DON'T WISH FOR IT. WORK FOR IT.

New Years resolutions are known to go to extremes, you just finished a month (or two) of eating a little more than usual and maybe even drinking and working out less.  You are ready to make a major change in your life and start a super strict diet! 

That’s right, January 1st you are going to give up all the things you love to eat and rely on willpower to get you through.  

1. Instead of giving up sweets and desserts think about incorporating buffer foods.

One of the biggest things people give up is sugar, sweets and desserts and it is also one of the biggest things people crave. If you are looking to cut back on sweets and desserts but are afraid that cutting it all out will make you feel deprived and cause a binge, then incorporate buffer foods into your day.

Buffer foods allow you to have a small amount of foods that you can’t live without and helps to teach moderation. A good example of this would be to include a small piece of dark chocolate after dinner a few nights a week instead of indulging in a large piece of chocolate cake.  

If you love ice cream try a substitute like Arctic Zero, or make some healthy treats like you would find on my Instagram @sabrinasarabella to replace your usual sugar and sweets craving. 

2. Instead of counting every calorie think of counting your protein. 

Starting off writing down everything that goes is your mouth is a great idea, but after a few weeks or even when the weekend arrives it can start to feel overwhelming and tedious. Instead of obsessing about every single calorie that you are eating go a little broader and focus on getting enough protein into your day. Count your protein grams, you can use any app on your phone to do this.  You should aim for about .9-1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight and a minimum of 90 grams per day. 

3. Instead of closing the kitchen after dinner plan an after dinner snack into your day.

“I am not going to eat after dinner at all.” as stomach grumbles and you have to rely on willpower to not eat everything in the kitchen. The constant snacking after dinner is a common problem for most people so cutting out the after dinner snack may seem like a reasonable solution. However, the issue usually is that you haven’t eaten enough food during the day and when you finally sit down to rest at night and your body catches up and now it wants calories that is has been missing all day. 

4. Instead of doing a cleanse focus on making healthy eating choices. 

I know we all want to “cleanse” and “detox” after all we have been eating over the holiday season but did you know that you don’t have to go to complete extremes? Our body detoxes on its own, that’s why we have a liver. When we eat excessive amounts of sugars and processed inflammatory foods, drink alcohol and skimp on sleep we put stress on our built in detox system, our liver, and it can make us feel slugging and bloated. 

Instead of doing a strict detox start to focus on eating lots of green leafy vegetables, lean organic, proteins likes wild salmon, eggs, lean turkey and chicken. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and up to about a gallon. Also, get to bed before 10pm and get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. 

5. Instead of thinking about workouts like a punishment find a activity that is fun.

You ever see those charts that put a food up and then tell you how many Burpees you need to do to burn it off? Yeah…well, that’s not exactly how exercise and burning calories works and besides who wants to feel like you have to punish yourself for eating something. So many times we make a resolution to start working out but then we go to the gym, run on the treadmill and then figure out how boring that is and then fall off the wagon and hating the gym. 

Instead of dreading your workouts and feeling like its a chore, find an activity that you really love! If you like to dance, find a dance class in your area or join a gym that offers classes you like. Look into a Barre studio, Cycling or Kickboxing classes, there is so much variety out there you are bound to love some sort of work out and want to stick to it!!

6. Instead of cutting out all carbs substitute with healthier fat loss friendly options. 

Many strict diets will have you remove a certain food groups like carbohydrates and talk about carbs are evil.  Cutting out a major food group like carbohydrates is not only setting you up for failure but not the healthiest solution. 

For example, swap out pasta for spaghetti squash, trade your morning bagel for oatmeal, and substitute your flour wrap for a lettuce wrap. Changing up the the source of your carbohydrates but not completely cutting them out of your diet will help to keep you satisfied while losing fat. 

7. Instead of giving up drinking practice moderation.  

A lot of my friends have decided to do what they call “Dry January” where they are giving up any sort of drinking for the month. Yes, alcohol can hinder fat lass and drinking multiple glasses a day is fast way to add up to extra calories you don’t know that you are consuming. So, I think it is a good idea if you want to give you drinking.

However, I teach moderation and if you enjoy alcohol responsibly then I don’t see an issue with having a drink when you want one. When you do choose to drink the best drinks for fat loss are pinot noir and vodka with a club soda or water mixer. Also, if you choose to drink substitute that as your carbohydrate for your meal and limit your drinking to 1-2 glasses. 

If this is the year you have decided to focus on your health then come join me in the Metabolism Reboot program. The number one resolutions most American make is to lose weight but unfortunately almost 90% people will fail. The Metabolism Reboot program was designed so that you can succeed. The program has a support system, a coach (me) to help hold you accountable, and practices using these techniques focusing on moderation to lose fat.  Sign up today!! HERE