5 Secrets to Weight Loss in 2010

As the new year roles around, many wonder how to fulfill their new years weight loss resolution. Hopefully, the days of holiday candies and cookies are now behind you and you can begin some new health habits that can last for 2010 and, hopefully, for life.
5 Holiday Weight Loss Tips

Establish good habitsResearch suggests that if you do an activity for 30 days, it becomes a habit. While this can be problematic for those bad habits you have engrained, it can also be useful to help you create a healthy new routine. If you got a new gym membership for Christmas, make yourself go for the first 30 days. Once you have gotten through this first difficult hurdle, it should become a part of your routine and it will be much easier to find the motivation.

1. Enlist a BuddyIt's always easier to find motivation for weight loss if you have a friend or someone to hold you accountable for your efforts. Programs such as Weight Watchers recognize this team-mentality, but you can also create your own weight-loss network. Tell friends or relatives about your goal and find a buddy who is also trying to fulfill a similar resolution. Agree to check in with each other at periodic intervals, or make a plan to walk together or meet up at the gym a few times a week. When you know you have to give progress reports to someone, you might think twice about reaching for that cookie.
   
2. Sign Up for a ClassIf you are trying to get into an exercise routine, it may be easier if you sign up for an aerobics or yoga class or even make an appointment with a personal trainer at your gym. If you make a commitment to be somewhere and you pay for the privilege, you are more likely to feel obligated to go than if you just make vague plants to start "working out more."
   
3. Change Eating Habits SlowlyMost radical diets don't work because people are unable to sustain them. Instead of giving up all your favorite foods, slowly make a shift towards overall healthy eating. For example, instead of a breakfast sandwich or a pastry from your local donut shop, begin the day with a banana. Phase in more fruits, vegetables and other good-for-you treats and eventually your body will become more used to the healthy food and won't crave the bad stuff quite as much.
   
4. Only Eat When HungryThis may seem as if it is obvious, but many people actually eat when they aren't hungry. For example, even if you have just had breakfast, if there is a platter of donuts on the counter at work, most people will take one. Instead, avoid the donuts or promise yourself you can eat one if and when you actually do become hungry instead of just grabbing one because it is there. You can also ensure you eat only when hungry by using smaller plates, not filling your plate full, and pausing after you've eaten part of your meal to rest and determine if you are really still hungry or if you are just eating because the food is there.