It’s a New Year! I am pretty sure that you have welcomed and celebrated it with a bang. And with the ushering in of 2014, you must have already sharpened your pencils and prepared a clean sheet of paper to do the highly customary New Year’s resolutions list. I am guessing that somewhere in your top 5 list is the expected and widely popular “lose weight fast” resolution of to-do things in the New Year.  I know that listing your 2014 resolutions is very easy but getting started on how to lose weight for the New Year is a totally different thing.

So, how do you start your journey to a slimmer you this New Year? It does not have to be difficult. Here are 7 effective ways to shed off those excess pounds and fat you have packed during the holiday season.

Drink Up with Water

Holiday dinner parties are certainly not complete without a couple rounds of drinks. You probably have had one too many of either a cola or beer. So, for the New Year, cut back on your sodas and alcoholic beverages consumption and kick start your weight loss program by quenching your thirst with more water.

Several researches have shown that links water with weight loss. For one, it is one of the simplest and most effective ways to curb your appetite. Most often when you are dehydrated, your body signals a false feeling of hunger instead of thirst. How do you know if you are just thirsty and not really hungry? All you need to do is simply drink a glass of water and wait for a couple of minutes to see if you are satisfied or not. If you are satisfied, then you know that you are not hungry after all.

Make it a habit to keep hydrated throughout the day. Drink plenty of water before your snacks and meals to help your hydration levels in balance. How much water is enough? Keep this measure in mind, it is suggested that men drink up an average of 13 cups a day, while women need 9 cups a day. If you exercise, add a cup and a half to that per day.

And the best thing about water is that it helps you keep full without the unnecessary calories.

Eat Your Breakfast

You hear it more often, from nutritional experts to your mom, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So, if you are one who is on the go, make room for a slot in your New Year’s resolution list to give time and sit down for a good, hefty and healthy breakfast meal. Eating breakfast gives your metabolism that needed boost, which is essential in long-term weight loss.

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains that, “When you wake up in the morning, your body and your brain are primed to look for food. Your metabolism is revved up, and levels of cortisol and adrenaline are at their highest. The brain needs energy quickly, so if you don't eat enough early on, the brain looks for a different fuel source. It goes into emergency mode, resorting to the energy stored in your muscles, destroying muscle tissue. When you finally do eat, the body stores the energy it gets from food as fat.”

Sugar-coated cereals, pop tarts or just a piece of toast does not cut it. Active.com says that you should choose a balanced meal that contains 1 cup of whole grains, fruit and a little lean protein. Good choices are hard-boiled eggs, whole grain cereals or toast, plain yogurt and lean ham.

High Fiber Diet

Incorporating a high fiber diet into your weight loss program for 2014 is a great way of flushing out the fats and toxins you have accumulated during the numerous holiday parties you attended. Fiber rich foods help you feel fuller, lose weight and improve your overall health. A great thing about them is that it is very low in calories, so you can eat more high fiber foods without the guilt of adding extra fat to your body.

You know how much we, Asians, love our rice. But instead of the fluffy white rice, substitute it with brown rice and pair it with some broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beans or mushrooms. And in between your meals, swap those sweet treats with a bran muffin, almonds or a pack of light popcorn (hold the butter and just add a dash of salt). If you really cannot resist your craving, add sliced fresh berries to your favorite ice cream to make it a bit healthier.

Other fiber-rich foods include orange fruits, spinach pasta, burritos, rye bread, sesame seed buns and even chocolate milk drink.

Hit The Gym

No amount of eating the right kind and amount of food can get rid of the junk you have stacked on your belly with all the food you ate during the holidays. You need to burn them and sweat it out by exercising and working out.

But, we all know that working out is such a challenge to start and can be tiresome, to a point. But, according to Stephanie Row, personal trainer at the Woodcreek Athletic Club in Texas, is that one of the best ways to keep your resolution of hitting the gym is to build relationship at the gym. This is because you would want to come back and see your new gym friends. Participate in group sessions or classes. But, if you are one of those introverts, encourage and work out with someone you already know. This way, you can keep each other motivated and inspired.

Further, Row says, “They say after 21 days it becomes a habit and you begin to see the body changing, you feel good and you just want to continue exercising. So, my recommendation is stick with it for 21 days and you'll be on track for a lifetime of fitness.”

She also said that one way that you would not get bored is to switch it up with classes and machine exercises. More importantly, Row recommends that you do not push yourself too hard, take a day’s rest from exercise and that you should write your goals and achievements down.


A Five-Minute Workout

But, if you cannot fit an hour’s work at the gym in to your schedule, do not fret. You can still do a hardcore workout session at your own home in just five minutes. So, there literally is no excuse for you not to sweat it all out and burn those excess fats away.

All you need is a set of dumb bells, a mat and five minutes of your time. That’s it! All you need to do is perform 1 set each of 20 reps of dolphin pike, balancing deadlift row, curl to press, quadruped kickback and chest press leg drop with little to no breaks in between. If this is too much to begin with for you, start with smaller reps and longer breaks. But, make sure to finish the entire set in five minutes.

However, if you do not have equipment but can spare two minutes more to your time, you also do the 7-minute workout. All you need is a chair and a wall. All you need to do is perform these 11 exercises. Do each exercise for 30 seconds and rest for a maximum of ten seconds then perform the next routine.

●   Jumping jacks
●     Wall Sit
●     Push-up
●     Abdominal Crunch
●     Step-up Onto Chair
●     Squat
●     Triceps Dip On Chair
●     Plank
●     High Knees Running In Place
●     Lunge
●     Push-up and Rotation
●     Side Plank
If it gets easy for you, try doubling the set up and finish it 15 minutes.

Medical Aesthetic Procedure

However, there are times when even with eating proper food and exercising, some stubborn fats just will not go away that easily. You know, the muffin tops, the pooch, the under arm fat, the belly. If you just cannot seem to get rid of these, then you always consider getting a medical aesthetic procedure.

One of the most popular procedures is the liposuction. In fact, the ASAPS ranks this as number 2 in the most popular cosmetic procedure overall in the United States. It uses a suction technique in removing excess fats from under the skin. However, this is a highly invasive procedure and requires you to take a good time to rest and recover from the treatment.

If going under the knife does not suit you, there is a better cosmetic procedure alternative to liposuction that does not need a scalpel to get rid of excess fats. Fat freezing or cryolipolysis employs a much more conservative method of eliminating fats from the body. The procedure literally freezes your fat cells causing it to die and flushed out of your body naturally. It only uses a device to cool your skin at a certain temperature and it only takes about 30 minutes to perform.

Considering these are medical cosmetic procedures, it is important that you seek reliable and credible doctors to perform these treatment on you, whichever you choose. If you are in Singapore and considering having getting fat freezing done, The Hair and Laser Clinic offers cryolipolysis to help you fulfill your weight loss resolution for 2014.

Setting a New Year’s resolution is great way to welcome 2014 with a renewed set of goals. However, it is also important that you do not stress so much about it. So, you can always give in to your cravings and laze around from time to time. Remember that you have the entire year to reach your goals.

And speaking of goals, set realistic ones rather than ones that you cannot achieve. Write them down and break it into attainable weeks or months, so you can easily monitor your progress. Also, it is important that you have a strong support network that will encourage and inspire you with your quest for a slimmer you in 2014.

If you are considering getting cryolipolysis to help you achieve your New Year’s resolution, schedule a professional and personal consultation with Dr. Tyng Tan of The Hair and Laser Clinic in Singapore.