Pictured above is a baked apple dessert my husband and I enjoyed before the countdown to 2015. Yum.
Wow, what a year it has been. In 2014 I opened up to the cyber-universe and gave birth to this baby I call Carrots and Cake. How was your 2014?
And now, to think it’s January 2015! This means for many North Americans, the diet has been “on” (or not) for 3 weeks? This time around, I encourage you to forgo those rather “hardcore” New Year resolutions for weight loss. Even with the best of intentions it can be hard to stick to a weight loss resolution because we often view excess pounds as the “bad guy”. Focusing so intently on weight can actually backfire.
I often see people resort to intense and unrealistic exercise regimes, give up staples in their diet, experiment with cleanses and dangerous detoxes and limit themselves to only a few select food items. The result is usually an epic fail, physiological harm to your body and a lot of self-loathing. Does that sound like fun? This year, be kind to yourself. Perhaps work on evolving a past resolution or mindfully select one specific goal unrelated to weight loss.
This year, be kind to yourself.
Small steps and simple changes are easiest to achieve and will make a big difference as you move towards a healthier you. If you want to cut down on fat intake, you’re more likely to stick with a switch from whole milk to 2% milk versus going all the way to skim milk. If your goal is to be more active, it will be more manageable to start exercising 2 days a week versus heading to the gym 5 days a week.
To make sure you’re successful in achieving your goals, enlist support from friends and family. Often, when you tell others what your resolutions are, they can offer encouragement and accountability to help you get over any stumbling blocks along the way.
If you’re still contemplating a few different ideas for a resolution as you welcome February 2015, here are a few suggestions to improve your nutrition (and hey, maybe the weight will change, maybe it wont):
- Incorporate a salad into one meal every day
- Pack your lunch for work the night before
- Drink more water—purchase a 1L water bottle and try to get through 1 – 2L during your work day
- Increase your fibre intake by incorporating whole grains into your diet and munching on fresh fruits and vegetables
- During winter months, take that daily Vitamin D supplement
- Try going “meatless” on Monday’s
- Limit eating at fast food restaurants
Before signing off on this article, I’d like to publicly declare that my personal goal this year is in fact an evolution of a previous goal I set in 2014. And that is, to eat more fish. I’ll keep everyone posted on how I do. Happy New Year!
Want to know more about my personal thoughts on “Detoxes”? Click here.
– With Love, Carrots and Cake,
Interesting advice. I will certainly take note. Thank you. I decided to eat properly. Eat only healthy food. I will say honestly at first it was hard to give up junk food. But health is more important than the burger.
That’s Trewone. It’s true, eating healthy isn’t always made out to be the “easy choice” in a fast food world filled with hyper-processed foods. But that’s just it, finding a balance! I have to say–I do make a mean burger loaded with all the toppings (my secret: I add in lentils!)!
Excellent words of advice! It is so difficult “trying to be healthy in an unhealthy world”. So many temptations at the supermarket, etc. I’ve decided there is simply no point for me to try to be super strict (with a vegan or vegetarian diet, for example), as I just can’t seem to stick to this (although we do mostly eat vegetarian at home and only indulge in extras when out at restaurants). For me, moderation and balance are what keep me healthy, and it must be working as I made it back to my pre-baby weight (and even lost a little more than that).
This was due to a steady combination of healthy eating and daily exercise. I am aware that sometimes I overindulge – it is usually very apparent to me as I can’t sleep as well when I have overeaten. Great tips about adding a salad each day and limiting fast food! I have also added some salmon to my diet over the past few days as we had not been eating any meat or fish at home in quite some time. Habit is also the key. Replacing the foods with a healthier option always works for me rather than cutting them out entirely. Thanks for your great work, Nita! I love this article.
This is great post, thank you.
Paleo Diet.
I personally very much enjoyed Paleo diet, you know, eating things ”as they come from nature”. Helped me to get in shape and stay fit and now I don’t even want to get back to my old lifestyle. Best thing about it was losing the urge to eat at inappropriate times like very late into evening.
This was the one I used, if you’re interested, good luck.
You write so hosltney about this. Thanks for sharing!
Weight loss truth, Cutting your calories down might be a great thing, if you are
drastically overeating and stuffing your face. However, if you are eating
proportionally then cutting calories might have an aversive affect. If you are
cutting calories and are starving your body, then that will lower your
metabolism, or in other words slow it down, which may result in you actually not
losing any weight at all, even if you are “cutting
calories”
I agree a good healthy eating lifestyle can do wonders for anyone wanting to shed pounds. Working out is great, but you need to start with what you put in your mouth.
Ive been following a diet program called the 3 week diet and I’m seeing great result so far. Here’s a Review of the program (http://thebestyouu.net/the-e-factor-diet-review/) if anyone is interested
Some will say that weight gain is pretty normal when you have kids but with my oldest, Nadine, I actually had no trouble losing everything I’d gained while I was pregnant with her. After Terry, though, I sort of slackened my pace and never really got back to my normal weight, which is around 120 pounds. I’m not very tall, so I feel every extra pound, and I had 40 of those when Terry was born, four years ago.
Good article, I took some notes!. Thank you.
Actually in my opinion, you should always try to combine a good workout program along with a good diet.
I recently start a combined method and you are more then welcome to follow my journey at my site.
http://www.klozdafitness.com
Learn How To Prepare Quick And Easy Recipes Designed With Simple Fat Burning Foods To Burn Your Fat Faster! http://tinyurl.com/olmtfnr