HEALTHY EATING - Virginia Pelegrin, below left, North Oaks medical nutrition therapist, waits for her fajita chicken wrap, prepared by cafeteria worker Lizzie Cutno, in the North Oaks Hospital cafeteria on Wednesday. A wrap prepared with grilled breast meat and lots of vegetables is a healthy choice for lunch. Photo by Joan Davis

Jan. 1 is the time of year when many people set personal goals often centering around improving personal behaviors, like smoking, eating, drinking and exercise.

The U.S. Government's Web site, USA.gov, lists the top two most popular New Year's Resolutions as losing weight and paying off debt.

According to local health professionals and one local banker, getting healthy physically and financially are both reachable goals that can be achieved one day at a time over the course of the new year.

Losing Weight

Popular diets these days tend to focus on food combinations, like low-fat or low-carb, or restricting food, like the cabbage soup or cereal diet. TV commercials advertise home-delivered foods that help people “melt pounds” from their bodies. Internet ads expound on pills that prevent fat absorption.

Anything that sounds too good to be true probably is, said Agnes Bogle, licensed nutritionist and registered dietitian at North Oaks Health System.

No two bodies are alike, and everyone is not going to lose weight in the same way, she said.

The first step is to research a diet. Having certain foods on hand takes planning, and one should be prepared to stay on an eating plan as a lifestyle change, not as a quick fix, she said.

“That's why so many people yoyo, gain and lose weight,” she said. “You can lose 25 pounds, but if you haven't learned how to keep it off, it comes right back if you keep on doing the same old thing.”

Some diets seem to work better than others for some people, Bogle said. People have sustained high-protein, low-carb diets for years.

“It does seem to make people feel more energetic, while other people can't live without carbs,” she said.

While some health professionals downplay the need for supplements, Bogle said taking a multi-vitamin is a good idea, espe-

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cially for those on a weight-loss diet. Companies even offer vitamins targeted toward a certain demographic, like men or women over 50.

“Your body needs everything, even fats, and when you take away a food group, you lose vital nutrients,” she said.

Bogle said olive and canola oils are healthful as are avocados and nuts for providing healthful oils in the diet. Fats to avoid are animal fats, like marbling in meat, and high-fat dairy products like hard cheeses and ice cream.

“But even those foods have their place,” she said. “Moderation is always the key.”

A reasonable amount of weight loss is one-half to two pounds per week, she said. Some people find that despite their best efforts, they hit a “plateau,” a period during which they can't lose more weight.

“Be prepared for the plateaus,” she said. “Sometimes it means you just have to wait it out. Keep doing the right things, and sooner or later your body will let go. You might have to increase exercise or lower the calorie intake.”

A reasonable weight-loss goal is 10 pounds in two to three months, she said. The dieter should remember that it probably took longer than three months to gain the weight, and it will take the same amount of time to take it off. Weight that drops overnight is probably fluid loss and will return.

So-called “diet” pills are not a short cut to weight loss, she said. One should investigate the ingredients and any possible interactions with one's other prescribed medications. Even “all-natural” herbal supplements may have side effects.

Bogle also emphasized that being healthy and being a certain weight are not necessarily the same thing. A person may be carrying an extra 10 or 20 pounds but be eating right, exercising and controlling other factors like high cholesterol and blood pressure.

“Eating right, exercising and making better choices - those are the important things,” she said.

Getting Fit

Getting in shape goes hand in hand with losing weight, and Bogle said people wanting to get healthier should plan some type of exercise most days of the week. Exercise can involve housework, pulling weeds or walking to the mailbox, anything as long as it works the body's large muscle groups.

Beth Yokum, a certified fitness trainer at North Cypress Fitness Center, suggests that if one has not exercised in a while, to start out slow, working no longer than one hour a minimum of three days a week.

She puts new clients on a program for cardiovascular fitness, like walking, and adds light weight resistance, either using hand weights or machines.

“It's like a pyramid. From a base, I help build them to their peak,” she said.

Getting fit is very individualized, she said, and may or may not include losing weight. A weight loss of five pounds a month is reasonable for most people.

“Everyone can find 300 or 400 calories a day they can eliminnate, things that are bad for you, like a lot of high starchy foods or high-sugar foods. Take those leftover holiday cookies and cakes and throw them out,” Yokum said.

A person can conceivably lose weight by eating right without exercise, but it will take longer, she said. Setting a fitness goal depends on a person's lifestyle.

A person who works out will build strength and endurance over time, she said. For instance, if the person gets winded climbing a flight of stairs, he will discover he can complete the task without getting winded. Or, he can play with his grandchildren or work hours in the garden without getting overly tired.

A look in the mirror may not reveal the changes right away, she said. The person may notice a waistline gradually getting smaller and clothes fitting looser. Other changes are all internal, like a healthier heart.

“Really, your whole way of life changes when you start eating right and exercising,” Yokum said.

A person doesn't have to join a health club to reap the benefits of an exercise program, she added. Walking the dog every day, taking the children or grandchildren out for a bike ride and parking the car at the far end of the parking lot are all opportunities to get up and move.

“There's no excuse for just sitting on the sofa,” she said.

Financial Fitness

Mike Sharp, president of First Guaranty Bank, said the counterpoint to losing weight is “fattening your purse,” the precursor of becoming financially fit.

The first step is to “pay yourself first,” the banker said. Everyone who works sits down to pay bills. The first “creditor” to pay is oneself, by putting money into a savings account.

“It doesn't matter if it's just $1, $100 or $1,000,” he said.

The second step to financial fitness is to make the most of one's house as a profitable investment by making mortgage payments twice a month rather than once, he said.

“This increases the equity in your house,” he said. “Most of us are homeowners, and what makes America great is home ownership. Take pride in our house by building the equity.

“Let's say your rate is 6 percent. As you reduce that debt, you're making an investment of 6 percent. If it's 7 percent, you get a return of 7 percent on your house,” he said.

Finally, the absolute best investment anyone can make is an investment in oneself by learning, whether it be earning a degree or going to a trade school.

“There are no get-rich-quick schemes,” Sharp said. “Your best investment is in your training, by learning, by getting educated, by reading. We build our net worth one month at a time, by paying yourself first, by building equity in your house.

“It's really that simple. An investment in yourself is increasing your ability to earn. Learning increases earning,” he said.

Sharp said his “fitness philosophy” dates back 4,000 years.

“That's how rich men in Babylon got rich,” he said.