Tips for Keeping Your New Years Resolution - Weight Loss
Every year, millions of people resolve to lose weight, yet struggle to stick to their resolution. The most common factor in failing to meet a weight loss resolution is the lack of a practical strategy to achieve your goal. Now is the time to change that! Use this printable tip sheet to help you manage your weight loss resolution:
- BE SPECIFIC & REALISTIC: The first step is to state your target - how much weight do you want to lose? Be sure to discuss this with your doctor, to ensure that you are targeting a healthy and realistic weight. Finally, focus on losing 1-2 pounds per week, rather than obsessing over the 50 pounds in total that you want to lose.
- SET ACHIEVABLE MINI-GOALS: Weight loss comes over time, and many people lose motivation because they focus on the end-goal, which may take months. Instead, set short-term targets; for example, challenge yourself to lose 10 pounds in one month. Then, once this goal is reached, set another goal for the following month. You may find that you are more motivated each time you successfully reach a mini-goal.
- SPREAD THE WORD: Share your resolution with your friends & family! Remember, these people want you to succeed, and may even take an active role in helping you to achieve your goal. If you go out to dinner, suggest splitting an appetizer. If you go to the gym, ask if a friend would like to join you. You may even motivate someone to create their own weight loss plan. Then, be sure to check in with these people on a regular basis to help keep you on track to meeting your weight loss resolution.
- ALLOW YOURSELF AN INDULGENCE: Watching your diet all the time is not easy, especially when hit by a craving for an unhealthy snack like chips or ice cream. However, an occasional indulgence may satisfy that craving, and re-energize you to stick to your resolution. Try allowing yourself a treat once per week. This will give you something to look forward to, and can be a reward for meeting your weekly goal.
- ONE RESOLUTION AT A TIME: It is difficult to follow through on one ambitious New Year's resolution; few people successfully manage three or four. The same theory applies to achieving your weigh-loss resolution. Often small changes in your behavior can result in big results over time. Identify your biggest obstacle - too much fast food, too many soft drinks, too few trips to the gym - and modify that behavior slightly. Trying to do everything simultaneously practically guarantees failure across the board.
- REWARD YOURSELF: Following through on a New Year's resolution is rarely easy, but you can give yourself a little extra motivation by adding a reward for reaching your goal. Did you lose 10 pounds this month? Take yourself shopping. Did you meet your overall weight target? Spend a day at the spa. Doing something that you enjoy when you have reached a milestone will help to keep you motivated to reach your target.
- DON'T REPEAT YOURSELF: If you make the same resolution every year, you may be setting yourself up for failure. If you struggle with an annual resolution to lose 50 pounds, for example, change it up this year. Instead, commit to a regular fitness routine, eliminate some TV time, or plan out a healthier diet. This alternative resolution will give you something that you can manage daily and see more immediate results.