11 Tips To Regaining Control Of Your Diet On New Year’s Day

I have thoroughly enjoyed the holidays and all the sweets and treats that go along with it, but come New Year’s Day, my eating binge will end.  Once you start eating larger amounts of food and adding all that extra sugar into your diet, it is very hard to wean yourself back off it, but you need to remember that it is much easier to lose weight that was gained quickly than it is to lose weight that is gained over a long period of time.

I want you to enjoy New Year’s Eve festivities, but come January 1, I want you to remember this post and toss out or freeze all the left over treats and take back control of your eating habits.  Here are a few tips that will help you get back on track:

• 2 egg whites for breakfast will add protein to your day and curve your hunger.  ( I eat hard boiled egg whites and my dog eats the yolks)  Along with my morning egg whites, I like to add a small snack that is around 120 calories, usually a breakfast bar or Fiber One bar.
• Keep low calorie snacks and fruits available to satisfy your need for something sweet.
• If you are really hungry before lunch or supper, eat another two egg whites before each meal.  When I eat 6 egg whites a day, 2 before each meal, I see a quicker weight loss.  I boil 6 fresh eggs every morning so that I can grab them quickly when I need them because if I have to wait for them to boil, I may not always have time to prepare them if I am in a hurry.
• If you like to eat cheese slices on your sandwiches, tear them in half and only use 1/2 slice of cheese.
• When eating cereal, drain the milk from each bite and only eat the “wet” cereal.  Dump the milk once you are finished and don’t drink it after the cereal is gone.
• Drink diet drinks in replace of full flavored sodas.  Also make sure you drink water throughout the day, sugar free drink mixes are great options too.  (My favorite is the grape flavored Wal-Mart Great Value brand sugar free koolaide.)
• Out of sight, out of mind — if there are treats in your house that will tempt you, cover them up or have someone in your house hide them from you.
• Did you get exercise equipment for Christmas?  If so, get it out of the box and learn how to use it.
• Walk the dog or walk the kids, but make sure you walk fast enough to break a sweat.  40 minutes of  hard walking and 30 crunches at least 3 times a week will be a great way to get started.
• Pull out the old exercise videos.  They will become boring, but are a great way to motivate yourself to get started until you begin to memorize the routines.
• Most importantly, you will not want to make time for exercise if you aren’t doing something that you enjoy.  Walking around my subdivision 3 times is not fun for me, but if I take the dog on a walk on the trails, my walk is over in no time and I enjoy the scenery.  Riding the treadmill at the gym is boring, but if I attend the body pump classes, I look forward to the workouts and feel great once it is over.  Get the point?  Find something that you enjoy and then make a point to find time to add it to your weekly routine.  Your body will thank you and you will feel great once you see the figures on your scale begin to drop.

Good luck and Happy New Year!

Bobbie Anne

Photo Credit:  http://www.azilliondollarscomics.com/2012_01_01_archive.html