By Victoria Joanna  BBA, CNP, RNCP http://www.victoriajoanna.com/

So it’s January.  After a month of feasting and partying, many of us find ourselves with a few extra pounds to lose.   It’s amazing how quickly those calories can add up from a few (or a lot) extra chips, dip, drinks and desserts!

This is probably the single busiest month for the fitness and diet industry.  Before you embark on yet another diet or strict eating regime, consider doing something different this year.  Statistics show that over 95% of people who diet will gain the weight back.  That’s a big number.  Something is clearly not working with this approach.  It may get results in the short-term, but it’s not sustainable and often not healthy.

A healthy approach to weight loss focuses on eating habits that will help you shed unwanted pounds, gradually and permanently, without deprivation.  Most importantly, it focuses on building up your health so that you have more than just weight loss, you feel more energized, have better sleep, and a glowing complexion.  Who doesn’t want that?

So whether you have 5lbs to lose or 50lbs, here are 3 tips to get you on the road to permanent weight loss:

Watch your portions.  While drastic low calorie diets and deprivation don’t work, it’s important to be mindful of portion sizes.  Ultimately weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you take in, so if you overeat (even on healthy food) it will be difficult to lose weight.  From a health standpoint, eating the right portions supports our digestion and prevents us from feeling tired and bloated by giving our body too much food to process at one time.   Remember that a serving of rice is approx 1/2cup to 1cup, that’s a lot less than those “rice bowls” that are served at many healthy and vegetarian restaurants.  Instead, you can fill up on low calorie, nutrient dense vegetables, and limit your grains and protein to proper sizes.

Eat the “real” stuff.  I can’t stress this enough.  When we eat processed “low fat”, “non fat”, “no carb”, “no sugar” frankenfoods, they have a detrimental impact on our health and our metabolism.  Not only are they full of chemicals, which our body has to process by expending extra energy; they are not recognized by our body’s natural signals.  This means that the hormones that trigger our hunger and satiety response are not working optimally to control our appetite – we end up craving more and eating more.  To compound the problem, these foods are usually lacking the vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy fats which our body needs to function optimally, making it even harder to lose weight.

Stop eating by 7:30pm.  This is a tough one for most people, especially given our lifestyles.  But it is also one of the most important components of weight loss as well as optimal health.  The goal is to finish eating at least 2-3 hours before you go to sleep.  This allows your body enough time to digest the food and burn the calories before you become still for the next 7-9 hours.   As hard as this may be to do, it is one of the quickest ways to notice a change in your weight and it is also extremely healthy.  You don’t want undigested food sitting in your stomach while you are sleeping.  Try it for a week and notice how much lighter you feel and how much easier it is to wake up in the morning without feeling tired and groggy.

Just by implementing these three steps, you will notice a difference in your weight and energy level.  Since you are not starving yourself or eliminating carbohydrates completely, you are far more likely to maintain these habits are therefore create a permanent healthy lifestyle.