Stay active by going to the gym or walking your (or in my case, a friend's) dog. Follow this cutie @centercitypup on Instagram!

I can't believe it's already the end of January, especially with the 60-degree weather we've been having here in Philly. In addition to budgeting, my other New Year's resolution was, like many people, to lose weight. I never experienced the "Freshman 15" in college, competing in pageants kept me in shape throughout medical school, and PIIT28 plus the 28 Day Reset helped me tone up during intern year (read more about PIIT 28 here). However, moving to the city has led to lots of fun brunches with friends, eating our way through restaurant week, and munching on late night snacks from the hospital cafeteria. Despite meal prepping, it can be difficult to keep up with the appetite you build running around answering pages and admitting patients. That busywork can easily lead to unnecessary snacking. While I am at a healthy BMI (Body Mass Index), I still had room to safely shed some weight. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be just with making some simple food changes.

Before reading on, I would recommend everyone check their BMI to see if you even have room to lose weight: Click here to check your BMI on the NIH website

Step 1. Get a partner

Working toward a goal can be both empowering and also un-motivating depending on where you are in reaching it. My first step was to find someone else with a similar New Year's Resolution who could encourage me, congratulate me and inspire me to keep moving forward. It could be a family member, a friend, someone in your gym or exercise class, even a colleague from work. This is a relationship that goes both ways - you are also there to support them and help them achieve their goals.

Step 2. Make a trade

I learned some easy tricks for snacking to help satiate my need for that "crunch" while still getting healthy nutrients. My favorite is eating sugar snap peas instead of chips. They're easy to snack on and they're nutritious.

In terms of substitutions, cauliflower is a great replacement for potatoes or rice. You can even make pizza with it! And for pasta lovers, have you ever heard of the Shirataki noodles? Also known as Miracle Noodles, they're just like real pasta but made with soy-beans and yam flour (minus the carbs and calories).



You can pick up them up at Whole Foods (or order on Amazon - Miracle Noodle Zero Carb, Gluten Free Shirataki Pasta, Angel Hair, 7-Ounce and Tofu Shirataki Noodles Spaghetti Shape 10- 8oz Bags). I made pad thai the other day and couldn't tell the difference. I honestly can't believe I've never heard of them before. Have you?!



Veggie Pad Thai with Shirataki Noodles: 0 carbs and < 20 calories per serving

Another new trick I picked up was at an Athleta nutrition class with OnPoint Nutrition this weekend: Cook with vegetable broth instead of vegetable oil. It helps cut down on fat, doesn't burn your pan, and gives you even more nutrients.

My biggest change in eating habits was allowing myself to consume unlimited vegetables, fruits, non-fat Greek yogurt, eggs, poultry, seafood, and turkey. I found myself making better and fresher choices every day. This doesn't mean you have to eat salad every day. It just means to choose wisely and really look at the ingredients. I also cut back on alcohol, having only one glass of Prosecco in two weeks.


OnPoint nutrition bars are filled with one of the best weight-loss ingredients to reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer: Fiber

Look for snacks filled with fiber to help get you through your day!



Step 3. Keep a record

I started to keep track of everything I ate. I loved the 28 Day Reset because the meal planning was all laid out for me before. Now, I'm trying to figure out less of a diet and more of healthy eating habits. Even if you lose the pounds, you have to maintain the lifestyle to stay on track. There are tons of free apps for your phone that can help you keep track of how much protein, fiber, sugar, carbs, calories, etc you're consuming. My favorites are MyPlate and MyFitnessPal.

Another great app for goal setting and helping you conquer your food cravings is Cravemate: 


Click here to learn more and download Cravemate now on the app store!

Step 4. Divide and conquer

When you're going out to eat, as long as the portions allow, try to divide it so you eat half for your meal and save the other half for the next day. Not only are you cutting your calories, you're also saving money by making two meals out of one!

Pro-tip: bring a Tupperware container with you and to help reduce, reuse, and recycle instead of wasting the disposable plastic containers restaurants provide.

Step 5. Spice it up

The best spices to give your meals (especially those veggie stir-fries) that WOW factor- cumin, chili pepper, onion powder, garlic, salt, pepper, and the best of all, nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast offers the "cheese" flavor, similar to parmesan but without the extra calories. You can sprinkle it on anything, even popcorn.



And lastly, the easiest way to lose weight? Get a haircut!

I was able to do this and lose 5 lbs in 2 weeks - I even went down a size at Lululemon! You don't have to follow my footsteps and make all of these changes at once. Do what's right for you and your body.

Here are the key areas to consider when deciding on rankings:

Location 

Is it in a place you could see yourself living? Is the lifestyle similar to your own or something you could adapt to? Do you have a social network there or family nearby? Do you want a new place to start fresh or would you feel more comfortable being around familiar people and places? Are you a city person or more rural/suburban? Does the area offer a patient population you feel you could thrive in as a doctor? Is there commuting involved and if so how far, how many sites, how many rotations do you have to commute to? Is there public transportation or do you need a car? These are all questions to consider just based on where the program is, which can help you narrow down your top three fairly easily.

Size

How big is the program? Are you looking for a small program, medium-sized, or large program? When I interviewed there were sites that had two residents and some that had upwards of 15 residents. Of course, the size can also be a reflection of the medical specialty you're pursuing (internal medicine programs often have the most residents in their program).

I chose a medium-sized program because I wanted to be able to get to know everyone but also not get lost in the crowd. I was also worried in a program of only two people, what if I didn't get along with the other person? I'd be stuck working with them for three years.

Future

What do the residents do after they've graduated? How many go on to pursue a fellowship vs go into general practice? When I interviewed at Stanford, the most helpful tip they gave me was to look for programs where half the residents go into fellowship and half go into general practice. That means the program is strong enough that graduates feel they have enough experience and knowledge they can easily practice as an attending and the program is well-known and supportive enough that if you wanted to pursue a fellowship, the opportunity exists.

Fit

Could you see yourself working there? Did you get along with everyone, not just the residents but the attendings too? Try not to base this off of one interaction but looking at the whole picture. It's true when people say "you just know what program is right for you," there really is a "fit" or a "feeling" that you get. Did you rotate there for a sub-internship and if so how did you feel after? After rotating at my current program as a medical student I attended a medical conference a month later. I had been auditioning at a completely different site during that time. I remember walking into the auditorium for the opening plenary session and without even thinking twice, I chose to sit with the residents from my first sub-internship. They were so welcoming and made me feel like I was already part of their program.

Best of luck! And congratulations on starting a new chapter of your life.