Lighten Your Attitude and Your Physique

Feast and famine. Stuff and starve. Resolve … and relapse.  Sound familiar? Millions of Americans, belts squeezing after the holidays, jump grimly aboard the diet bandwagon on January 1st, determined to “get skinny” fast – only to tumble off, more frustrated than ever, within a week or two. Worse, all those good intentions go down the drain until the next January.

But this year can be different! Instead of doggedly pursuing a lonely battle to reach an unrealistic body size, honor a new attitude toward health and weight. It’s a time to celebrate a healthy lifestyle that last a lifetime and address eating and weight problems in a positive way.

The fact is - a healthy weight is crucial for a long, high-quality life. Obesity experts have confirmed what we see every day: More than 125 million Americans age 20 and older are overweight or obese, putting them at a dangerous risk of heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, diabetes, depression and other health concerns. Yet, most adults, saddled with unrealistic visions and bad advice, don’t realize the gains that modest weight loss can offer. Losing just 10 percent of one’s body weight, slowly and steadily, can greatly improve the odds against these life-threatening conditions.

Trying to lose too much weight too fast is a recipe for frustration, as well as thinking that you have to lose weight alone! Research shows that the more support people have during weight loss, the better their results. The help of friends and professionals can provide invaluable weight loss information, companionship throughout the process, support during setbacks, and celebration during successes! Why is support so crucial? It’s because weight loss requires more than counting calories. Successful, long-term weight loss is a complex process that demands physical, behavioral and emotional changes. Having a properly qualified nutrition professional can help with these changes; practical tools to simplify the process; objective dietary expertise for those confused by all of the current conflicting information; anda variety of eating plans tailored to individual health and lifestyle needs.

So make sure you grab a friend, your spouse, co-worker, etc with similar goals and make a commitment to meet at the gym or at the dietitian’s office for your weekly weigh in. I have found that my clients that follow my meal plans and see me regularly along with a friend or relative are most successful.  There is accountability not only to you, but to the other person.

If you are interested in getting started, please contact me at 973-646-8899 or email me at karen@nutrition101.net. Looking forward to hearing from you! Healthy regards and happy new year!