1) How is the True Lemon Healthy New Year Challenge different from just going on a diet?

The True Lemon Healthy New Year Challenge is not a diet and, in fact, as a Registered Dietitian, I never recommend going on a diet. If you want to lose weight permanently, the True Lemon Healthy New Year Challenge is a great place to start. You will be adding three very important healthy lifestyle choices to your daily routine. By the end of the three months, these three choices will now be healthy habits. You will lose weight, experience a surge in your energy level and be a healthier person. You will feel good, not deprived and frustrated.

Once you have adopted these three healthy lifestyle choices into your daily routine, you can add three more healthy choices (such as eating fewer fried foods, decreasing fat intake, deep breathing, adding breakfast, etc.) until they become habits. The key to permanent weight loss is to make the lifestyle changes permanent. If you go on a diet, you will lose weight due to the calorie-deficit. In all likelihood, you will then gain the weight back once you go back to your old pattern of eating. Most “diets” are too restrictive to follow long-term. Ask yourself, “Can I follow this diet for the rest of my life?” If the answer is no, don’t start it. The three healthy goals you will be adding to your life with our challenge can easily become permanent habits. This is the best way to lose weight permanently.

2) Do I have to start the Challenge on January 1st?

No you do not. Feel free to start the Challenge whenever you’d like. We decided to begin the Challenge January 1st because that is when most people are starting their New Year’s Resolutions to try to become healthier. The True Lemon Challenge will be ongoing through the year and we will be continually updating the information we provide Challenge members.

3) How many months is the Challenge?

We are focusing on the first 3 months as our kickoff months to establish healthy eating patterns early in the year, but this will definitely be an ongoing program. You will always be able to download the Lifestyle diary from our website throughout the year.

4) What are the advantages of incorporating drinking more water, eating more fruits and vegetables and moving my body more into my life?

You will re-hydrate your body with the addition of water, fruit and vegetables. If you are even slightly dehydrated, you will feel sluggish and lethargic. Many people also eat in relation to thirst, not realizing the difference between hunger and thirst. Water is also a necessary ingredient to mobilize body fat to be used for energy. You will be providing your body with important vitamins, minerals, fiber and good nutrition found in the fruit and vegetables. You will also find that adding more servings of fruit and vegetables to your daily diet will automatically push some of the less healthy food choices out of your diet. Moving your body for 30 minutes at least three days of the week will help you lose weight by burning more calories. Exercise also releases feel-good hormones that help control stress and lessen depression.

5) Can I be thin and not healthy?

Yes! Just because you don’t need to lose any weight, does not mean you are eating healthy and getting the proper nutrients that your body needs. This Challenge is for you too!

6) What constitutes a serving of a fruit or vegetable?

One serving of fruit is ½ cup or approximately the size of a tennis ball. Limit your intake of fruit juice, as the calories accumulate quickly and will not fill your stomach as the whole fruit would. One vegetable serving is ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw. (Imaging what 1-cup of spinach looks like before and after you cook it to understand why the serving of raw is larger.) Each ½ cup of vegetable or tomato juice will count as a serving, but adds extra sodium to your diet.

7) Eight servings of fruit and vegetables sounds like so much. How am I supposed to eat all of that every day?

First, remember that your number one goal is to increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables so if you’re not eating five to six servings of fruits and vegetables now, don’t focus on trying to eat eight servings right away. Focus instead on eating one or two more servings a day from where you are. The easiest way to consume eight fruit and vegetables per day is to combine them. Make a blender-smoothie that contains one, two or even four to five servings of fruits (like a half of a banana, ½ cup of strawberries, ½ cup of blueberries and a ½ cup of sliced oranges). Eat one large salad (3-4 cups of leafy greens) at one of your meals and, between the salad and the smoothie, you could have easily eaten seven to eight servings. FYI: one 15 oz can of vegetables also contains four servings.

8) Do frozen fruits and frozen and canned vegetables count?

Yes, all forms of fruit and vegetables count toward your goal of consuming more fruits and vegetables each day.

9) I don’t like to drink plain water. What can I do?

You are in luck. True Lemon is crystallized lemon that you add to water or tea to make it taste better. It tastes like fresh squeezed lemon and does not add any calories. The best news is that it does not contain any artificial sweeteners or chemicals. There are also other flavored waters and water enhancers on the market which can help with water consumption (although almost all of them contain artificial sweeteners and preservatives).

10) Does drinking tea, soda or juice count towards my water consumption?

While liquid beverages other than water will provide your body with additional fluids, it is best to strive to consume 64 ounces of water everyday. Beverages that contain caffeine, tannins or alcohol are diuretics which actually pull the fluid out of your cells. This will leave you less hydrated. Fruit juices and other beverages that contain calories will be counter-productive in reaching your weight loss goal. Calories consumed from beverages will not be compensated for with fewer calories eaten later in the day, therefore assume all of the beverage calories your consume will be excess calories you body does not need.

11) I don’t exercise at all. How do I start?

Just start moving. You can march in place to the morning news for 10 minutes. You can go for a walk once around the block before each meal. You can walk your kids to school in the morning. Find some form of movement you can do. Walking is usually a good place to start. It is inexpensive and you can do it anywhere. Your goal is to move your body for 30 minutes most days of the week. If 30 minutes seems too much, you can do this in three 10-minute sessions for the same calorie-burning effect.

12) Will moving my body for 10 minutes at a time really make a difference?

Yes. It is amazing to discover how little we actually move in one day. We have so many timesaving devises with our advanced technology today. We no longer get out of our car to open our garage door, we don’t have to go into the convenience store to pay for our gas and we even sit to change channels on our television. Most of us spend a great deal of time sitting at our computers daily, burning very few calories. Adding a 10-minute walk to your daily routine will get your blood pumping, work some muscles and get your body to burn more calories by raising your metabolism. Every little bit counts.

13) So if I’m not eating fruits and vegetables regularly, and I’m not exercising regularly and I’m not drinking water regularly, what would be a reasonable plan for the first three months of the Challenge?

Water: Increase your current intake of water by two, 8 ounce cups per day for the first month. Add two additional cups of water per day during the second month. Continue to add two cups each month and by the end of the month you should be at or close to your goal of consuming eight cups (64 ounces) of water per day. (And if you feel like you can realistically increase your water consumption by two glasses per day each week, by all means do so.)

Fruit & vegetables: Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables by two tennis-ball serving sizes per day during the first month. Continue to add two additional servings per day each month, until by the end of the first three months, you are regularly consuming (or close to consuming) eight combined servings of fruit and vegetables each day.

Exercise: Start moving your body 20 minutes two or three days per week. This movement can be as simple as walking around the block. Choose your days in advance and schedule them into your calendar. After 3-4 weeks, or whenever you feel comfortable, add 10 minutes per day to your activity and one additional day. This will mean you are reaching the challenge goal of moving your body for 30 minutes, most days of the week.

14) If I just incorporate these new habits into my life, will I lose weight?

Most people will lose weight by adding these three healthy choices to their life. These goals are the three most important strategies associated with permanent weight loss. If you have already been following these three lifestyle choices prior to our challenge, you may need to add additional healthy goals to your list.

15 ) What is a safe amount of weight to lose per week?

Most Registered Dietitians agree that losing 1-2 pounds per week is a realistic goal for permanent weight loss. Those who have a great amount of weight to lose will typically lose faster, at a rate of up to 5 pounds per week. Do keep in mind that your goal is to lose excess body fat, not just weight. Your lean muscle mass is important to protect, as the more you have, the higher your metabolism will be. Muscle is metabolically active and burns calories much faster than fat.

16) How do I use the Lifestyle Diary?

Weigh yourself on January 1st. Record your weight and your goal weight in the space provided at the top. While your ultimate goal is to meet the recommended amounts of water (64 ounces per day), fruits and vegetables (8 servings per day) and exercise (30 minutes at least three times a week), set goals for January that make sense based on where you are. Then, each time you drink an 8-ounce cup of water, eat a serving of fruits or vegetables or move your body for 30 minutes (and again, remember that you can break that up into 10 minute increments), mark a tally on your sheet. On the morning of January 31st, weigh yourself again. Record your weight loss in the space provided at the top of the page. Each month there will be a Lifestyle Diary available for that particular month.

17) How can I cut down on salt?

Many of us eat too much salt. The sodium in salt can cause the body to retain water, and in some people, can raise blood pressure. Three suggestions for reducing your salt intake are: limit the salt you add at the table (you can use True Lemon in place of salt for seasoning), use less salt in cooking and avoid processed or convenience foods.

18) Should I be taking a multi-vitamin?

Yes. Although you will be getting many of the vitamins your body needs from your fruit and vegetables, a multi-vitamin is always a nice safety net for any you may be occasionally missing.

19) What if I have other questions?

Please feel free to email Heidi at hcarney@grandbrands.us or post your question on the Challenge’s blog.