Every year is a chance to start anew. As the ball drops in Times Square, your determination rises. This is it, you tell yourself. I’m going to eat better, get in shape, and find time to focus on meaningful friendships. You really mean it and follow through—until a couple of weeks after the holiday decorations have been put away. After that, those great resolutions fall as flat as the bottle of champagne you forgot to put in the fridge the morning after.
It doesn’t have to be that way. If these goals are at the top of your list, the year really can be a clean slate and, in fact, you can write a new, better story for yourself on it. That’s because New Year’s resolutions are more than just aspirations, they’re habits to be made. Once you find your groove, it’s easy to just keep going.
An easy start is with your diet.
Eating healthy means more than giving up candy and croissants. It’s also about deciding what you will eat. One thing to consciously work more of into your diet is protein. Most people lose about one percent of lean body mass every year, and that decreases our metabolism. Protein is made up of amino acids, the building blocks we need to preserve our muscle. By add in some weight training, you’ll do a great job of holding onto your muscle and staying lean. Another option is to use my recommended protein powder, which contains leucine, an amino acid that supports your body in burning fat and retaining your lean muscle.
Another reason why protein is helpful is that it promotes satiety, a feeling of fullness and satisfaction after you’ve eaten. When we eat protein, it takes our body longer to break it down, which helps us to feel full for longer. It also takes our body more calories to burn it. Unlike carbs, protein doesn’t raise your blood sugar, either.
A person weighing 165 lbs. should eat around 60 grams of protein a day (multiply your weight by .36 to calculate your grams). But if you’re trying to lose weight, you should up that total per day to around 100 grams (multiply your present weight by .60). Eating at least 100 grams of protein a day is important for anyone trying to lose weight, as it helps to ensure fat loss rather than muscle loss. Furthermore, it can also help you feel fuller for longer, making it easier to stay on track with your diet and reach your weight-loss goals.
Try two eggs at breakfast and a smoothie with added protein powder. Give protein a place at the lunch table by having a salad topped with grilled chicken, salmon, or shrimp. Protein-rich snacks include Greek yogurt or a 100-calorie bag of nuts. Dinner should include another lean meat or fish coupled with a salad with vegetables. Of course, make sure you get in your daily servings of fruits and veggies as well.
Monitor your fiber intake, too—you should aim to get 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day. There are two types: Insoluble fiber goes through us without being digested, and that type helps with regularity. Soluble fiber helps reduce cholesterol and LDL (aka “bad”) cholesterol by breaking apart and grabbing onto cholesterol and pulling it through our body. Fiber also helps to regulate our blood sugar. If we have a carbohydrate that’s high in fiber such as whole-grain pasta or a piece of fruit, our body doesn’t break it down as quickly or as thoroughly, and our blood sugar doesn’t rise as much.
Feel free to have all the veggies you want! They’re low in calories, they don’t have any fat, they’re low in carbohydrates, and they’re high in fiber. Adding that kind of roughage to our day is really helpful. We can eat a bigger volume, so it helps with weight management and blood sugar control, and a lot of that is because of the fiber. If you want to boost your fiber intake with your morning eggs, make a veggie omelet, or try some make-ahead eggs in a muffin tin with vegetables like spinach, tomatoes, or peppers. Or add veggies such as spinach or kale on to your morning smoothie.
At snack time, if you’re having Greek yogurt, add fresh berries or sprinkle chia or flax seeds on top. A lunchtime salad topped with protein will cover your bases, and on sandwich days use high-fiber bread and put some baby carrots, cucumber slices, or mini tomatoes on the side. In the evening, if you start by eating a big salad at dinner, or even snack on some raw vegetables while cooking, and then have some kind of cooked vegetables with dinner, that will give you multiple fiber sources.
Our diet is a good place to start next year, but don’t forget to also take a look at where you can tweak things with your physical activity, your relationships, managing stress and getting enough sleep. If you would like some support and accountability, join my free VIP group here.
Smart, healthy changes aren’t as hard to make as you think. Enjoy your best year yet!
Let me know in the comments where you’re going to start first.
