Top five slimming tips for 2014

Make 2014 the year that you tackle your weight by changing daily habits that have been sabotaging previous weight loss attempts.

Try these easy slimming secrets from our Nutrition & You blogger, Joan Salge Blake, to help you slim down in the New Year:

Sleep your way thin

Did you ever notice that if you become sleep deprived, you tend to be “hungry all day long?’’ Research involving adults showed that those who slept less than eight hours nightly not only had a higher body weight but also had higher levels of ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger, and lower levels of leptin, a hormone which suppresses hunger in the body, than those who enjoy a longer nightly slumber. Research also suggests that your self-control decreases as the day drags on as you become more sleep deprived.

Sleep your way thin

Tip: Make getting to bed earlier your top 2014 resolution, which could help with your other resolution: to lose weight. Pack fruit as the “go-to snack’’ to avoid having to exercise self-control when wearily standing in front of the office vending machine late in the afternoon.

Close down the kitchen after dinner

If you are a post-dinner nosher, you could be noshing your way to an expanding waist. A study in the American Journal Clinical Nutrition of almost 95 adults uncovered that those who habitually ate late at night ate more daily calories and gained approximately 10 pounds more, on average, during a follow up period compared to those who avoided snacking in the evening.

Close down the kitchen after dinner

Tip: To put an end to the habit of evening snacking, shut off the kitchen lights after dinner and declare the kitchen off limits until the morning. If you must have an after-dinner sweet, brew a mug of decaffeinated tea, such as French vanilla or peach ginger for a sweet, low calorie ending to your day.

Pick your dining partners wisely

There could be a weighty price to pay in the morning for an enjoyable evening out with friends and family members. Research suggests that dining with familiar and pleasant company feeds into a longer, more relaxed dining experience, and thus, increases the likelihood that you will overeat. To add more fuel to the fire, if your dining partners tend to be less healthy, hefty eaters, research also suggests that you’ll be more likely to mirror their same hefty consumption patterns.

Pick your dining partners wisely

Tip: Dine out more frequently with individuals who are healthier eaters and role models, which can help set the tone for lighter diner choices for all. When socializing with less healthy eaters, plan outings such as visiting an art show, attending a concert, and/or going to a lecture that doesn’t make the meal the focus of the evening. If dining out is a must, make a reservation for lunch rather than dinner as the portions will be smaller.

Become an illusionist with your wine

If you enjoy a glass of wine at night, consider the size and shape of your stemware. According to Cornell University researcher Brian Wansink, the size of the wine glass may inadvertently cause you to over pour. His research has shown that individuals tend to pour less of a beverage in a tall, narrow glass than in a glass that is short and wide, even though both hold the same volume of fluid. While 5 ounces of a red or white wine is only approximately 100 calories, if your wine glass resembles a wide water goblet, your could be consuming the equivalent of 2 drinks and twice the calories.

Become an illusionist with your wine

Tip: A bottle of wine is supposed to serve approximately five glasses. If you enjoy a glass nightly, buy only one bottle a week and make it last until Friday. If you run out, don’t buy another bottle until the weekend. Using a taller, more narrow glass may provide an illusion of a larger, more substantive, yet adequate and appropriate serving of wine and help you to stretch that bottle until the end of the week.

Waist-proof your surroundings

Research suggests that just seeing palatable foods such as a candy dish at work or cookies left on the kitchen counter can increase unplanned, impulsive snacking. Let’s face it, the more often you see it, the more often you will be reminded to eat it.

Waist-proof your surroundings

Tip: Camouflage the sweet and treats in opaque containers and bury them in an office drawer, a cupboard, or better yet, the freezer so that they aren’t continually “calling out your name.’’

On the flipside, visibly display fresh whole fruit such as clementines and apples at the office and on the kitchen counter. Place cut-up produce front and center in the refrigerator so that you will be reminded to grab these waist-friendly foods every time you open up the fridge.