Weight Loss Tips for the New Year

25 Top Weight Loss Tips for the New Year

• Written by  Jeff Behar and Lynn Glenn

Every Year saying I want to lose weight is one of the most popular of New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, saying you want to lose weight and doing it are two very different things. Most times, weight loss resolutions don’t even make it to the thirty day mark.

If you’re making weight loss this year’s resolution and want to make it well beyond the thirty day mark, follow these easy weight loss tips and banish the weight for good.

Weight Loss Tip #1: Don’t cut out all Your Favorite Foods

• Be a slim shopper rather than cutting out your favorite foods altogether. Buy one fresh bakery cookie instead of a box, or a small portion of candy from the bulk bins instead of a whole bag. The key is moderation when enjoying your favorite foods.

Weight Loss Tip #2: Don’t Confuse Thirst with Hunger

• Lot of the time people confuse thirst with hunger and they end up eating extra calories when an ice-cold glass of water is really all is needed. If you want something other than water, try drinking flavored sparkling water or brewing a cup of fruit-infused herbal tea.

Weight Loss Tip #3: Eat Several Small-Meals

• Eating fewer calories than you burn, you'll lose weight. Often, this leaves you hungry all the time and eating fewer calories can be a challenge. Studies show people who eat 4-5 meals or snacks per day are better able to control their appetite and weight.

Weight Loss Tip #4: Spice up Your Food.

• Add spices or chilies to your food for a flavor boost that can help you feel satisfied. Food that is loaded with flavor will stimulate your taste buds and be more satisfying, so you won’t eat as much.

Weight Loss Tip #5: Have Ready-to-Eat Snacks and Meals on Hand

• Have ready-to-eat snacks, meals-in-minutes or meals you prepared earlier in the week on hand. You'll be less likely to hit the drive-through or order a pizza if you can throw together a healthy meal in five or 10 minutes.

Weight Loss Tip #6: Choose Nighttime Snacks Wisely

• Mindless eating occurs most frequently after dinner, after sitting down and relaxing. Snacking in front of the TV is one of the easiest ways to throw your diet off course. If you feel a snack is needed, allow yourself a low-calorie snack, like a 100-calorie pack of cookies or a half-cup scoop of low-fat ice cream.

Weight Loss Tip #7: Eat Protein at Every Meal

• Protein is more satisfying than carbs or fats and keeps you feeling full longer. It also helps preserve muscle mass and encourages fat burning. So be sure to incorporate healthy proteins like lean meat, yogurt, cheese, nuts, or beans into your meals and snacks.

Weight Loss Tip #8: Order a Child-Size Entree

• Ordering a child-size entree is a great and newly excepted way to cut calories and keep your portions reasonable. Another trick is to use smaller plates. This helps the portions look like more, and if your mind is satisfied, your stomach likely will be, too.

Weight Loss Tip #9: Eat Less Pasta and More Vegetables

• Simply by eating less pasta or bread and more veggies, you could lose a dress or pants size in a year. You can save from 100-200 calories if you reduce the portion of starch on your plate and increase the amount of vegetables.

Weight Loss Tip #10: Don’t Skip Breakfast

• Skipping breakfast can make you hungry later, leading to too much nibbling and binge eating at lunch and dinner. To lose weight -- and keep it off -- always make time for a healthy morning meal, like high-fiber cereal, low-fat milk, and fruit.

Weight Loss Tip #11: Include Fiber in Your Diet

• Fiber aids digestion, prevents constipation, and lowers cholesterol -- and can help with weight loss. To reap fiber's benefits, most women should get between 21-25 grams daily, while men need about 30-38 grams. Good fiber sources include oatmeal, beans, whole grain foods, and a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Weight Loss Tip #12: Don’t Super-Size

• People are used to super-sizing when they eat out they often carry that mind-set home. To right-size your diet, use a kitchen scale and measuring cups to measure your meals. Use smaller plates and glasses to downsize your portions. Split restaurant servings in half -- making two meals out of one big one. Don’t eat snack servings directly from the container, instead portion out your snack servings.

Weight Loss Tip #13: Eat Natural Foods

• Natural foods because of their nutrient and fiber content will help keep you slim and avoid weight gain. Heavily processed foods are not low in nutritional value and contain much of what is not good for you, including sodium, preservatives, sugars, saturated fats and trans fats. Because of their lack of nutrient and fiber content, and all their additives, heavily processed foods can be unhealthy and can make you gain weight instead of losing weight.

Weight Loss Tip #14: Use the 80-20 Rule

• The 80-20 rule refers to eating only until you are 80% full. Stopping at 80% capacity is a sound strategy to lose weight and avoid obesity without going hungry. The stomach's stretch receptors take about 20 minutes to tell the body how full it really is. To lose weight, cut your calories by eating until you are 80% full and you will fill full in 20 minutes.

Weight Loss Tip #15: Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

• If you eat more fruits and vegetables, you shouldn't feel as hungry because these nutrient-rich foods are also high in fiber and water, which can give you a feeling of fullness.

Weight Loss Tip #16: Limit Alcohol Drinks

• Alcohol contains empty calories: a five-ounce glass of wine has 125, a bottle of beer about 153. Because our bodies don't use those calories well, they usually get converted directly into fat. If you enjoy an occasional drink, consider a compromise. Enjoy your favorite alcoholic beverage on weekends, with just one drink for women per day, two for men.

Weight Loss Tip #17: Clean Kitchen of Fattening Foods

• If you have chips in the pantry and ice cream in the freezer, you're making weight loss harder than it has to be. Reduce temptation by removing the cupboards of fattening foods. If you want an occasional treat, make sure you have to leave the house to get it -- preferably by walking.

Weight Loss Tip #18: Set Realistic Weight Loss Goals

• Dropping pounds takes time, just like gaining them did. Experts suggest setting a realistic weight loss goal of about one to two pounds a week. If you set your expectations too high, you may give up when you don’t lose weight fast enough.

Weight Loss Tip #19: Weigh Yourself Only Once a Week

• Most experts suggest weighing yourself only once a week, so you're not derailed by daily fluctuations. When weighing yourself, follow these tips: Weigh yourself at the same time of day, on the same day of the week, on the same scale, and in the same clothes.

Weight Loss Tip #20: Get Enough Sleep

• When you're sleep deprived, your body overproduces the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin but under-produces the hormone leptin, which tells you when you're full. Getting enough sleep may make you feel rested and full and keep you from doing unnecessary snacking.

Weight Loss Tip #21: Chew Sugarless Gum

• The next time you want to grab a fattening snack, reach for some sugar-free gum instead. Chewing some types of gum gives you fresh breath and can also help manage hunger, control snack cravings, and aid in weight loss.

Weight Loss Tip #22 Avoid Surroundings Where You're Most Likely to Overeat

• Everyone has a time when you’re most likely to overeat, whether it's the morning coffee break or after-work gathering with friends. Avoid these surroundings along with their temptations and you’ll lose weight without having to diet. Try to plan other activities or distractions for those times, or plan in advance how you're going to handle them.

Weight Loss Tip #23: Write Down What You Eat

• A simple pen and paper can dramatically boost your weight loss. Studies show the act of writing down what you eat and drink tends to make you more aware of what, when, and how much you're consuming -- leading you to ultimately take in fewer calories. One study found that people who kept a food diary six days a week lost about twice as much as those who didn’t.

Weight Loss Tip #24: Reward Yourself for Your Weight Loss Success

• Rewarding weight loss success really can encourage more success, so revel in your achievements. Reward yourself buy buying yourself a gift or take in a movie, and set a prize for the next weight loss milestone.

Weight Loss Tip #25: Seek Support from Family and Friends

• Getting support can help you reach your weight loss goals. So tell family and friends about your efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle. When you feel like giving up, they'll help you, keep you honest, and cheer you on -- making the whole experience a lot easier. Who knows maybe they’ll even join you in exercising, eating right, and losing weight.

Bottom Line on Best Weight Loss Tips for the New Year

Make your New Year’s resolution for 2011 to lose weight a real success by following the above weight loss tips, exercising and making healthy lifestyle choices.

About the Author Lynn Glenn

Lynn Glenn is a popular  health, and fitness, author regularly writing for several top health and fitness websites. Lynn's expertice includes writing about the latest health, fitness,  disease prevention, diet, nutrition, natural healing, and  anti aging issues  being discussed today.  Lynn is also a senior writer and editor at including but not limited to www.MuscleMagFitness.com, www.MyBesthealthPortal.com , and www.MyBesthealthPortal.net.