Let’s face it. Whether you are a mom, a dad, a bachelor or a bachelorette, everyone struggles with weight issues at one time or another.  Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases. So this year, let’s try to keep the weight off. Shall we? 

1) Eat only when you hear your stomach growling. Don’t eat because you’re bored or just because you “feel like it”. Eat because your stomach asks you to.

2) When your plate is empty, you’re finished- Going for seconds when you have already had a plate full of macarooni&cheese, cornbread and fried chicken is a bad idea when you are trying to keep weight off. Try to consume a plateful of food in one sitting. No need for seconds.

3) Drink water and less sugared-water- Drink water and lots of it. Leave the the sodas, pops, and 2% juice drinks behind. This year, make it a goal to drink at least 4 cups of water. It is recommended that we drink eight cups of water a day, but since we’re just beginners, we can start slowly.

4) Supplement the donuts for an apple- A donut and an apple may be round but they do not provide the the same nutrients. In fact, i’m not at all sure that a donut provides any nutrition at all. “An apple a day will keep the weight away.”  Say this a couple of times a day and the next time you go to a grocery store, pick up a fruit of some sort.

5) Walk instead of sitting- Isn’t your patootie tired of being pressed against a hard surface everyday for eight hours straight? Why don’t you let it take a breather for a change? Get up and dance or run. Do something other than sit down all day. Your patootie deserves it!