Healthy Eating in the New Year

By Lisa Dobruskin, MD, FACS

As the calendar turns to January, many people feel motivated to embrace healthier habits.

In fact, eating a healthier diet and losing weight are among the most popular New Year’s resolutions each year.

But resolutions can be tough to keep.

If you are one of the millions of people who have resolved to eat healthy and trim your waistline in 2025, here are some tips for success.

• Avoid making radical changes all at once. Rigid diets and all-or-nothing approaches to eating aren’t sustainable and often backfire. Instead make small changes over time. For example, rather than focusing on cutting carbohydrates completely, aim to fill up on more high protein and high fiber foods first and have a little carb at the end of the meal if it helps you feel satisfied.

• Eat small, frequent meals on a schedule. Many people eat only two meals a day, breakfast and dinner. However, when it is time for dinner they are usually famished and more prone to reaching for the quickest — and often less healthy — thing to eat. They’re also so hungry that they end up overeating. The better option is to eat small meals throughout the day to give yourself a consistent source of calories and help stabilize your blood sugar. As a result, you’ll feel more satiated and be more likely to make healthier choices.

• Drink more water. Often, people think they’re hungry when they’re actually thirsty. If you start feeling hungry when you know you just ate, try drinking a glass of water and be sure you’re staying hydrated throughout the day. Also try taking a walk outside, which can help interrupt your cravings.

• Practice mindful eating. Mindful eating helps you tune into your body’s hunger and fullness cues, fostering a healthier relationship with food. Eliminate distractions such as watching TV or scrolling on your phone while eating. Focus on savoring each bite and pay attention to flavors, textures, and how the food makes you feel. Mindful eating also involves recognizing emotional eating patterns. If you find yourself reaching for snacks out of stress or boredom, consider healthier coping strategies like exercising, meditating, or journaling.

• Use smaller plates and utensils. Using smaller plates and utensils automatically helps limit portion sizes without feeling like you are depriving yourself. Smaller plates make portions look larger, which can trick your brain into feeling more satisfied with less food. Smaller utensils encourage you to take smaller bites, which naturally slows down the pace of eating. Eating more slowly allows your brain to register fullness before you overeat.

• Embrace imperfection. Despite your best intentions, there are times when you’re going to reach for a cookie instead of an apple. When this happens, many people give up, feeling like their commitment to eating healthy is ruined, and in turn decide to just eat whatever they want, whenever they want. However, the better response is to treat your diet like you would a financial budget. If you overspend in one area, you have to adjust in another. The same goes for your diet. Enjoy the cookie and then balance it out by eating more vegetables at dinner or taking a walk after work. Try to be objective and less emotional about your choices and avoid letting guilt undermine your efforts.

• Seek support. If you are struggling with eating healthy or are doing your best to eat healthy and lose weight and still not feeling successful, it may be time to seek support from a medical professional. Depending on your goals, treatment may range from mental health and nutritional counseling to medications and weight loss surgery, especially for treating obesity. It is important to remember that obesity is a complex disease caused by a variety of factors that affect how your gut hormones influence neurotransmitters in your brain. Like any disease, obesity requires a comprehensive treatment approach.  

As you ring in 2025, let healthy eating be a resolution you keep. By making gradual changes, you can enjoy a healthy diet that is enjoyable and sustainable throughout the new year and beyond.

The Center for Bariatric Surgery & Metabolic Medicine at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center provides a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to weight loss, including the latest surgical procedures.

To learn more about the Center for Bariatric Surgery & Metabolic Medicine at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, call (609) 785-5870 or visit www.princetonhcs.org/weightloss.

Lisa Dobruskin, MD, FACS., is a board certified surgeon specializing in bariatric surgery, and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She is the Medical Director of the Center for Bariatric Surgery & Metabolic Medicine at Penn Medicine Princeton Health.