Tips for re-energizing your New Year’s weight loss resolution

Fishers, N.Y. – It’s February, how are your New Year’s resolutions going?

“Statistics show that by February 1st, most of us have abandoned our plans for change,” says Registered Dietitian Linda Quinn. “And most of those resolutions were to lose weight!”

If you are losing the battle of the bulge, Quinn has a plan that just might tip the scales in your favor: eat an apple before each meal.

Yes, it really is that simple.

“It’s not about giving up, taking away, restriction, deprivation or those other nasty words that sound bad and are even worse in practice,” says Quinn, who is consulting dietitian to New York Apple Association. “It is about adding a simple and delicious food before each meal.”

Look at the research, explains Quinn. According to a Brazilian study published in the peer-reviewed research journal Nutrition, overweight women who snacked on about 100 grams (3.5 ounces) apples three times a day lost an average of three pounds in 12 weeks, significantly more than study participants who were ate other fiber-containing snacks. And the apple eaters also lowered the measures of glucose and cholesterol in their blood.

Meanwhile, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report that men and women who ate apples – about 125 calories’ worth – 15 minutes before the meal consumed almost 200 calories less than control subjects.

“This isn’t some crazy fad diet, this is a ‘ lose weight, feel greet and improve your overall health’ diet,” says Quinn.

How exactly do apples aid weight loss? Quinn credits apples’ high fiber content – one medium-sized apple contains 20 percent (5 grams) of the daily-recommended intake of fiber. “The fullness you feel from eating a large apple before a meal keeps you from eating too much,” she explains.

New Yorkers need look no further than their home state for supplies of delicious, nutritious apples. New York state is the largest apple-producing state east of the Mississippi River. A larger-than-average harvest last fall means there will be ample supplies at local markets. New York is best known for its McIntosh and Empire, as well as consumer favorites Gala and HoneyCrisp.

For more information about the apple weight-loss diet, view Quinn’s New Year’s Resolutions video on NYAA’s YouTube channel, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpUpkyPWv0Q. For recipes featuring New York state apples and apple products, visit NYAA’s website at www.nyapplecountry.com.