It’s Time to Get Real(istic) about your New Year’s Resolutions

If you are one of the millions of Americans who have made a New Year’s resolution to somehow improve your health, good for you!  The top three health-related resolutions are to quit smoking, to lose weight, and to exercise more, and research suggests that 60% of those who make New Year’s resolutions keep them for at least part of the year.   The bad news is, the other 40% of us find it too hard to keep our resolutions.  In fact, at least 25% of those who resolve to make a change won’t even make it past the first week.

The biggest reasons most New Year’s resolutions aren’t kept are because they are usually too ambitious and there is no specific plan of attack.   Change takes time, and habits (especially those which we’ve spent a lifetime developing) are hard to break.  Diet and weight loss changes are some of the most difficult to tackle because our eating habits often come with lots of excess baggage.  Most of us eat the way we do not because we’re thinking about our health, but for comfort, or because we’re stressed, or out of habit, or family tradition.

So, as we start a new year, I would like to encourage you to be more realistic about your resolutions. Psychologists know that individuals who set small, tangible, one-day-at-a-time goals tend to be more successful.  Rather than resolving to “lose weight” or “eat healthier,” work on making small, manageable changes in your diet, which, over time, will result in weight loss or better health.  If you are a perpetual “resolution breaker,” focus on making only one of the following changes at a time.  Work at it until it becomes a new healthy habit, and then build on your success and add another change.

• Eat a piece of fruit in the mid-morning and a serving of raw vegetables for an afternoon snack each day.  Most people fall short of the recommended 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, so adding these two servings will nudge you closer to your target.  Not only will you get extra vitamins and fiber, but also as a bonus, you’ll eat less calories at lunch and dinner.  A serving = one piece or ½ cup of fruit, or 1 cup raw veggies.  Make it easier by buying the mini cucumbers, baby carrots, and mini sweet peppers – just rinse and go, no cutting or peeling required.  Make it more filling by adding yogurt, peanut butter, cottage cheese, or one of these healthy vegetable dips.

• Swap your white starches for ones that are higher in fiber.  Refined carbohydrates like sweetened cereals, white bread, pasta or rice put your insulin into overdrive, which can lead to diabetes, elevated triglycerides, and excess belly fat.  Higher fiber versions of these starches will keep your insulin and blood sugar more stable, and you’ll fill up faster and eat fewer calories. Check the food label for the fiber content, and choose breads that have at least 3 grams of fiber per slice, and cereals and pasta with at least 5 grams per serving.  If you regularly eat white rice, try whole grain quinoa instead.  It has much more fiber and a lower glycemic index, so it raises your blood sugar more slowly than rice. 

• Eat most of your calories earlier in the day, when they are easier to burn.  Dessert and late night snacking can add hundreds of extra and unnecessary calories which are stored as fat, so get into the habit of not eating anything after dinner.  If you crave something sweet after dinner, chew some gum (Extra Dessert Delights gums really do taste like dessert, with zero calories) or brush your teeth.

• Make sure you eat your calories, not drink them.  With the exception of low fat milk, most caloric beverages add little in the way of nutrition, but do add lots to your daily calorie intake. Substituting water, seltzer, tea or a zero calorie beverage 3-4 times a day instead of calorie-containing beverages like juice, soda, wine, or beer will result in almost one pound of weight loss per week.  Do the math, and you can see that this resolution is worth sticking to.

• Eat only from a plate, not from a bag or container, and only at the kitchen or dining room table.  That means no eating in the car, at the stove, in front of the television or computer, and definitely not in bed!

• When making your plate, include foods from at least 3 different food groups, and try to volumize your meals and snacks, as I explained in a previous blog post.  Eating more foods that are big on volume but small on calories is a great strategy to feel full throughout the day and still lose weight.  Good examples include any raw fruits or vegetables, lean proteins like chicken, fish, or turkey, and high fiber grains like whole wheat bread, brown rice, or pasta.  When combined together, these high volume foods can create delicious and filling meals or snacks, which are much lower in calories and much higher in nutrition. 

• Plan out all your meals and snacks for at least 5 days each week.  Any nutritionist will tell you that people who are successful at changing their eating habits are good planners.  They decide ahead of time what to eat, create a shopping list, shop only once each week (to avoid impulse purchases), and make sure they have the right ingredients available to prepare and pack healthy meals and snacks. If you’re not a planner, this might seem overwhelming, or too time consuming, but it really is the key to your success, so it’s worth working at.  Use sites like Health Monitor, which has a one-month meal-planning tool complete with a shopping list, as a starting point.  It might seem hard to believe at first, but once you master the art of meal planning, not only will you eat healthier, but you’ll also save time, money, and the stress of not having an answer to the “what’s for dinner tonight?” question.

Finally, remember that big changes always take more time to master, while smaller changes like these can happen quickly and still have a positive impact on your health.  Anyone who resolves to change their habits will have successes as well as setbacks throughout the year, but if it’s important to you, don’t give up!   Keep a journal and document your progress as well as your failures.  Reassess your strategy periodically, if necessary.  Surround yourself with others who have common goals: friends, family, co-workers, healthcare professionals, or even an online group to get extra support and encouragement when you need it. Good luck!

White Bean Dip

Next time you are cooking something in the oven, roast an entire head of garlic (with skin on) at 350°F for an hour, or until soft.

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 sprig fresh rosemary, or ½ tsp dry
1 head of garlic, roasted, cooled – squeeze out cloves and discard skin
2 Tbs olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processer and blend well.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Feta Yogurt Dip

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (fat free)
3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
2 Tbs chopped scallion
1 Tbs  fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt, pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Chill until serving.

About Anne Danahy, MS, RD, LDN

Anne Danahy, MS, RD, LDN has been a Nutritionist with Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates for the past 15 years, and she currently works as the “Virtual Nutritionist." Her professional interests include weight management, heart disease, and women’s nutritional issues. When she isn’t working, you can usually find her in the kitchen testing recipes that are healthy AND delicious.

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