Happy New Year! Let’s hope that 2021 is much better than 2020 although there were a lot of things that were positive with the year as well. Being in the health industry I noticed that a lot of people started to turn to a more preventive style of living; watching what they were eating, exercising and sleeping more. We have also spent more time with our loved ones. So not a total loss by any means but my heart goes out to all who have lost loved ones, their businesses and lively-hood.

I have already gotten several inquiries regarding how to lose weight this month (yes, I know it’s only the 3rd!). Should I try this diet or that diet etc. Meaningful weight loss is not about going on a diet; the weight will just come back on if you don’t make permanent sustainable changes. I’m all about making easy life long changes. Here’s the challenge:

1. Understand that just because food labels say that calories are based on a diet of 2000 calories per day, that is not the number of calories you should eat daily. It is rare that someone needs that many calories per day (unless you are an athlete and may need more but I doubt athletes are actually reading this post).
2. You must exercise even if it is just walking. Exercise burns calories and builds muscle. Muscles burn more calories than fat, simple math. And you feel great if you exercise.
3. Drink water and lots of it. The general rule is your weight in pounds divided by 2, drink that much water in ounces, i.e. 128 pounds divided by 2 = 64 ounces or 8 cups daily.
4. Eat your veggies! 7-10 servings (½ cup each serving) daily. Your body needs the fibre (makes you feel full and helps with elimination), the vitamins which are not available from most animal products and minerals. Plus of course antioxidants and a whole slew of other “good for you” nutrients (see future posts for more). Aim for 40-50 grams of fibre per day.
5. Get enough protein but not too much. You can have animal or vegetarian protein but any excess of anything, including protein eventually gets stored as fat. Once again, there are exceptions but the general rule of thumb is 20% of your daily calories should come from protein, maximum 25%.
6. Healthy fats (olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, butter for example and in moderation) should make up approximately 20% of the daily calories. Ensure you have as many Omega 3’s as possible since many North Americans have way too many Omega 6’s in proportion to Omega 3’s (though cutting out processed foods will make balancing the two fats easier).
7. Put aside the money you save on your food bill to purchase new clothes!

Losing weight is about changing your eating habits, not about going on a diet. You can have a treat, once in a blue moon. Not every day and certainly not every week. Find another way to treat yourself instead of it involving poor health which is certainly no treat at all!