How to Keep that New Years Resolution

Last year, I made a New Years resolution as I do every year. It was also the same resolution as I had made in previous years: lose weight.

The question is... how come this year, it worked... and all the other years, I would quit after 2 weeks?

Here is my take on that.

1. Get to know yourself. Figure out... (A) Can I do this on my own? If so, (B) Do I need a plan, do I need to write things down in a food journal... How will I stay on top of this?

If you think you cannot do it on your own... join a gym... or do what I did and join Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers kept me in line... it was easy! It was all planned out for me and I didn't have to do any of the work, I just had to follow the plan that was given to me.

A lot of my past New Years resolutions had failed and I think it was partially because I was lazy, and creating my own plan of action was too much work. After 2 weeks, I was done.

2. DON'T DIET! If you are passionate about losing the weight, and it is something that you want to KEEP OFF... diets are not the answer (unless you are instructed to do so by a doctor). Why don't diets work?

The answer is simple... it's a diet. It's short term. The weight will just pile back on once the diet is over.

A lifestyle change however, is much more permanent. It changes how you eat for the rest of your life and you are less tempted to fall back into old eating habits. The weight comes off slower, but is more permanent and less likely to come back.

3. Find an activity that you LOVE to do. Listen- I've said this before. I HATE WORKING OUT. I have never been that crazy gym girl that runs on the treadmill or the elliptical. I have been there, done that.... and I have learned.... it's just not for me.

So... I have found that by dancing... I am getting activity in... AND I am doing what I love to do at the exact same time.

Now I know for some people, it won't be as easy. I was blessed with a love of dance, and some people may not be into any kind of activity at all. That is why it is so important to step out of the box and try new things. For example, I joined a local fitness club back in the fall with my roommate and we tried step and zumba and I am so glad that I did.

4. FIND MOTIVATION!!! This is so, so, SO important. If you do not have any motivation like.... a trip to Florida =) or... fitting into that bikini that you bought for summer... you will NEVER reach the goal.

5. Speaking of the goal.... start off SMALL!! If you make your goals too large, that is just a recipe for disaster. Make the goals realistic. Weight will come off fast at times, and slower at other times.

An unrealistic goal would be to lose 20lbs in one month. It's just not going to happen. You must start small... the more you get into your weight loss... the bigger you can make your goals.

6. DO NOT get frustrated when you don't see results. For the first 2 weeks that I was on WW, I lost the first 10lbs. After that... I was lucky if I lost a pound. It would be .5 loss here... .5 loss there. It was frustrating and there were times that I wanted to give up. But, I didn't. I stuck with it, and it is important that you do too.

Weight is a crazy thing. Water retainment is a crazy thing too. Drink lots and lots of water! There were some weeks where I knew that I must have lost weight, and I would step on the scale to find that there was not even an ounce lost. But- there were those weeks when I thought I would for sure gain a pound, and I would lose 2lbs.

The key is to just stay with it. Stay on track. Don't give up hope.

7. DO NOT deprive yourself!!!! This is why I HATE the Adkins diet and the South Beach diet and all those like it. Why deprive yourself? If you have worked hard eating right all week and you are dying to have a bowl of ice cream on Saturday night... why not??? You have earned it!

As long as the indulgences are in moderation, why not? This is why I love WW. WW allows you to indulge. It's key to a successful weight loss.

8. Reward yourself!!! Every 10 pounds lost, I would reward myself. Whether it was buying a new outfit... going out to dinner ... or getting my second holes on my ears when I lost 20lbs. These rewards will help to encourage you to move forward.

Bribe yourself!! It works!!

9. Record, record, record!!! I have found that food journaling, measuring, taking pictures, and blogging has helped me to achieve this weight loss. For the first several months, I journaled everything that I was eating. I took measurements and before and after pictures... this helped me to stay motivated as well as honest with myself.

And of course blogging has really helped me a ton. Sharing my thoughts, ideas, complaints, sob stories, concerns, hardships, and successes have definitely helped me. Creating this blog was one of the best things I ever did for myself. I have become friends with so many bloggers and I have appreciated their constant support more than they know.

10. Finally... STAY POSITIVE. Surround yourself around positive people...people who care about you...people who want to see you happy. Learn to love when you hear people say, "WOW.. Have you lost weight?"

Do not let other people bring you down. (Just for the record... this is something that I am working on right now. This is something that I have blogged about many times to help me through.) So.. I have not yet learned this. I am really focusing on this for the new year though.

So there you have it. The 10 most important things (in my opinion) that are needed for successful weight loss.... for a successful new year...and better yet....

a new YOU.

til next time,

Karla =)