10 Tips to Help You Stick to Your New Years Weight Loss Resolutions!

Ah here we are again. Another New Year is here and we are filled with hope. There is a certain excitement about setting new goals and striving for success. Often though, ambitious as we are, setting new habits and sticking with them often fall to the wayside relatively quickly.

Can you remember what your New Year’s Resolutions were for 2009? Are they the same resolutions again? What happened? Why were those resolutions not achieved, so that this year we could start anew?

Weight loss is one of the most common resolutions. In fact a largely disproportionate amount of people resolve to lose weight every New Year. All through the holidays while you were indulging (or overindulging for some of us), you kept thinking in the back of your mind – “Well this all changes come January, I am going to lose this weight.” Trust me I know, I have been there too!

Resolving to make positive changes in our life is a wonderful thing, but it is also easier said than done. Here are ten tips to help you to stick to your resolutions and attain your goals.

1. Make a List.
   Make a List of the goals that you wish to achieve and post them up somewhere so you will see them every morning. The bathroom mirror and the fridge door are good places. J My friend Jen says: “If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t exist.” Make your list!
   
   
2. Have a support system in place.
   The key to continued success is to have your own support system. Find a buddy that has similar goals and work together. Having to be accountable to another person or a group often makes you work that little bit harder, just to prove, not only to yourself but also to others that you can do this!
   
   
3. Educate yourself.
   If you are starting a new nutrition plan or exercise plan, research and find out everything you can about the subject. If at times you think that you can’t do it, start reading some of the success stories online, find some extra help if you need it and just get started.
   
   
4. Give your goals some meaning.
   ”I first wanted to lose weight so that I could look better and feel better after my children were born. As the years went by, both my parents started having health challenges. It was then that I realized that I didn’t want to spend my retirement battling health issues that I could avoid if I started a healthier lifestyle now. That gave me a greater desire and drive to accomplish my goals and do it now!”
   
   
5. Try to avoid temptations.
   Do not keep food and snacks in the house that you know will only tempt you. When dining at a restaurant, look at the things on the menu that you can eat, rather than the things you can’t. Enjoy what you can have, and remember the greater goals.
   
   
6. Keep a Food Journal.
   Keeping track of what you eat can actually increase your weight loss efforts two fold. Keep a daily journal and try to keep it with you so you can write down what you eat right away. Trying to remember everything you ate that day, later on in the evening, you are bound to forget some things. Keeping your food journal also keeps you accountable to yourself. Perhaps if you have to write down that chocolate chip cookie that you had at 2:00 in the afternoon, you might think twice about having it in the first place.
   
   
7. Find Motivation in every small accomplishment.
   ”The more results I saw, the more I knew I could do it. I started out dedicating 1 month to my 30- day plan. That first 30 days is long over, and I have not looked back. I wouldn’t trade in my new healthier lifestyle now for anything. I know now I could never go back to living the way I was.”Every little bit helps. Cutting out snacking in the evening is a tough thing to do but the more results you see from not doing that, the more you won’t want to!
   
   
8. Set Realistic Goals.
   Try setting targets within goals. For example, if your overall goal is to lose 20 lbs, then why not set a target of losing the first 2 to 3 lbs by the end of your first week. Then check it off and set another target. Setting smaller “goals within goals” will make it easier and keep you motivated. If you are setting unrealistic goals, you are setting yourself up for failure indeed.
   
   
9. Don’t Give Up.
   Sometimes, it is difficult to keep trying, but each day is a new beginning. If you cheated yesterday and had that sinfully delightful piece of chocolate cake for granny’s birthday, it’s okay! Don’t beat yourself up about it. Take it one day at a time, and one meal at a time. Lean on your friends and family for support. They are there to help you and keep you going.
   
   
10. Encourage People and Teach Others
    There is nothing like the feeling of making a difference in someone else’s life! Being supportive of another can give you rewards far greater than ever anticipated. Have you ever heard the saying “It is better to give than to receive”? You can truly bless someone else’s life simply by sharing hints or providing them encouragement.

I hope this helps.  Thanks for reading!
Have an Amazing Day!