get 107, which means you have 47% body fat.

2) Nutrition is key

The quality of your food can mean more than just how much weight you lose. Are you eating foods that are high in fiber and nutrients, or are you eating highly processed garbage? Focusing on fresh, unprocessed foods is going to make a world of difference. Check out some healthy recipes if you’re having trouble with food choices and ideas. You’ll be surprised at what good food can do for your health and overall well-being, plus it will help with satiety and energy levels so that you stay active throughout the day—both essential elements to long-term weight loss success. Did we mention exercise? Even if all else fails and dieting is simply not working for you, there’s one thing that will keep your weight stable: Exercise!

3) Get support from family and friends

To a lot of people, losing weight is a personal challenge—meaning it’s something you should tackle by yourself. But that’s usually not a good idea, especially if you’re trying to lose weight fast and improve your health. You need social support! So find some friends who will help hold you accountable or join a support group. Make sure your family and friends are on board too. If they don’t think healthy eating is important or agree with what you want to do, then any time you eat unhealthy food or miss exercise time, they can make it even harder to get results.

4) Write down your goals

Writing down your weight loss goals will help you keep track of what you want to achieve and will make them seem more tangible. Don’t just jot down a few bullet points on a piece of paper—start creating your own master plan. Take out a notebook, sit down with your family or friends, and brainstorm together. You may find that setting SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) will help you be successful at accomplishing your goals in time.

5) Use technology to help you

The key to losing weight and keeping it off is to create realistic goals. Losing 50 pounds in 3 months isn’t a realistic goal, but if you set smaller goals, such as losing 5 pounds each month over 6 months, then you have a higher chance of sticking with your plan. Use small rewards to make changes more enjoyable: When changing your diet or lifestyle habits it’s important to reward yourself for staying committed. Whether that means taking yourself out on a date or buying something special, it gives you something to look forward to and motivates you through those moments when change gets tough. Remove temptation from your home: Getting rid of temptation from your home will help keep you on track with healthy eating and living.

6) Exercise regularly

Consider getting a gym membership or even a personal trainer if you are feeling overwhelmed by exercise. Exercising in a group can be fun and help you to stay motivated while working with a professional can help hold you accountable, especially if they’re checking up on your progress. A workout buddy can also help: You can hold each other accountable and encourage one another when it’s time to work out. And, since we all need someone to push us toward our goals from time to time, finding a workout buddy may be just what you need. Just make sure he or she is on board with helping you reach your goals before bringing them along—nobody likes being left behind!

7) Set realistic goals

It’s easy to set ambitious weight loss goals, but are they too ambitious? In other words, can you really lose 50 pounds by summer? You need to be honest with yourself. If you say you want to lose 20 pounds and keep it off, that’s great. And I think it should be a realistic goal because these days we have more resources available than ever before to make that happen, says Jim White, RDN, ACSM Health Fitness Specialist and owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios.

8) Practice gratitude every day

A good way to lose weight and keep it off is to simply be grateful that you're doing it. In a study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, Dr. Shai Davidai of Tel Aviv University concluded that gratitude led people to exercise more regularly than their non-grateful peers. In other words, those who said they were grateful tended to exercise more regularly because they realized how much they had to be thankful for. Additionally, a 2012 study from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that higher levels of gratitude at Thanksgiving were associated with lower BMI levels 12 months later.

9) De-stress your life as much as possible

Stress can cause weight gain and keep you from losing weight because it alters your hormone levels. Focus on implementing stress-relieving tactics into your daily life and you’ll be surprised at how much weight naturally drops off. As little as 15 minutes of deep breathing a day can provide a more relaxed frame of mind, while meditation has been shown to increase serotonin (the happy hormone) which will positively affect your overall mood. Other simple, natural ways to relax include yoga, exercise, getting adequate sleep, and enough water throughout the day. Setting up small rewards with friends or loved ones who are trying to lose weight is also helpful; by encouraging each other with positive support, it becomes easier to reach goals together than alone.

10) Move as much as possible

An inactive lifestyle is a leading contributor to obesity. Physical activity can help you lose weight and feel great, but it doesn’t have to take up your entire day. Incorporate short bursts of activity into your routine throughout your day, such as: taking multiple stairs at a time instead of just one; taking a quick walk when waiting in line; or walking around while talking on the phone. Just remember to keep it brief—in as little as 15 minutes of physical activity per day, you can kickstart positive changes in your health.