Become a Healthier, Happier You in the New Year

If you aren’t happy with how you currently look or feel, and want to feel lighter when stepping on the scale, there are some simple tips you can practice to help you get there.

With a little help from one of our experts, here are some ways you can become a lighter, healthier and happier you in the new year.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

This an age-old saying that still rings true when it comes to healthy weight loss.

“People tend to have tunnel vision when it comes to losing weight,” says Carrie Wissemeier, a Registered Dietitian and one of the lead dietitians for bistroMD. “Instead of focusing on just what the scale says or what size you want to be, it’s best to think of weight loss in terms of how you want to see yourself. This means, actually seeing and picturing yourself as a healthier person.”

This focus makes everything else seem a little easier. It also makes planning out your goals a little less complicated.

Instead of “sweating” over how much weight you want to lose, it's best to consider your lifestyle.

Do you have time to eat three meals a day? If you don’t, how can you accommodate your schedule to make sure you eat a balanced diet? Can you make it to the gym an hour every day, or is exercising 30 minutes at home a better fit? These are the things you need to worry about, before you worry about dropping the pounds. Without a realistic schedule to reach your goals, it simply won’t happen.

Once you give some thought to your schedule, plan out your weight loss from there. Figure out your ideal body weight, and then, plan out your weekly schedule. For example, if your goal weight is 150 pounds, and you weigh 200, you should shoot for an average weight loss of about 3-5 pounds per week. (This could turn out to be more or less, depending on your weight, height, gender and age).

Don’t resort to extreme measures if you don’t meet some of your goals. If you only lose three pounds one week, but your goal was five, don’t skip out on meals and don’t drastically alter any of your habits. Just remember: it’s perfectly normal if you lose more weight one week, than you do the next.

Get Your Family Involved

Eating better and living a healthier lifestyle is difficult, which is why it’s so important to have a support system behind you.

Family and friends can be an extremely powerful motivator, so why not share with them how important it is for you to live healthier?

Invite some of your family over for a healthy dinner. Display how important nutrition is to you by serving a well-balanced, healthy meal. This will help them see how important it is for you to eat healthier.

Bringing a buddy to the gym, or for a walk, can also motivate you to keep moving. If you know a friend is going to go with you, working out seems a lot less stressful.

Physical activity is encouraged, but it is not required to lose weight. This is why you don’t need to live at the gym. 5 days, at least an hour each day should be a good starting point.

Reward Yourself

One of the biggest ways to keep yourself motivated is to reward yourself every now and then. Save up some money, and buy yourself a couple of new outfits as you start losing weight. This will motivate you to keep up your progress.

If you are getting healthy with a significant other, promise yourself a luxurious trip or some type of getaway once you meet your goals. This will give you that much more motivation to keep moving forward as a united front.

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