Dr. Ken Hopper of LifeSynch offers simple tips toward achieving New Year's weight loss resolution

Dec 31 2009

It's that time of year. Gyms will be flooded with people ready to step on a treadmill. Grocery carts will be filled with fruits and vegetables instead of frozen pizza and chips. People will enter the New Year resolved to lose weight. But surveys show that most people don't keep this resolution. Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to change your lifestyle and drop the pounds, according to Dr. Ken Hopper of LifeSynch, the behavioral health and wellness subsidiary of Humana ( HUM).

Hopper offers the following simple tips toward achieving your New Year's weight loss resolution.

1. Slow down! Sit down at a table and really think about what you are eating. Try eating with your non-dominant hand or using smaller utensils. Doing this will help you savor and not scarf your food. You will also realize that you are full before you eat too much.
2. Stop. Don't eat while you are distracted. This means putting down the remote, putting your car in park or putting away the cell phone. Eating involves more than just putting food in your mouth. We use all five senses while we eat. We smell, see, taste, hear and touch. Pay attention to all of them.
3. If it's not there, you won't eat it. Don't buy unhealthy foods that will tempt you every time you open the pantry. It is easier to resist buying tempting foods for 30 minutes at the store than to resist eating them for 24 hours a day if they're in your house.
4. Be selective. If you can take or leave doughnuts, why take one just because it's offered? Ask yourself if you would really enjoy it. If you wouldn't, hold out until you have a chance to eat your very favorite treat.
5. Find substitutions. Crave chocolate? Try a cup of low sugar hot chocolate or a pudding cup. Plain yogurt can replace mayonnaise or sour cream. Applesauce can replace oil in most baking recipes.
6. Snack with purpose. Try a combination of protein and carbohydrates. Examples are string cheese and a handful of nuts, an apple with peanut butter, or yogurt and berries.
7. Get support. You don't have to do it alone. Many organizations offer wellness benefits through companies like LifeSynch. Some include health coaches that provide motivation and can help you find ways to reach goals. Also recruit your family and friends to make some of the same changes.

The easiest way to make healthy changes is doing things that are realistic and sustainable for your life. If you cannot see yourself doing something two months from now, then don't go for it. Change your mindset. Don't say, "I will do it tomorrow." Say, "I will do it today."