How to Lose Weight in the New Year

It's that time of year. Among the top group of New Year's resolutions you'll find that ever elusive goal--to lose weight or go on a diet. But what is the success rate? How many people are still on target by the end of January? I won't even tell you...at least for now. I don't want to discourage you.

Instead, lets make a plan for how to be successful. First, make a plan. Don't choose a diet that you know on the front end will be impossible for you. That's a plan for failure. Instead, consider the basics. The reason you gain weight is that you are taking in more calories you burn. That's what has to change. There's two three approaches:

• Eat less calories
• Exercise more so that you burn more calories
• A combination of eating less calories and burning more calories.

Whether the doctor tells you to lose weight or not, if you're carrying around extra body fat, you know it. You don't really have to go on a diet--let's face it diets end and weight comes back. Instead, it's time to learn a measure of self-control and discipline. Eat less and exercise more.

The All Or Nothing Approach

Have you ever followed a diet successfully for two weeks or more and then fell prey to some gooey or greasy temptation? Once you eat that forbidden fruit, do you spiral out of control eating everything you've denied yourself?

This is a pattern I've witnessed in my life, and often, once I start eating the wrong foods I continue to do so for days if not weeks. One of the reasons I think this happens is that the "all or nothing" approach sets you up to be either a success or a failure. There is no in-between. Once I fail, I figure I might as well fail big time and eat what I want before I start again. How crazy is that?

The all or nothing approach is not realistic or practical. Let's face it, life happens. There's all kinds of reasons we may go off our diet, or make an unhealthy choice. The sad thing is to let that one time throw us into a tail spin.

My suggestion is to follow the new day approach. Each day is a new beginning. We have a clean slate. Don't carry failures or success from the previous day with you. Take each day as a new start and make the best of it. Have a plan to give you direction. For example, on Saturday I made an Asian salad of greens that have been marinating and will be perfect for lunches this week. I won't have to figure out what I'm eating for lunch, when I'm hungry and the Christmas cookies are an easy target.

Whether you're trying to lose 15 pounds fast, or working to get your cholesterol down, it is accomplished one day at a time. Today is a new day! A new start! Enjoy it!

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Power to Change

It's the holidays! So hard for me to believe that it is the end of the year. Seems like I was just holding my breath about the Y2K threat and now that's almost 10 years ago. Time moves swiftly and that's why it's important to take advantage of each day...to make a difference...even with your health and fitness.

For myself, I know I don't have the strength or power to stay on a diet 100 percent of the time. In fact, the term diet is something most of us think about as "starting" and when we reach our goal we're done, and most of the time we revert to our old ways and gain back the weight and many times more. Healthy eating goes beyond dieting. And the power to go beyond dieting to healthy eating is not in myself, but in my Lord.

My current life lessons involve "deny yourself". I awoke Sunday with that Scripture in my thoughts and went to find it. First I came across the Scripture in Mark where Jesus calls Peter and his brother to follow him. They were in the middle of work, casting their nets and they left everything and followed him immediately. They didn't say, "Let us finish what were doing and then we'll follow you." What struck me was "immediately". They didn't say, "I'll start Monday."


Then I found the Scripture I was looking for in Luke and was reminded that we are to deny ourselves daily--pick up our cross and follow him. In this case the word "daily" stood out. It's a lifestyle to be followed each day. We're either following or we're not.

Finally, I ended up in Titus where I read about how our actions will show that we follow Him--even in eating and exercise.

So deny yourself is immediate, daily, and our actions will show it. When I want to reach for those chips when I'm not even hungry, I know I'm not following him...I'm not denying myself. This of course is the short version, but if you want to read the Scriptures I read here they are:

Matthew 4:17-20
Luke 9:23-26
Titus 1:15-16


And in closing let me remind you "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Cor. 10:31)

Holiday Baking and Losing Weight

Thanksgiving is behind and Christmas is ahead. This is the time of year that can be quite a challenge for those who strive to eat healthy or are trying to lose weight. I've been hanging out at the LoveToKnow Diet forum where people are discussing all kinds of topics. If you go to the page, look in the top left hand corner for the yellow bar that says "Diet Forums". I brought up the topic Tips for Dieting and the Holidays, and have found the exchange is helping to motivate me to make better choices, and use the little tricks to help me through the times of temptation. If you're looking for some support, it's a great place to visit.

The tip I posted there today is about holiday baking. My family has a tradition of making a slew of Christmas cookies. Over the years I’ve narrowed it down to about four kinds of cookies, and most of those I bake to give away or bring to a special event. This way I can have a few of my favorites, without the temptation of eating them throughout the day...day after day.

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