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Small changes, big results: Intimidated by a New Year’s resolution? Baby steps can get you there

By • January 6, 2016

  • 5 mins to read

Small changes, big results: Intimidated by a New Year’s resolution? Baby steps can get you there
If reality is setting in on a pledge to become healthier, take heart and break it down with the help of a two-part series on how to get there without biting off more than we can chew all at once. Next week, area experts share some of their tips. Photo by: healthcareaboveall.com

Six days into 2016 and some of us are already feeling the pressure of lofty promises we made ourselves in a fit of new year euphoria. If your resolutions included improving health or losing some pounds, reality may already be setting in: this stuff takes long-haul commitment. Our approach to better health can vary between method and madness, and most of us have seen (or been) the overboard type — the one who tries 100 sit-ups on Day One, or rations themselves to lettuce the first week in. It’s unsustainable for 99 percent of us mortals, of course, and usually heralds an epic fail. As with the steadfast tortoise and short-sighted hare, slow and steady will win the race.

So, this Wednesday and next, we’ll take a look at small changes that can lead to big results. Today we’ve compiled some of our favorite strategies from a few nutritionists and dietitians on the national front. Next Wednesday we’ll hear from area experts who give us their take and share recipes.

Baby steps

Some surprisingly small dietary tweaks can increase pound-shedding potential. A few baby steps every month throughout the year often yield a better outcome than taking on more than we can handle at one time, says Susan Bowerman at discovergoodnutrition.com. Bowerman’s a registered dietitian and a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics.

“Taken together, many small changes over time can lead to big results, and since little dietary changes are easier to practice every day, you’ll always be reinforcing those new eating habits for a lifetime,” she says.

Below are a few suggestions you may want to choose from. Pick two or three you’d like to implement before the end of January, and start building new habits. In February, add more, and keep it up.

To your health

  • Leave a few bites on your plate — Too often we rely on an empty plate to tell us we’re finished eating, and by then we may have eaten a lot more than we should. Leaving a few bites helps us get in touch with fullness signals and learn how much food we actually need at a sitting. It’s been estimated a single bite of food averages about 25 calories. Suppose we leave two bites on the plate at two meals every day. That’s 100 calories, and in a year, that could add up to a 10 pound weight loss.
  • Pick up a pen — Write down how much we eat, says prevention.com. Mindlessly munching on a bag of chips can result in polishing off the whole thing before we know it. Write it down and we’re more likely to practice portion control. A study revealed that people who keep a food journal lost twice as much weight as those who didn’t.
  • Commercial breaks — Skip, dance or run in place during every TV commercial, says Geralyn Coopersmith, senior national manager at Equinox Fitness. Do anything that gets the heart rate up so that we feel slightly breathless. Do it for each two-minute break during a typical two-hour TV night and we’ll burn an extra 270 calories a day, which can translate to a 28-pound weight loss in a year, says Coopersmith.
  • Walk five minutes more — Determine to walk even just five minutes more every day, building physical activity to at least 30 minutes daily, burning about 120 extra calories per day, or 12 1/2 pounds per year.
  • Get a pedometer — We wouldn’t leave home without a cellphone, so make a pedometer a must-have accessory, too, says prevention.com. Research shows that those who do tend to take nearly 2,500 more steps per day. In a year, that’s enough to burn about 10 pounds.
  • Go to bed — Try hitting the hay an hour earlier and avoid those late-night diet busters. We won’t hate ourselves in the morning.
  • Chew — If you’re a muncher while cooking, chew gum instead; it can prevent excessive snacking disguised as tasting.
  • Don’t be a gobbler — Eat more slowly. It takes up to 20 minutes for “I’m satisfied” to kick in, so let’s take our time.
  • Double veggies, cut starch — Typically consume a meal with a protein, a vegetable and a starch? Try omitting the starch just three times a week and double the veggie, suggests discovergoodnutrition.com. A portion of cooked rice, noodles or potatoes has well over 200 calories, while the same amount of cooked vegetables has about 50 calories. This change alone could mean a 7-pound loss in a year.
  • Unconscious eating — If we eat to celebrate or to compensate for feeling tired or bored, then stock up on veggies, salads and lean proteins instead of chips or sweets. Add yogurt, walnuts, baby carrots and apples to the grocery list.

    These are only a few of the baby steps that can help us reach goals for a healthier new year. The beauty of them all is that this isn’t rocket science — it’s common sense. Next Wednesday, we hear from some culinary and nutrition experts in the Golden Triangle on the subject. So until then, here’s a new year’s toast to small changes and big results.

    Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.

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    Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.

    You can help your community

    Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.

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