This time of year, most people think of cookies, pumpkin pie, lights, Christmas trees, and even snow. But most people probably try not to think about diets until January (the month with the most new gym memberships). But instead of focusing on loosing weight after the holidays, you can keep your weight at bay and even loose weight now instead of gaining an extra 10 pounds this year so you can take it off next year. 

But what diets work and what don’t? Any diet under 1,200 calories is considered a starvation diet. These diets are never a good idea because all you loose is muscle and you will put the weight right back on. Adding muscle is much more efficient for your body to loose weight than loosing it. Muscle actually helps speed up your metabolism. Why do you think men have an easier time loosing weight than women?

What about a low carb diet? That can work for a short time. Many people loose weight by going on these types of diets. But, these diets are starter diets, meaning it’s good to use them to help you start loosing weight, but they are not good for your body in the long run. Your body needs nutrients that you are not getting on a low carb diet.

The best diets are lifestyle diets. This is a combination of eating fewer calories and exercising at least 3 or more times a week. On this diet, you may not loose as much weight in the beginning as the low carb diet, but you can end up loosing much more weight because this is a lifestyle change not just a quick fix. It’s a habit you need to develop for the rest of your life.

So how do you get started? Take your body weight and multiple it by 10. This is the number of calories your body needs to maintain your weight. So, how many calories should you be consuming if you want to loose weight? Multiple your goal weight by 10. That is the number of calories you should be consuming. But remember, never consume less than 1,200 calories. It doesn’t matter where these calories come from, try not to eat more than what you calculated. It is better to eat healthy because it will give your body more energy. Next comes exercise. I know, probably not what is on your mind, but all you have to do is burn 500 extra calories a week in exercise to loose weight. You can walk, do yoga, ride a bike, run, do weight-bearing exercises, and even housework or yard-work. 

What if you wanted to eat all that turkey and the trimmings, or the Christmas cookies? You can do that, but in moderation. Just remember that each cookie usually can contain 100 calories or more. And an average slice of pumpkin pie has around 240 calories. So you can have one of everything, but the next day cut back where you can. It’s o.k. to splurge once in a while; just don’t do it all the time.