Reasonable Weight Loss

  So, you've resolved to lose weight this New Year.  Welcome to the club!  Despite what many infomercials and even trainers may tell you, weight loss is hard.  It requires discipline and lifelong change.  While following a Paleo or other fad diet for a few weeks may seem like a good idea, most fad dieters fail in the long run because their bad habits (overeating, skipping meals, not being consistent with exercise, etc.) eventually come back to haunt them.  And let's face it- with any restrictive diet, you'll likely crave the food even more, which can lead to binge eating.This year- try some new.  Be realistic about weight loss.  Did you know that you should only lose 1/2-1 lb per week?  I'm not sure why a certain app (which shale remain nameless here) gives you the option of "how quickly do you want to lose".  Obviously the majority will want to lose the extra weight ASAP, but that means your metabolism will drop, you may lose muscle mass and likely resume old eating habits sooner.  Any app that advises 1200 calories across the board (regardless of age or activity level) is not very scientific in my mind.Try this strategy instead.  Change one habit at a time and keep that change for at least a month until the new habit sticks.  For example, if you always snack at night, brush your teeth after dinner to signal "the kitchen is closed now".  Continue this ritual every day.  If you're not hungry after dinner, what's eating you that's making you eat?Keep a food diary for at least a week.  Find out what you're missing from your diet and what you're consuming too much of.  Pay attention to hunger VS habit.  If you bite it, write it.  Be honest.  Be mindful  Don't just eat for the sake of eating.Try a new exercise.  We all get in a rut and our weight loss efforts suffer.  It takes a good 6 weeks for your body to respond to change.  Change up your exercise regime every 6 weeks to keep your body challenged.Start cooking.  Meals don't need to be fancy or expensive.  In fact, you'll likely save money by eating in than eating out.  Keep some healthy staples on hand like canned beans, bagged lentils, eggs and brown rice.  Try a few recipe sites like allrecipes.com or cookinglight.com.  Invite your friends over for a meal.  You'll save money and calories.Hire a dietitian!  We're trained to give people easy, tasty ways to get healthier.  Don't trust an RD that can't cook!  Ask for recipes, meal ideas and shopping tricks.  You'd be surprised how much fun it can be to eat outside the box.