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New Year’s Resolution to Lose Weight

Losing weight is one of the most common New Year’s resolution for Americans after indulging on lots of holiday food.

The beginning of a new year is the time many people decide to take off weight, especially the extra pounds they gained during the holidays. To be successful, the goal to lose weight should be backed-up with a plan that specifies what people intend to do, says Amy Olson, registered dietitian at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.

SOUND BITE: ". . . a realistic goal – how much could I reasonably lose; how diligent or how aggressive do I want to be in making changes. Do I want to go into a structured type of program that gives me a lot of direction as what I should do to lose this or do I want to just cut out my overeating food and substitute it with fruits and vegetables."

Olson says goals should be measurable, such as deciding to eat three servings of fruit every day is a specific plan. Monitoring one’s own behavior and writing it down are the keys to making changes. She suggests keeping a checklist or writing down what is eaten during the day. And have realistic expectations about how much a person can expect to lose per week.

SOUND BITE: "It’s safe and healthy to lose a half a pound, a pound, for people who really have a lot of weight to lose maybe two pounds per week. When you lose weight faster than that, you’re losing muscle as well as fat. And when you lose muscle, you’re whole system slows down and it becomes harder to keep that weight off and to lose weight in the future."

Olsen says cutting back on calories by 200 to 500 per day will result in losing a half a pound to a pound a week. She advises individuals to choose the type of diet that includes foods they enjoy eating to help ensure success.