New Years Diet - 3 Tips To Help You Lose Weight For Good This Year

Starting a New Years Diet? There's never been a better time to change your eating habits, lose weight and get healthier. A new year brings the momentum you often need to make changes and achieve your brand new body.

Here are 3 tips to help you lose weight on your New Years diet and make healthier changes:

#1 Take Your Time

Just as with any New Years resolution, take some time to assess where you want to go and what you want to achieve. Write down your goals and what kind of eating plan or diet would seem logical and doable for you. Then choose a New Year's diet based on what feels right for you.

Don't just plunge into the latest popular diet. Take your time and really choose a weight loss plan that fits with your beliefs, goals and lifestyle.

#2 Let Go Of the Past

A new year is a great time to let go of the past. Let go of last year - any failures, hard times or setbacks. This can also mean clearing out old foods that you no longer want to indulge in.

Let go of who you were last year and strive to build a new you this year - a healthier, stronger, more positive you.

If you keep hanging on to the past and remembering past diet failures or hangups, it can keep you stuck in a weight loss rut. Letting go can lighten you up (psychologically and literally) to strive forward to a new, thinner you.

#3 Focus on the New Foods You Can Eat Instead of Old Foods That Are Not On Your Diet Plan

This is something that seems obvious but most people don't do it. Don't think 'Oh man, I can't eat pizza anymore' or 'I really wish I could still eat those donuts'. Banish thoughts of what you 'can't' eat from your mind.

Instead, focus on the foods that you can eat. Think about fresh strawberries or that delicious veggie omelet you're going to have for breakfast tomorrow.

It's a proven fact that we are drawn to what we focus on - even if it's in the negative (for example, 'don't think about chocolate chip cookies'). So if you don't want to be drawn to old, unhealthy foods, focus instead on thinking about the new healthy foods on your diet plan.

So those are 3 tips to help you on your New Years diet. Take your time, let go of your dieting past and focus on the new foods you can eat. It may take a bit of work at first but it will get easier and you'll be enjoying a new, slimmer body in no time at all!

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kate_Fox

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Avoid Shortcuts to Weight Loss

The fitness craze in USA has made many people craving for perfect figures. However, not everyone is willing to undergo the process of consuming healthy foods and a regular weight training routine. At times, people opt for short cuts for weight loss (which includes crash diet) and experience negative side effects. We point out some of the serious side effects of drastic weight-loss.



Muscle Loss- Muscle loss is the most common effect of rapid weight reduction. When the body is not provided with the essential nutrients, it uses the muscle mass to get energy. Loss of muscle mass results in a slow metabolism and this makes the person to gain weight rapidly once he/she switches to the regular diet.

Hanging Skin-Loose skin is another side effect of fast weight loss. This may also happen to people who have opted for a healthy diet to lose weight, but do not indulge in weight training or aerobic activities. Though the skin is elastic in nature, its shrinking and stretching process is slow. When there is massive weight loss all of a sudden, the skin hardly gets any time to adjust itself with the changing body and ends up being saggy and loose.

Loss of Hair- Hair loss is a common side effect of consuming diet that is poor in nutritional value. Protein is essential for the growth of hair and for maintaining its luster. Liquid or very low-calorie diet usually includes a small percentage of the protein that is actually required. The result is that lack of protein leads to brittle and dry hair, and ultimately to hair loss.

As discussed above, resorting to crash or liquid diets will bring in more problems rather than solving them. Stick to a healthy, nutritious diet, along with proper weight training routine and you will be living healthy for the rest of your life.

Think healthy and live healthy!

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Opt for Smart Snacking

Smart snacking is an essential aspect of a wholesome diet. Unfortunately, many people have the wrong notion that all snacks are loaded with calories and consuming them can interfere with one’s diet loss plans. However, fact remains is that there are many snacks that are healthy, fulfilling and at the same time provide loads of energy. We provide information about few such nutritious snacks.



• Whole-grain snacks such as whole-grain pretzels, low fat whole-grain crisp breads are rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber. They satisfy the craving for hunger and make you feel energetic.

• Low fat popcorn is another healthy snack that has loads of fiber and is easy to store.

• All those who are looking for some smart snacking can also opt for low-calorie dairy products such as cottage cheese, plain yogurt etc. These products are good sources of calcium, protein, along with other essential minerals and vitamins. However, stress on the low-fat options. Some yogurts have added sugar, so be careful in choosing them.

• Healthy snacks also include unsalted and roasted nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios. All these nuts are rich in healthy monounsaturated fats and protein. Walnuts, especially, are an ideal source of omega-3 fatty acids (which are known to enhance brain health and provide prevention against cancer and heart diseases).

• Dark chocolate as a healthy snack may raise few eyebrows, but the fact remains that it is can help one to reduce the blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Apart from the health benefits, dark chocolate is also known to improve the mood and provides a feel-good factor. However, remember that one serving of dark chocolate contains more calories as compared to other snacks described above. So do not go overboard with it and limit yourself to three or four small squares of the chocolate.

It is important to remember that the market is loaded with both healthy and high-calorie snacks. Do a little research about the snack that you are going to include in your diet and get ready to be healthy and fit.

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Weight Loss Dieting Myth

There are so many myths regarding weight loss diets. Though some may hardly affect one’s weight loss programs, others may cause major health issues. Therefore, one must be aware of the various weight loss dieting myths.

Myth # 1

Eliminate carbs from the meal plan!

Carbohydrates are the main source of body energy, and eliminating them from the diet will make you fell lethargic and will lower the energy level. However, you may have to eliminate some carbs if you want to have a well-toned body. These may include sweetened fruit juices and other drinks, sugar, fried stuff, and pastries. Instead, you main source of carbohydrates should come from complex slow releasing foods such as brown breads, oatmeal, brown rice, and sweat potatoes. Remember that your meal pan must include 40% carbs.



Myth # 2

Starve to get that desired body weight!

Wrong, starving will only cripple your body metabolism and may even result in muscle loss. It may even affect your body shape adversely. Eat small portion of food; instead of having three large meals, have six small meals. This will make you feel full and you can avoid the tendency of overeating. In addition, starving will cause sugar highs and lows. One must also avoid skipping meals; after skipping a meal or two, you may develop the tendency to eat more than usual.

Myth # 3

Fat is bad, eliminate it from the meal plan!

Fat is not necessarily bad, though gaining fats from fried and junk foods must be avoided at any cost. Body needs certain essential fatty acids such as the Omega 3 fatty acid to work properly. They help in brain development, lubricating the joints, and in manufacturing hormones. Since the body cannot produce such essential fatty acids, it is important to consume them. Therefore, one need to include nuts, flax seed oil, olive oil, tuna, and salmon in their meal plans.

Myth # 4

High protein diet may damage the kidney!

This may be true for those who already have kidney problems, but for others this is just another weight loss dieting myth. A healthy human can easily consume a medium to high protein diet without worrying about its effect on the kidney. For per pound of bodyweight, one can have around 1.5 grams of protein. However, one must drink enough water (8 glasses of water minimum) so that the kidney can process the protein.

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