Motivating tips

Now that you've decided to put the lid on Santa's cookie jar and no longer munch on fruitcake, why not make this year your year to stick to your healthy resolutions for good? And there's no better time than now to reaffirm your commitment. These motivating tips will help you stick to your goals:

1 Surround yourself with positive people. As you embark on your weight-loss journey, enlist family and friends to support and inspire you. Ask them to encourage you to make healthy decisions and stick by you during challenges. Or, team up with other members on the message boards or through the beach-buddy system for online reinforcement. Having the right support will also help keep you committed to your goals.

2 Be creative with healthy foods. Make one of your resolutions to introduce new nutritious, appetising foods into your daily meals. Aim to try one new vegetable a week or create different ways to prepare traditional seafood, meat or chicken dishes. Incorporating new foods into your diet will not only help prevent food boredom, but it will also keep you on the right track.

3 Set obtainable weight-loss goals. Studies show that despite the immediate weight loss, crash dieting ultimately leads to more weight gain. To help you stay on a healthy path as you shed excess pounds, set obtainable goals. With a gradual weight-loss plan, you're able to pick up good eating habits, improve your health and eventually turn the diet into a healthy lifestyle.

4 Reward yourself. Every success counts - big or small. So whether you've decided to hit the gym or finally kicked an unhealthy habit, it's important to reward yourself for all your achievements. Instead of using food as a reward, treat yourself to other things that make you happy and help you feel good about yourself. Rewarding yourself with something you've been eyeing, such as new workout clothes or a manicure, will boost your mood and provide you with momentum to keep up with your goals.

- Courtesy of SouthBeachDiet.com