For many of us, the first step toward making better life decisions begins with a promise to stop treating our bodies like a garbage can. We bargain with our bodies, still reeling from last night’s bad decisions. Many people deal with food struggles – we’re not alone. It’s how we transform the bad decisions into positive choices ultimately is what’s going to push us forward. In the Body Reboot book, we discuss how to get healthy because it’s important to us to help others make confident decisions and find a way of life that helps them get rid of the weight, feel better about themselves, and keep the weight off. Since the New Year is just around the corner, there’s no better time to decide to form better habits and stay away from food that’ll prohibit you from reaching your New Year goals!

Pizza

Mashed warns that pizza can easily throw you off your diet in the new year. It’s certainly alright to eat pizza on the keto diet, but you need to find a low-carb crust alternative such as meat or zucchini crust. Pepperoni and cheese are both excellent sources of fat, but be wary of eating too many carbs.

Pizza seems like it would be one of the easiest things to swear off, because it's so obviously bad for you. And for at least a few days after New Year's, it seems like it's going to be possible. But then, inevitably, it happens: It's 2:30 in the morning, you've had too much to drink, and the only thing separating you from falling face-down in the gutter is the lamppost you're desperately clinging to for dear life. And then your vision refocuses and it hits you: A slice of pizza from the corner pizza place will be just the thing to sop up the Mexico's worth of tequila burning a hole through your rotten, empty stomach.

Sushi

Sushi is excellent to consume on a low carb diet. However, Fox News says the rice can really throw you off. Instead of getting sushi with rice, ask if you can have cucumber around your sushi instead of rice. Another idea is to eat sashimi which doesn’t have any rice at all.

Sure, raw fish is healthy, but it’s easy to eat more than a half cup of rice in a sushi meal.

“In order to get enough protein, you will OD on rice,” Virgin said.

Plus, make it tempura, add mayonnaise, and you might as well be eating fast food.

Instead, order a skinny roll with cucumber, avocado or sprouts or make a meal of one order of sushi, one order of sashimi and a salad.

Pasta

Mashed also warns dieters and people who would like to get healthy to stay away from pasta which is full of carbohydrates. If you’re on the keto diet this is primarily a bad idea since you’re body will potentially get addicted to carbs again. Stay away from carb-laden meals, and you’re more likely to stick to your diet.

If you crave huge heaping bowls of spaghetti carbonara, pasta putanesca, or fettucine Alfredo within days of setting your new year's resolutions, it's probably not your fault. Your lack of self-discipline isn't due to your father disappearing with a Denny's waitress when you were in the fourth grade… it's because you have a complex carbohydrate sensitivity. See? Science!

Turns out, some of us tend to crave carbohydrates more than others, and have us dreaming of heaping plates of lasagna while we should be eating chilled radish salads, thanks to our bodies' increased ability to taste and enjoy the sugars in carbohydrates.

“What that could mean is that individuals who are more sensitive to the ‘taste' of carbohydrate also have some form of subconscious accelerator that increases carbohydrate or starchy food consumption,” says to Russell Keast, a researcher at Deakin University in Australia who is studying the link between carbohydrate craving and consumption. “But we need to do much more research to identify the reason why.”

Energy Bars

Grabbing an energy bar to eat on the go may sound like a good idea at first, but before grabbing that bar make sure you check the label. Many energy bars have a lot of sugar and hidden carbs. Eating an energy bar is fine, but just check to see what sort of ingredients and nutrients are in it before chowing down.

Many of these are simply enhanced candy bars with more calories (up to 500) and a higher price tag. Their compact size also leaves many people unsatisfied. A few bites, and it's gone.  

Food Fix: Choose bars that have 200 calories or less, some fiber, and at least 5 grams of protein, which helps provide energy when the sugar rush fades.

Diet Drinks

Food Network reminds us that while diet drinks may sound okay because they don’t have the calories, but unfortunately you still are drinking chemical replacements for sugar. To prevent sugar and carb cravings, it’s best to stay away from sodas altogether.

Calorie-free bevvies like soda, fruit drinks, and teas may help reduce your calorie count but may still not be worth gulping. Not only are you slurping chemical replacements for sugar, but also research has linked these artificial sweeteners to increased cravings for other high-sugar (and high-calorie) foods.

Smoothies and Protein Powders

Making a smoothie may sound like a good idea, but unless you’re making the smoothie on your own and being careful about the ingredients, most smoothies are full of sugar. Fox News also warns that if you order a smoothie at a restaurant, it’ll likely have a lot of sugar and not a lot of nutrition. On a low carb diet, a better alternative is making a smoothie with vegetables, berries, and protein.

Smoothies at most restaurants are not only high in calories, but the lack of fiber and added sugar won’t make you feel full.

“It can be one of the best ways to start the day, or it can be a milkshake,” Virgin said.

Instead, make a smoothie at home with milk, protein powder, chia seeds or flaxseed, veggies and ½ to 1 cup of fresh berries.

Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials also agrees that smoothies can sabotage weight loss goals and offers some healthy alternatives, instead:

There are few foods – calorie for calorie – as nutritionally packed as vegetables and fruits. But depending on the ingredients in your smoothie, including the amount of fruit, juice and protein, it can contain far more calories than you’d imagine, up to 1,500!  Try this: Add fruit for flavor, but focus on veggies, and add some leafy greens in the mix – which are uber-low in calories but superheroes in health benefits. A few pineapple chunks can help make the baby spinach or kale in a smoothie easier to enjoy.

Speaking of protein, even though protein powder, for the most part, is healthy, Food Network still warns to be wary. Some protein powders have added carbs as well as other fillers that can ruin a diet. Read labels carefully and opt for healthier, low carb options instead.

The idea of having a protein-infused shake to start your day or end a workout seems to have mass appeal, but as it turns out, it’s not doing you much good. You might just be whirling a whole lot of extra calories into your day. Instead of expensive powders, opt for pure-food options like Greek yogurt and peanut butter to boost the protein in your favorite blended drinks.

Expectations Matter

New York Post reminds us that expectations matter when starting a diet or following through with one in the new year. As opposed to thinking that your diet is going to be temporary, consider it a lifestyle change. If it becomes ingrained in you, then you’ll be more likely to stick with it during the months and years to come.

Denver-based nutritionist Ellie Kempton tells me that expectations matter. “If you can’t imagine doing something for at least five years or the rules of the diet make socialization complicated, it’s going to go down in the books as one more diet instead of your newfound lifestyle that breeds permanent and deep transformation.”

But don’t stop making the resolutions altogether. The University of Scranton study that found people don’t keep their resolutions also found that just making the resolutions is a positive experience. As Psychology Today put it, “The study found that people who made resolutions were 10 times more likely to make a positive change after six months compared to people who wanted to change but did not make a New Year’s resolution. So there is some evidence that making a resolution is worthwhile.”

If you’re ready to take the plunge and focus on your health, the new year is a great time to start. At the time of writing this post, we're giving away free copies of the Body Reboot book because we desire to help people make healthier decisions! Cover the cost of shipping, and we’ll send you our FREE book. Head to this page TODAY to see if there are any remaining copies.

Sources: Mashed, New York Post, Fox News, Food Network, Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials, WebMD