If you’re like most people, in early January, you tell yourself that this will be the year that you finally achieve a specified goal. The start of the new year represents an opportunity to make a fresh start – and to take on something that you want to change. You might decide that this is the year that you’ll write a book, get in shape, or lose weight.
Unfortunately, most New Year’s resolutions fail – particularly when it comes to weight loss. This often happens because you simply aren’t ready to lose weight, and haven’t prepared yourself to do so. This year, you can make a real difference – and get to your goal weight – with the help of Ideal You.
Unlike other weight loss programs, Ideal You doesn’t require you to go on a drastic diet or exercise for hours each day. Instead, you’ll eat whole foods, take all natural, food-based supplements, and work with a team of weight loss coaches. Read on to learn more about how you can keep your New Year’s resolution to lose weight, and then reach out to Ideal You to get started.
Why Do Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail?
If you have previously tried to set a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and failed, you’re not alone. According to researchers, just 19% of all people who set a New Year’s resolution stick with it. In fact, most New Year’s resolutions are abandoned halfway through January.
The reasons why are complex, but often come down to one reason: you simply were not prepared to make a change. While January 1 is a traditional time to set goals for the coming year, there is nothing magical about that date. When you choose an arbitrary date to start losing weight – without otherwise preparing for it – you are more likely to fail.
According to the transtheoretical model of change, when humans decide to change their health behavior, they go through six stages:
- Precontemplation: denying or ignoring that there is an issue to be addressed;
- Contemplation: thinking about making a change;
- Preparation: taking steps to get ready to make a change;
- Action: changing your behavior;
- Maintenance: sticking to the behavioral changes; and
- Termination or relapse: slipping up, and either addressing the relapse or ending the behavioral changes.
When making a New Year’s resolution, most people skip steps 1 through 3, and go right to step 4: action. Because they aren’t actually ready to make a change, they quickly find themselves in step 6: termination. Even if a person has been thinking about losing weight for a while, leaping into action without sufficient preparation often leads to failure.
This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. But if you choose to start a weight loss plan on January 1, you should only do so after taking time to think about it and preparing for it. By going through each of the steps to make a successful change, you will be more likely to actually achieve your goals.
How Can I Stick to My Weight Loss Resolution?
Once you understand that you have to take a few steps before jumping into a weight loss plan, you can start to put together a plan. There are a number of strategies that can help ensure that you keep your resolution to lose weight. Below, we have outlined some of the top tips to make and keep a weight loss resolution – whether you make it on New Year’s or any other time of the year.
Think It Through
As discussed above, humans go through 6 stages when they decide to make a change to their health and wellbeing. One of the most important steps is understanding why you should make a change, and take the time to weigh the pros and cons to doing so.
Many of us struggle with overeating, or eating foods that aren’t great for us. There is a reason why: eating is a pleasurable activity, and results in an immediate reward when the brain releases dopamine. Our brains are hardwired to seek out behaviors that release dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure. Studies have shown that eating junk food can lead to a reward that is far greater than when we eat whole foods. The end result is often food addiction and obesity.
When we don’t take the time to truly think about our behaviors – like emotional eating – then we are unlikely to make a real, lasting change. To overcome the desire for a dopamine hit that eating junk food produces, we have to make a conscious decision. Be sure to consider the advantages and disadvantages of changing your behavior as it relates to food when you decide to start a weight loss plan.
Set a Goal
Having a vague goal – like wanting to “be healthy” – often isn’t enough to motivate you to lose weight. Instead, think about what exactly you want to accomplish.
Do you want to lose 50 lbs? 100 lbs? Or perhaps you just want to fit into your clothes again, without thinking about a specific number on the scale. Whatever your goal may be, write it down. This is a critical step in actually achieving your desired result.
Break It Down into Achievable Milestones
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by a big goal, like losing 50% of your body weight or finally fitting back into your jeans from college. Once you have set a goal, break it down into smaller chunks. Doing so will help build your confidence as you reach these smaller goals.
For example, if you want to lose 100 pounds over the coming year, set mini-goals of 10 lbs by a certain date, or 25 lbs within X months. In this way, you can still dream big – but achieve smaller milestones along the way.
Reward Yourself
This part is key to sticking with a weight loss plan. Dropping unwanted pounds is often a slog. It may mean foregoing that slice of cake at a birthday party, or ordering a salad when you really want a burger and fries. To motivate yourself to stick with it, reward yourself when you reach smaller goals.
Health changes are often incremental. You won’t lose 50 pounds in a week or even a month. Treating yourself (with something other than food!) when you hit a smaller goal – like down 5 lbs – can be a way to stick with your weight loss plan.
Commit Yourself
You may not want to go public with your weight loss goal, but telling just one person can help to keep you accountable. You could post on social media, join a weight loss support group, or even just talk to your doctor, a friend, or family member about your plan.
Telling someone is a way to tangibly commit to your weight loss goals, particularly if it is a person that you don’t want to disappoint. They can encourage you along the way, provide you with support, and check in on your progress. In this way, you’ll have more people on your “team” to help you along the way.
Learn from Mistakes
Most people who start a weight loss plan have tried to lose weight in the past. If you fall into that category, think about what you did before – and what you can learn from it.
Perhaps you lost a bunch of weight on a crash diet – and then quickly regained it once you could no longer stick to that super restrictive eating plan. Or maybe you have tried to exercise for an hour each day, but weren’t able to sustain that level of activity or simply weren’t losing weight despite exercising.
Whatever the case may be, write down what did and did not work for you in the past. This will give you insight into what you should be doing to achieve your weight loss goals this time.
Focus on Progress, Not Perfection
It’s easy to beat yourself up when you fall off the proverbial wagon. Perhaps you had a slice of pizza at a friend’s house, or completely blew your diet on a girls’ trip. Instead of deciding that you have ruined everything and giving up, consider how much progress you have made – and rededicate yourself to your weight loss plan.
Losing weight is often a marathon, not a sprint. While you should try to stick with your program as much as possible, if you mess up, don’t let it defeat you. How you handle these relapses into your old habits will determine your ultimate success.
If you eat something that you shouldn’t, or otherwise have a bad day, don’t let it defeat you. Instead, think about all that you have already accomplished – and get right back into it.
Consult with Experts
Losing weight isn’t as simple as eating less and moving more. A variety of factors – from sleep to hydration to when you eat – can influence your ability to drop extra pounds. While some people can and do lose weight on their own, most people find that it is easier – and often more effective – to work with an expert.
At Ideal You, we know that losing weight is hard. Our plan is designed to boost your metabolism and help it transition from fat storing to fat burning. With the Ideal You Program, you’ll get:
- Meetings with a weight loss coach and weigh-ins every 10 days;
- A structured food list backed by research;
- A weight loss journal;
- All natural, food-based supplements; and
- Support from a team of weight loss coaches.
You will also be able to lose a life-changing amount of weight quickly – and sustainably. If you want to reach your goal weight, you don’t have to do it alone. Our team is here to help.
Keep Your New Year’s Resolution with Ideal You
If you want to lose weight this upcoming year, there are a number of things that you can and should do to prepare yourself for success. At the top of that list should be scheduling a consultation with Ideal You.
Weight loss isn’t easy – but it can be simplified with our program. We will stand by your side throughout the process, offering advice, expertise, and encouragement. With Ideal You, you won’t have to eat fake foods or exercise for hours. Instead, you’ll eat real food and focus on the things that truly matter when it comes to weight loss. You could lose up to 40 lbs in just 40 days with Ideal You and it all starts with a free consultation.
To learn more or to schedule a free consultation with Ideal You, reach out to us today at 888-488-7258 or book a consultation online.
Sources:
