The New Year is upon on us, and with that comes the resolution of many: to lose weight and adopt more healthy living habits.

According to Goutham Rao, MD, Primary Care Physician at NorthShore, weight loss can be achieved through incremental behavior change. He provides some quick tips about healthy behaviors to help lose weight.

Healthy behaviors include:

• Eat a balanced breakfast. Skipping breakfast encourages overeating later in the day.
• Eliminate all sweet beverages from your diet and switch to water exclusively. (Sweet beverages include: fruit drinks, punches, regular soft drinks, fruit juices, sweetened iced tea, flavored milk, sports drinks and energy drinks).
• Limit fast food consumption to no more than once per week. 
• Incorporate about 15 – 30 minutes of physical activity into your daily routine (e.g. aerobics classes). Walking—even part of the way to work—is a good example.
• Limit all non work-related screen time to no more than two hours a day. This includes computer, video games and TV. 
• Eat meals as a family. Don’t eat in front of the TV; mindless eating promotes obesity.
• Avoid snacks or meals just before bedtime (when energy is least needed).

What tips do you have to stay trim this year?

For more information about Childhood Obesity, please check out Dr. Rao’s book, Child Obesity: A Parent’s Guide to a Fit, Trim and Happy Child.