Pounding in the New Year

People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas. ~Author Unknown.

You may be one of many who has made a New Year resolution to lose weight. Here are a few words of advice.

First of all, there are no magic pills or short cuts. Stop looking for one.
It's simply a matter of energy input versus energy expenditure. You have to burn more calories than you eat each day to be able to lose the fat.

My Pyramid Tracker is a free site that helps calculate the calorie input versus the output to assess if you are net positive or negative for the day. To lose one pound a week, you should consume approximately 3,500 fewer calories per week. This can be done by having a calorie deficit of 500 per day which can be achieved from decreased intake and increased physical activity.

Exercise should be included in any weight loss program. Different levels may be recommended depending on your baseline conditioning and health status. The recommendations for a generally healthy person is one hour of exercise 4-5 times a week.

Different weight loss techniques and diets work for different people, so find one that you think you can maintain long term. Here is a review of some diet plans. Common sense should prevail.

A structured self-regulated program either face-to-face or via an Internet program has been shown to be effective in helping patients lose weight and to maintain the weight loss. Here is a review of weight loss programs. Pick a program that feels right for you. If you are an introvert you may be more comfortable with an online program, and if you are an extrovert then you may benefit from group encounters. In general it helps to not do it alone.

Don't forget your doctor as a resource. Other than consulting him or her before starting a diet program, consider your doctor as a weight loss coach and your partner in helping you achieve your goal.

Finally if nothing else can motivate you then consider this, weight loss programs may be tax deductible.