Staying on Track with Weight Loss
How to Turn a New Year's Resolution into a Way of Life
Jan 3, 2009
If you had to take a guess, how many of your friends and family members make a yearly New Year's resolution to lose weight and then never stick to it? The problem is, it's difficult. And, while many people want to reap the benefits, they don't realize that it takes dedication and a change of mindset to make it work. If you're serious about weight loss and just looking for ways to make the change, keep reading.
Do Your Research
There are so many diets out there. The trick is to find a healthy diet you can live with. If you love pasta, don't go with a diet that makes you cut out carbs or you might not stick with it. Be serious enough about whatever diet you adopt to realize that it's something that may be a lifetime commitment for you; even after you take off the weight, you might have to practice a modified version of the diet to keep the weight off. The most successful people are the ones who see a diet as a healthy lifestyle change and not merely a few month commitment to stay off chocolate cake. The hardest part about losing weight is changing your mindset!
Write it Down
Many people don't keep track of what they eat and then wonder why they aren't losing weight. What they don't realize is, they are eating double and even triple the allotted amount! Studies show the best way to keep track of what you eat and make sure you are eating the right amount is to keep a weight loss journal. Record what you eat at each meal or snack, how big the portion is, and keep track diligently so you don't go over. For an added bonus, track your weight every week in your weight loss journal, so you can see the pounds dropping along side your diet changes. It's a great motivator to stay the course.
Get Moving
For many people, exercise is the hardest part. But, when you find something you love to do, it becomes easier to make time for it. You don't have to go to a gym or spend hundreds of dollars on a trainer. You can sign up for a ballroom dance class with your spouse, take a jog around the park with your best friend, push your baby in her stroller up the hills around the neighborhood you live in, or even buy a fun work out video to do in the privacy of your own home. Just make sure whatever you do is at least 30 minutes of heart-pumping activity, and that you do it at least three times a week for maximum results.
Plan Ahead
If you know you have a major work meeting all day and will be too drained to exercise on a certain day, figure out other days to fit it in. If your spouse is having a client dinner you are expected to attend, look online at the menu of the restaurant and make sure there are ways you can modify the food to fit in with your diet plan (or make that your one cheat meal per week). If you're too busy to cook every night, pick a weekend day and make a few recipes you've been wanting to try, portion them out accordingly, and freeze them to defrost and eat for dinner throughout the week. If you plan ahead, you are less likely to over-indulge, and more likely to stick to your plans.
Stay Positive
Everyone slips up now and again. If you have two cheat meals one week instead of just one, don't beat yourself up over it. Just get back on the horse the next day. It's easy to become upset with yourself over one thing and then give up. But, the most successful people are the ones who use it as an opportunity to try harder the next day and make it work for them. You create your own destiny and nobody can make it happen for you, so stay the course and reap the benefits!
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