Fit Fare

Photo courtesy of theage.com.au

It’s New Year’s Day, so welcome to 2007. Once Chinese New Year comes around, it will be the Year of the Pig, but that’s no reason to call the year a wash already. Many of us make New Year’s resolutions only to break them by Valentine’s day, but that needn’t be the case. The secret specificity and planning. Rather than saying, “I resolve to lose weight this year,” as so many of us do, you’re much more likely to succeed if you make a plan and follow through (it is, after all, what Brian Boitano would do, and he’s in great shape). Not all these suggested resolutions will work for everyone, but the point is that they’re doable, not ambitious to the degree that failure is near-certain.
1. Resolve to lose a small amount of weight. Even if you’ve got a long way to go, modest weight loss can make a big difference in your overall health. According to an Italian study, losing just 5% of your body weight can lead to improvements in body fat distribution and a reduced likelihood of diabetes. It’s a lot less daunting to lose ten pounds over the course of a year than it is fifty pounds, and small successes can build your momentum and help you learn healthy habits.

2. Resolve to reduce your intake of artificial sweetners. This can be hard to follow, especially since diet soft drinks and calorie-free coffee sweetners are often touted as good weight loss tools. They can be if you’re drinking them in place of higher-calorie beverages, but too often we replace better hydration sources with coffee and diet soda. Rather than cutting them out entirely, this year you might resolve to reduce your intake to one diet soda per day, or one per week, or whatever is a reasonable amount for you. You might also try matching your diet soda or coffee intake with water; ideally, drink a glass of water before you even open the can of Diet Coke.

3. Resolve to make your high-fat, high-calorie food really great. Few of us would want to live in a world with no decadent treats, so it’s unrealistic to expect to give it up entirely. However, there’s a lot of really unhealthy food out there that’s only a mediocre dining experience. A super-sized fast food meal has thousands of calories, but would you really classify it as great? Don’t waste your indulgences on things that aren’t worth it. Instead of lunch at McDonald’s, go to a nice restaurant for dinner and have a wonderful piece of duck or filet mignon or pasta. If indulgent dining becomes an event rather than a convenience, you’ll appreciate it more (and do it less, because it’s expensive). You’re also more likely to enjoy it with a glass of heart-healthy red wine.

4. Resolve to eat out less. Not only is it more economical to cook for yourself, it’s also much easier to control what goes into your food. Know why restaurant food tastes so good? It’s because they use amounts of butter and oil that would shock most of us if we saw it happening in our own homes. Portion sizes are another huge problem with restaurant foods. You don’t have to give up dining out entirely, just do it less often and make it count when you do (see resolution #3).

5. Resolve to socialize without food. So many of our social traditions center around food, from dinner with friends to holiday meals to popcorn and candy at the movies. Seek out social activities that are food-free, like joining a stitch-and-bitch group (busy hands can’t snack), or try out a new sport like ice skating or a softball league. And, for those of you with partners, physical intimacy is free and can burn a lot of calories if you put good effort in. I know my husband would be thrilled if I cuddled up to him more often as an alternative to diving into the sour cream and onion chips.

Best wishes to everyone in 2007. May your Year of the Pig be extra lean.