Healthy Weight Loss Tips for the New Year

New Year’s resolutions are acts of self-improvement, many of which are geared towards diet, health, and weight loss. Unfortunately, the failure to follow through usually stems from setting unrealistic goals. This year, avoid this pitfall and stay accountable to yourself by following these healthy weight loss tips.

1. Start practicing in the present

As the holiday season nears, so do the many indulgences that come with it. It can be easy to get caught up with the holiday spirit, parties, and opportunities to wine and dine. Just remember, a resolution is not a reason to justify eating more cake. If you have an intention you wish to set, avoid the shock by starting to implement it immediately. 

2. Be specific and realistic

One weight loss tip we can't emphasize enough: Be specific and set targets that you are capable of achieving. When you set unrealistic goals it will discourage you and become a reminder that you failed.

3. Dump that diet

Diets do not yield long-term results and the weight lost is typically put back on, plus some. In order to maintain weight loss it is important to set a healthy foundation you can live with. Healthy weight loss cannot be achieved by the old adage of  “calories in, calories out.” Food affects our bodies in different ways and goes through various metabolic pathways. In order to optimize your health, it is good practice to:

• Eat a broad spectrum of fresh organic, seasonal and local whole foods
• Stay hydrated with filtered water
• Eat alkalizing and mineralizing foods
• Eat healthy fats like olive oil
• Source quality and easy to assimilate protein (eggs, grass fed bone broth, sprouted nuts and seeds)
• Eliminate refined sugars and flours
• Support your digestive system
• Chew your food well
• Do not eat in a hurry
• Prepare your own homemade meals

4. Create a daily routine

Having a regular routine trains your body and mind into having an efficient metabolism and bodily processes, and better self-control.  

• Awaken by 7am
• Drink 2 glasses of filtered water with fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• Empty your bowels
• Set your intention for the day
• Exercise and practice mindfulness (meditate, stretch, go for a light walk)
• Prepare for your day including meal planning
• Avoid drinking coffee with meals (as a stimulant it will flush away the nutrients and can cover up sluggish bowels)  
• Eat dinner before 8pm
• Be in bed by 10pm to assist your body with the natural detoxifying process

5. Eat foods that will stimulate digestive processes 

Activate stomach secretions, increase your metabolism, decongest your liver, and support digestion.

• Drink 1 ounce of apple cider vinegar (fermented with the mother) diluted in water 30 minutes before large meals
• Eat thermogenic herbs and spices: horseradish, mustard, cayenne pepper, fennel, garlic, ginger and turmeric
• Eat bitter and astringent foods: arugula, mustard greens, dandelion greens,and Jerusalem artichokes
• Eat foods naturally rich in iodine: sea vegetables (dried dulse, nori, sardines, cod and scallops)
• Incorporate foods high in non-irritating water soluble fibre (flax seed, chia seed and psyllium hulls)
• Eat probiotic rich foods: (unpasteurized) sauerkraut, kim-chi, kefir, probiotic-enriched yogurt and kombucha

*Originally published December 30, 2015