New Year’s Resolution…It’s not too late to succeed

How are you doing so far with your new year’s resolutions?  I expect a few challenges have come up by now.  Don’t lose hope.  You can definitely have a healthier year this year. 

Here’s a success story and my tips for keeping your new year’s resolution.
My husband has lost 30 pounds in the last 3 years, and says changing his thinking is what did the trick.  (No, I did not put him a diet.  They don’t work long term, so what’s the point.)  Here’s how he changed.

When I met Bob he was on the Adkins diet.  He and his friend tended to follow the latest fad diet, which usually led to “being real good” following the restrictions of the diet, and then bingeing.  The “old Bob” used to binge as a reward for following the diet for several days, OR would slip up and get off the diet and think “what the heck.  I blew it.  Might as well just eat all I want and start again next week.”  The bingeing never allowed for any real weight loss that lasted.  In fact his weight slowly increased over the years.

I don’t give unsolicited nutrition advice to anyone, even this new man I liked on the Adkins diet.  But I’m not a big meat fan so it wasn’t long before he was eating more like me.  We got married and he learned a lot from living with a dietitian.

Like others, when the scale read a certain number, that was it!  He was serious about making changes to lose weight.  But now he understood why his old ways of dieting didn’t work.  And he thought about his weight in a new way.

“You must find a new way to think before you can master a new way to be.”— Marianne Williamson

The “new Bob” had learned that every day was a new day in which he could choose the right thing.  He no longer beat himself up when he didn’t make the healthy choice.  There was no need to binge.  He was no longer “good” or “bad”.  He was able to stay the course, even when his weight plateau-ed.  It took 3 years to lose reach his goal weight but he did it and feels really good.

Tips for meeting your new year’s resolutions:

• Break your big resolution into smaller goals to help you get there.
• Make goals that are SMART and reassess every week.

               Specific–I will go for a walk

              Measurable–5 days a week for 30 minutes

              Attainable–I am confident I can do this

              Realistic–I am willing and able to do this

              Time Oriented–I will start today and reassess in 1 week

               For more on SMART goals click here.

• Plan for barriers to meeting your goals.  They are going to happen.  If you realize this, you will be prepared and can stay the course.
• If you don’t reach your goal one week, don’t think of it as a failure.  Think about what got in your way and make adjustments for next time.  Was the goal unrealistic?  Adjust it for next week.
• Get support.  Tell people about your goal and ask for what you need from them.  It can make a big difference.

If you are on Facebook, I would love to hear about your New Year’s Resolution and how you are doing.  Ask questions there too.