How to Successfully Lose Weight This New Year

Losing weight tops the list of New Year’s resolutions on every annual list, yet year after year, people blame themselves for falling short of their goals. Here are some simple, easy-to-reach goals that will leave you feeling successful and positive – and at least ten pounds lighter – ready to keep going as 2009 marches on.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• a positive attitude
• this article
• as much – or as little equipment (even none) as you desire for your fitness goals.
• a checkup from your doctor or medical practitioner

1. 
   TOO thin. Ew. illustration © elizabeth williams bushey

   First and foremost, a healthy body begins with a healthy attitude. Too skinny truly is as bad as too heavy, so set your goals realistically to start with. The ridiculous, starved look that high fashion designers have been setting as a so-called standard is so dangerously unhealthy that France and Spain in the past two years have quite literally made being too thin illegal for runway models, causing havoc and headlines in recent press – so if you don’t feel like you match the magazine cover, good for you. Better to be alive than to try to squeeze into that Prada dress, after all. It’s far more attractive to be strong and healthy looking. Too-thin people can’t make it up a flight of stairs, either, and it’s just as embarrassing.

2. Don’t think of yourself – ever – as being on a diet. After all, word itself contains the word “die” in it, and who wants that? It’s a lifestyle. Stop thinking of yourself as overweight. Think of yourself as a thin person who’s gained a few pounds. Studies have proved it: thin people monitor their weight – not necessarily by the scale, but by their clothes. When they start to feel tight, they automatically switch to smaller portions, skip a few desserts, and lose a pound or two BEFORE it gets out of control. This kind of thinking is what you want to adopt. Not obsessive vigilance: just awareness of your body and its fuel needs.

3. While it’s a good idea to check in and have a look at your Body Mass Index, (BMI), don’t let it get you down if the results online are disappointing. (Mine indicates I’m overweight, and I’m a size 4.) Muscle weighs a LOT more than fat, so many well-toned, in-shape people have misleading BMIs. Only your doctor can tell you for sure – so plan a visit before you embark on any program of exercise, or any dramatic change in diet.

4. Think of food as fuel, not so much as fun or comfort. Learn to love healthier alternatives, like wheat germ (spread over cereal, in yogurt, on almost anything, it becomes a great boost of B-vitamins and fiber), and carrot sticks, sweet bell peppers, and other raw veggies. Compare this to trying to teach a child to eat healthy: pediatricians advise parents to introduce new foods to children at least fifteen times before they adopt them. Give yourself time to grow into your new choices. You won’t love them at first – but as your old jeans begin to button, those carrot sticks will definitely begin to grow on you. Even better: the longer you stay away from greasy fast food, you’ll notice that if you go back, say, with friends, that you won’t really like it much at all after some absence from it.

5. 
   illustration © elizabeth williams bushey

   Learn portion control. This alone is one of the biggest keys to keeping your weight under control. You’ll be amazed at how little a person really needs to eat to stay alive – especially if you’re used to eating out. What they serve at your average chain restaurant to a single person is enough to feed a family of four. A portion of meat (protein) for the average human being is only the size of a deck of cards (including thickness.) Spaghetti? Just one cup; about a fistful.

6. To keep your stomach from growling while you get used to eating less, try a two-pronged approach. Drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated, which is healthy in and of itself, and keeps your stomach full – many people think they are hungry, when in fact they are really thirsty.

7. The other thing you can do is snack, and snack often: just don’t snack on pudding and candy bars. To make this easier, prepare bite-size veggies and cheese cubes (for energy-boosting protein). Grape tomatoes are delicious and fun to grab (try them with a dash – but JUST a dash – of salt and pepper.) Keeping your tummy full this way will help you avoid crashing and burning into a tub of Rocky Road ice cream.

8. 
   illustration © elizabeth williams bushey

   DO allow yourself a break from the regimen. You’re doomed to fail if you NEVER let yourself indulge. Don’t go nuts and order the largest, most disgusting dessert in the restaurant – it will only make your stomach hurt, and destroy your self-esteem – but do feel free, one evening a week (or whatever works for you) to indulge in something, whether it’s chocolate, popcorn with butter, or some sort of pleasure. Keep in mind, if you do want to be halfway good: fat is a food group; our bodies need it. Sugar, however, we could live our whole lives without. So of the two, the popcorn is a healthier choice.

9. Last but not least: a sound eating plan is only half the battle. Many of us end up making these resolutions not so much because we’re eating ourselves silly, but because we’ve found ourselves, in this digital age, chained to a desk, sitting down for most of the day – virtually inactive, watching our sedentary bodies enlarge beneath our typing hands.

10. In the same way that our bodies don’t forget the calories from the candy bar we got out of the vending machine at work (even if WE forgot we ate it), neither will our bodies forget the calories we expend during the day, no matter how little at a time we expend them.

11. 
    illustration © elizabeth williams bushey

    Too many people forego exercise because they can’t manage to collect the twenty minutes a day that are so often recommended. Well – who says they have to be twenty minutes in a row? Sure, it’s better if you can get your heart rate up – but twenty minutes is twenty minutes.

12. It’s a lifestyle, remember? That means you’re always thinking about how you can work exercise into your day. Stop looking for the closest spot at the mall; park at the end and walk. There’s five minutes.

13. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Every single time.

14. Return that cart at the grocery store. No matter how far away it is.

15. No more letting the dog out into the backyard. Walk him, even if it’s just a short one. There’s an added benefit there: he’ll be more obedient.

16. Don’t call for the kids up the stairs. Go and get them.

17. Don’t ask anyone to get anything for you, ever. Go get the remote yourself. Even better: get rid of the remote. Now THERE’S a ton of built-in exercise.

18. Scrub the floor on your hands and knees. It’s fabulous for the abs. Ever see pictures of Grandma when she was young?

19. On weekends, ride a bike with the kids. It’s really, really fun.

20. Get the idea? You don’t necessarily have to join a gym. Just get off the couch.

21. 

    You can do it. I did. I’m a size 4 now, but I wasn’t always. After my first child was born, I ballooned up to a size 16, and didn’t even notice for the longest time – but by using the steps I’ve outlined here, I got back down – and I didn’t even have to join a gym. It can be done. Take heart.

Tips & Warnings

• If you "fall off the wagon," and gain back a few pounds, don't give up. Just get started again. It doesn't have to be January. Start again on Valentine's Day, or Guy Fawkes Day, or Bastille Day. Any day is a good day for healthier living.
• Reward yourself as frequently as you can. Buy new jeans. Buy new shirts. When you look better, you'll feel more motivated.
• Throw out clothes that are too big.
• Don't wear baggy stuff. You'll look 5 pounds thinner immediately when you wear clothes that fit.
• Make sure you consult a doctor before you start vigorously exercising or radically altering your lifestyle. It's a good idea anyway to have regular checkups.

Resources

• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator

[lizwb]

on 2/27/2009 Thanks for the kind words - you're right about the three-prong attack, too. Perhaps it could have been three, more concise articles. I LOVE constructive advice. Thanks!-elizabeth williams busheywww.inklesstales.comwww.inklesstunes.com

[chava812]

on 1/4/2009 A little long, and I'd change your two-prong attack to a three-prong attack (the 3rd prong being exercise), but you're right on the money about drinking and hydrating, boredom, and not being so hard on oneself (get back on the horse). Great ideas on how to get more exercis in day, too. This could be made into 3 shorter articles perhaps, to focus on all the points you're making. Read and heed, folks!

[Dancingfool]

on 1/1/2009 Great Advice! I'm saving it to my favorites!