The new year is a time when many people make resolutions to improve themselves and their lives overall. In many cases, these resolutions involve weight loss, dieting, exercise, and otherwise getting healthier. Unfortunately, a large portion of these resolutions fail within the first few months of the year, and it is often due to the fact that people don't approach them in a sustainable manner. If weight loss is your goal for 2020, here's how to set and stick to your resolutions.
Start with Specific, Measurable Goals
Simply resolving to lose weight likely won't be enough to motivate you to follow through as the year progresses. While you may have plenty of motivation at the beginning of the year, your drive may wane if you aren't seeing the results you desire right away. For starters, you'll need to define what those results should be. For example, your goal might be to lose one pound a week. While this may not seem like much, it would add up to more than 50 pounds over the course of the year!
Make sure your goals are realistic; it's not feasible to lose five pounds a week, and you'll only feel discouraged when you aren't reaching your goal. This will make it even more likely that you will abandon your resolution before you even get started. This leads us into our next tip.
Allow for Setbacks
Change doesn't happen overnight, so you are sure to run into setbacks along your weight loss journey. You might overindulge in rich foods on a vacation with friends, for example, or you could get sick or injured and not be able to exercise for a while. It could even just be that you had a moment of weakness and went back for a second helping of birthday cake at an office party instead of sticking to just one.
The important thing is to not beat yourself up over setbacks. Just because you have fallen off track doesn't mean that you should abandon your resolution completely. Simply eat better the next day and get back to working out once you are well again. There is no need to let a brief period of self-indulgence completely derail your weight loss efforts.
Implement Small Changes and Build on Them
You can't expect yourself to become a completely different person simply because the year on the calendar changed, so don't try to make massive changes all at once; this is only setting yourself up for failure and discouragement. Instead, start with small changes, such as swapping out a snack of potato chips in favor of a piece of fruit or drinking sparkling water instead of soda. After a few weeks, you can add another new, healthy habit, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or going for a 15-minute walk during your lunch break.
As you find success with each small action, you'll feel more empowered and motivated to continue making other healthy changes to your lifestyle. While you won't be a completely different person right away, you'll likely find that a lot has changed by the end of the year in terms of your lifestyle.
Learn More about Healthy Weight Loss for the New Year
To help you on your weight loss journey, it can be incredibly beneficial to work with someone who specializes in this area. Dr. Sheila Hughes can help ensure you are losing weight in a way that is healthiest for you. She'll guide you in creating appropriate nutrition and exercise plans while also helping you stay on track throughout the year. Reach out today to get started!
