A New Year's Resolution: The Non-Diet Way

by Ursula Ridens RD

A Non-Diet New Year's resolution?  Yes, you've read this correctly.  More typically, your friends, family, and perhaps you would be kicking off the New Year with the latest fad diet to change your appearance and achieve a more socially accepted thin figure.  Before making this decision you should consider that dieting often leads to some unwanted side effects such as, low energy level, feelings of deprivation, low blood sugar, and cravings for those favorite foods that you won't allow yourself to eat.  Some people may even experience overeating or binge eating as a result of going through periods of low nutrition or deprivation.  To top it off, the weight loss that you may achieve is most likely temporary.  Coming off a diet usually means that you will return to the previous eating patterns that you were dissatisfied with and that drove you to diet in the first place. 

You can make 2008's New Year’s resolution more reasonable by adopting the Non-Diet way to achieve a healthy figure, and peace with food and your body.  Rather than a love-hate relationship, try learning to develop a more healthful relationship with food. 

• Listen to your body's hunger and fullness cues. 
• Learn how to identify and respond appropriately to these cues and make more informed decisions about when to start and stop eating. 
• Follow your taste preferences. 

All foods can fit into a healthful eating plan when eaten in moderation.  Balanced eating, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, can curb your appetite, result in feeling satisfied after eating, improve energy, stabilize blood sugar levels, and also help to maintain a weight that is appropriate and healthy for you.

Along with your newly adopted Non-Diet approach to eating, I challenge you to explore forms of movement that you find enjoyable.  Your weight management goals will be met more easily by incorporating regular activity that you look forward to doing.

Keep your personal weight goals realistic.  You may want to evaluate your own ideas about thinness and move more towards accepting that health results from sound nutrition and activity practices, but comes in bodies of all shapes and sizes. 

I welcome you to a New Year of peace, reasonable nutrition, and joyful movement!

The Balance Program through Real Living Nutrition Services offers a balanced approach to weight management using a Non-Diet philosophy.

About the Author:

Registered Dietitian Ursula Ridens is a licensed provider of Real Living Nutrition Services, an online weight management program.  She is also the founder of Ursula Ridens, RD Inc. where she provides nutrition therapy specializing in the areas of weight management, eating disorders, and sports nutrition.  For more information about the online Balance Program, visit http://www.reallivingnutrition.com/UrsulaRidens.aspx  To contact Ursula, e-mail at nutrimail1@yahoo.com.