The number 1 new year's resolution each year is - to lose weight. If you, like me, have made this resolution and failed to follow through, you are in good company. By January 31 it is estimated that over 80% of us have tried and given up or even not started at all - it is seen as too difficult.

But I offer the following tips that make losing weight absolutely achievable as well as bringing greater energy and better health.

The first 3 tips are to do with motivation. Having the right mindset means you continue all year the enthusiasm of a new year's resolution. The remaining tips are the steps that make the difference.

1. First of all don't think DIET - just think of it as healthy eating. Start with just ONE thing at a time. In terms of losing weight, break it down into smaller steps and remove one thing from your normal meals that you know is fattening. Is it the chips or peanuts watching TV or the icecream after dinner or the glass of wine every day?

Do just one step today and try each day to take another step. The old adage of ‘a journey of a 1000 miles starts with the first step’ is very powerful.

2. Forgive yourself if you have a bad day and get off track. Good health and extra energy is all about the journey and not about a final destination. One mistake or misstep is not going to ruin all you have achieved and will continue to achieve in the future. (TIp: only hop on the scales weekly, not every day).

3. Have measurable steps and keep a record of it. On a calendar or diary record where you are once a week and list what you will do for the coming week to achieve the next step. Put it in the diary – write it down! Start a diet diary and especially include your snacks as they are often the hidden excesses.

4. For good health and energy, start the day with a good breakfast. Not only does it give you extra energy for the day, but it has proven health benefits for maintaining a healthy weight. Most studies linking breakfast to weight control loss show that breakfast helps people make better food choices at other meals. Typically, hunger gets the best of breakfast-skippers, and they eat more at lunch and throughout the day.

However you must eat a healthy breakfast with protein and/or whole grains eg eggs on toast -- not meals loaded with fat and calories such as waffles and maple syrup.

5. Include lean protein at every meal. Researchers have found that protein blunts the hunger the most and is the most filling of all as it keeps you going longer during the day. As well protein builds and repairs tissues and is essential for hair and nails. But you need only a little protein – best measured as a serving in the palm of your hand – not a huge amount. I have found canned salmon or tuna a very good source of lean protein.

Basically change your way of eating to fresh unprocessed food and remember to include lots of coloured vegetables and fruit. Our Optimal Digestive Health guide can also provide you with 3 levels of dietary plans for digestive 'good health'.

6. Reduce or cut out the food that you crave the most. While often your body craves the nutrients in that food, it has no quantity control! For example chocolate has long been associated with the need for magnesium. In a future blog I will explore what certain food cravings mean. If you do succumb to what you crave, have a little and then walk away!

7. Drink more water. Often a preference for foods rather than liquids means that you have been dehydrated so long, that the thirst mechanism no longer works for you. Flavour the water with a twist of lemon or lime to stimulate your thirst (I always start the day with half a lime or lemon in warm water). The added bonus is that research has shown that two glasses of water before meals help people eat less and lose weight.

8. Now for exercise - The secret is to just DO. Exercise improves your mood, stamina and sex life. But if you find it difficult to find the time, if you hate the idea of gym exercise or you don’t have the energy, then just start with one small extra activity. Get off one stop earlier and walk to work, walk up and down stairs and not take the lift, get up from the couch to change channels. Do your own housework, weed the garden, clean the car – the bending and movement gets the blood flowing. Create opportunities to MOVE.

Be aware that there is an bonus effect if you do some exercise before breakfast because the stimulation of your metabolism lasts longer and is more powerful.

9. What exercise program works best? If maximum weight loss that stays off longer is your goal, try a Peak 8 exercise program. Break your exercise such as walking or cycling into intervals – alternate 8 short segments of high activity and maximum effort with a rest period in-between. After you stop the intense 30-second phase, your heart rate will continue to rise for another five to ten seconds as you enter your recovery phase. With this you can dramatically improve your cardiovascular fitness and fat-burning capabilities in a fraction of the time.

10. Finally it would be best to AVOID all sugar and fruit juice for two hours after your workout, otherwise you will ruin the major benefit of the workout if weight loss is one of your goals.

Start while you are feeling motivated, keep going with what works for you and best of all find a friend to do it with. By following these 10 tips you should have a healthy and energetic 2012.


  Ros Andrews

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