Build a better, healthier body in 2010

When the New Year begins, the excuses are supposed to stop.

So here's hoping you've already finished off those fattening holiday cookies Mom makes every year. That you got in one last trip to the drive-through to bid adieu to French fries for a while. And that your New Year's Eve toast was to the alcohol you'll be drinking less of in 2010.

Even if you managed all that, you still might not achieve the "perfect" body you resolved to get this year.

But that's OK. Experts say it's better to craft a body that's ideal for you - one that isn't attached to a dress or pants size, but is healthier, and in as good of shape inside as it is outside.

"Most people come from a place we call obligation-based motivation," says Roy Taylor, owner of CrossFit Body Construction in Tampa. "They come in here and they don't want to be here, but they know they should. You can't do something and expect to keep up with it based on external motivation."

According to "The Health Professional's Guide to Popular Dietary Supplements," published by the American Dietetic Association, people are spending an increasing amount of money on weight-loss solutions ($43 billion in 2004). But based on information from the Institute of Medicine, the guide says even those who complete weight-loss programs and lose approximately 10 percent of their body weight regain two-thirds of it back within one year, and they gain almost all of it back within five years.

"I call it that initial wow factor they get," says Corey Simpson, a former Mr. Florida winner and personal trainer at the Tampa Fight Factory gym. "Initially, from doing nothing to doing something, you're going to see something different."

You might lose 3 to 5 pounds of water weight - weight you "shouldn't be holding anyway" - and get happy about that, Simpson says.

"That sparks the 'rah-rah attitude,' " he says. But after that, it takes a lot more to burn fat and really tone the body. "The results get less and less until you change your eating habits."

That doesn't necessarily mean you have to eat celery sticks, carrots and microwavable diet meals. Instead, exercise coupled with watching your calorie intake will help you achieve your ideal body in 2010.

Treats such as ice cream can be a part of a healthy eating plan or even a reduced-calorie eating plan, says Michelle Stracke, a registered dietician and the weight management program coordinator at St. Joseph's Hospital.

There is no such thing as good or bad foods, only good or bad eating habits, she says. "Any food can be worked into a weight-loss plan, but in most cases, a smaller size and at a reduced frequency. There are a right number of calories for you to eat each day. You could use up the entire amount on a few high-calorie items, but chances are you won't get the full range of vitamins and nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Choose the most nutritionally rich foods you can from each food group each day."

And don't think of it as a diet, Stracke advises. "The term 'diet' itself has a negative connotation to it. Instead, focus on a smarter way of eating.

"People are far more successful when they focus on to-do behaviors instead of what not to do. Diets and programs are simply tools available to develop a healthy lifestyle that works."