Top 10 “Lose weight” SMART resolutions

According to country estimates, over 50% of both men and women in the WHO European Region are overweight, and roughly 23% of women and 20% of men are obese. Being overweight or obese can have a serious impact on health and lead to severe health consequences such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, muscular-skeletal disorders, and some cancers.

1. Keep a food journal for a while, including drinks, times and emotions. Many experts say that the simple act of keeping a food diary can encourage you to eat fewer calories — and thus lose weight. Several studies have shown that people who keep food journals are more likely to be successful in losing weight and keeping it off. In fact, a researcher from one recent study says that people keeping a food diary six days a week lost about twice as much weight as those who kept food records one day a week or less.
2. Pause to ask yourself “Am I hungry?” and journal your thoughts. This mindfulness technique is the key to not overeating and though it takes time to master, it is the simplest way of maintaining a healthy weight. We are instinctively wired to eat when we are hungry and stop when full. If this seems to difficult, working with a mindful eating coach might be part of your resolution,
3. Share your food diary with a friend, partner or coach. Accountability is a powerful part of a food diary and showing it to someone else means you’re not only accountable to yourself but to others, they might also have some useful insight.
4. Weigh yourself weekly. Though this is very personal, many studies show that the more frequently dieters weigh themselves, the more weight they lose, and if people go more than a week without weighing themselves, they tend to gain weight. 
5. Keep in mind that your stomach is about the size of your fist and stretches as it fills. Using your fist as a guide can help you determine appropriate portions as you consider “am I hungry” or “how full am I”. To reach and maintain a healthy weight, it’s essential to eat appropriate portions.  (See image below as a guide)
6. Keep Calm and Eat Healthy (See blog 1/4). By adapting our 10 tips for eating healthy, you will likely lose weight.
7. Keep Calm and Exercise (See blog 2/4). Exercise is a key factor to maintaining a healthy weight. You could lose weight based on diet alone but to maintain weight loss,regular physical activity is an absolute must.
8. Keep Calm and Sleep More (See blog 3/4). Recent studies have suggested an association between sleep duration and weight gain. Sleeping less than five hours — or more than nine hours — a night appears to increase the likelihood of weight gain. In addition, New findings link changes in two important “hunger hormones” – leptin and ghrelin – to the amount of sleep we get. Leptin is a hormone that decreases your appetite. Ghrelin is a hormone that increases appetite, playing a vital role in body weight.
9. Begin every meal or snack with 50% fruit or vegetable thereby “crowding out” more calorie dense foods. 
10. Plan your restaurant, cafeteria, airline or other eating-out choices ahead of time by looking up menus on-line or elsewhere. Journal any deviation from plan so that you can aim to improve next time.