Stick to New Year's resolutions one small step at a time

If you're making a New Year's resolution to lose weight you could be setting yourself up for failure by setting unrealistic goals.

You usually start off the New Year strong and excited about your plans but after a couple months in your motivation fades and you go back to your old, unhealthy habits. 

Nutritionist Joy Bauer says you should consider a different approach in 2013.  Bauer believes the small changes you make throughout the year could be the key to your success.

Bauer has a guide for you to follow below and after 8 weeks, she claims you'll be slimmer, fitter, more confident and most importantly, still going strong.

• Add at least one cup of produce to every meal - Non-starchy veggies and fruit are low in calories, high in volume, and loaded with fiber, so they fill you up without filling you out. Have an apple or a handful of grapes with breakfast. For lunch, slurp up a bowl of soup filled with veggies, if you're dining out, order a side salad with your sandwich. At dinner, experiment with veggie-heavy entrees like stews, stir-fries, and frittatas. Or, fill your plate a generous side of steamed, roasted, or sauted green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, or spinach.
• Eat a protein-rich breakfast - Research shows that starting your day with a high-protein breakfast enhances weight loss by curbing your appetite later in the day, so you eat less overall.  Including protein with your morning meal also helps you stay alert and energized throughout the morning and keeps blood sugars on an even keel. Your morning menu can be as simple as a Greek yogurt, an egg white omelet or a sliced tomato and cheese sandwich on a whole-grain sandwich thin. On the go? Grab an egg wrap without the fatty sausage and bacon at a fast food pit stop.
• Exercise for 30 minutes a day - Exercise helps you burn more calories but physical activity also boosts your mood and confidence, which puts you in a positive mindset so you're motivated to stick with your plan. And your daily workout doesn't have to be fancy, expensive or intense. In fact, walking is the preferred form of exercise. It's free, you can do it almost anywhere, it doesn't require any special equipment and it's easy on the joints.  I advise walking for 30 minutes, every day of the week, aim for seven days and you'll end up hitting at least five.
• Nix liquid calories - Cutting out just one 20-ounce soda a day slashes more than 91,000 calories per year. That could translate a 26-pound drop on the scale. You can see the same dramatic results by cutting out sweetened iced tea, fruit drinks, and other sugary items. Sip calorie-free beverages like water, naturally flavored seltzers, and unsweetened coffee and tea instead.
• Brown bag your lunch - When you prep your lunch at home, you have full control over ingredients and can slash calories easily by using low-cal options like light condiments, lean meats, and lots of slimming produce. Plus, if you already have something packed and planned, you're less likely to cave and go for the fast food or pizza your co-worker brings back to his desk at lunch.
• Pull back on starch, like pasta, bread, cereal, potatoes, and rice - Starches are calorie-dense and easy to overeat, so cutting back here and there throughout the day can add up to big results. Lose the top slice of bread on your sandwich, dilute pasta dishes by adding lots of vegetables and use a measuring cup to make sure you stick to one true serving of cereal in the morning.
• Put your TV on a diet - Research shows that successful losers watch less than 10 hours of television per week. And when scientists at the University of Vermont forced a group of study participants to watch 50% less television by electronically locking their TVs, they burned an average of nearly 120 extra calories per day. Participants most likely crunched more calories because they were on their feet and moving around versus slumped on the couch channel hopping. So aim to watch no more than 2 hours of TV a day. Bonus points if you move while you watch.
• Close the kitchen after dinner - For many dieters, the evening is the most problematic time of day. The food floodgates fling open and once you start nibbling, you can't stop. Conquer your late night grazing by going "cold turkey" after dinner and cutting out all night time snacking. These tricks can make it easier to stay out of the cupboard at night: floss and brush your teeth, sip a yummy herbal tea, chomp on sugarless gum and even light a non-food scented candle in the kitchen to erase the smell of leftovers.