New Year’s Resolutions: Showing Your Weight Loss Goals Who’s Boss

The beginning of 2010 has breathed a fresh blast of inspiration and motivation into many diet and exercise plans. However, for many, that cool air does not come without its hints of anxiety. The fact is that most New Year’s resolutions will be broken by February, and all too many people have experienced this firsthand (hence the impending sense of doom surrounding resolutions). We set New Year’s goals and say, “Ok, really now, this is the year I am actually going to do this. I am going to lose the weight once and for all.” Then when years of saying those same words go by only to find yourself repeating them again the following January, it becomes harder to believe that you can actually lose the weight, and you might even start to lose trust in yourself. What is a weary resolution dieter to do?

The first step is to stop blaming yourself. Of course, it is essential for the achievement of any goal to maintain a healthy sense of conviction and responsibility so that you can take charge. However, the reason why you have not lost weight may not be just because you failed at achieving your goals.  It may be because your goals failed you.
The following tips not only help me achieve my personal goals, but have also helped so many of my patients stay focused, reach their goal weights, and live healthier, happier (and thinner) lives.

Set a Specific Goal with Specific Plans

“I am going to get back on track.” More than one patient has said those words to me at our regular visits.  I always ask how they plan to do that.  They answer, “Well, you know, I am going to eat right.”Does that sound familiar?  Or how about this one, “I am going to lose weight and get healthy this year.”   So, does that mean if you lose a pound you will be healthy? Probably not. Not having a more specific goal in your head will increase the chances of making excuses for yourself later, and it keeps you from planning just how you are going to get there, wherever “there” is!

Here is an example of a more specific goal: “I am going to lose 20 pounds by April 1.” Don’t stop there, though. You need to plan exactly what you are going to change in order to lose those 20 pounds! For example, if you know your biggest diet downfall is that you eat chips, cookies or other high calorie/low nutrient snacks throughout the day, then set an objective about snacking. “I am going to change all of my snacks to lower calorie/more nutritious snacks such as low-fat yogurt with fruit, a low-calorie granola bar, a small handful of nuts or a snack pack of veggies.” The next step would be to go shopping and arm yourself with only those snacks that you agreed to. Throw or give away the temptations so they are not even an option. (Hint: Buying pre-cut snack packs of veggies or chopping them up into bite-sizes as soon as you buy them makes them more likely to be eaten!)

Let’s keep going. What about exercise? Changing eating habits can only take you so far in efforts to lose weight and improve health. Burning calories takes your program to the next level. Remember, be specific with setting exactly what kind of exercise you are going to do, how many days a week, and for how many minutes at a time. (Hint: If you are a Smart Phone or planner user, write your exercise sessions for the week down in your calendar. Every Sunday night, plan out your workouts for the week!)

Make it Measurable

An important quality of any goal is that it is measurable. Since you set a specific number by saying that you want to lose 20 pounds by April 1st, you can measure your progress at any step along the way! Figure out how many pounds a week you have to lose from now until April 1st to reach your goal, and weigh yourself on the same day of every week until that date. This will keep your goal fresh in your mind every week and decrease the chances of forgetting about it or brushing it off. (Hint: Only weigh once a week and try to weigh yourself first thing in the morning.)

Set a Time-Frame

Setting a time-frame for your goal is key! Otherwise, you will keep putting it off until the ball drops again next New Year’s Eve. Giving yourself the specific calendar date of April 1st encourages you to keep that goal a priority in your head, and that is what reaching goals takes! You have to make your goals a major priority in your life.

Setting mini-goals for every month until April is even more effective. For example, aiming for 5 pounds weight loss by the first day of every month or even setting a weekly goal for your weigh-ins will help keep you motivated. (Hint: If you have a lot of weight that you want to lose, it may take you all 12 months to realistically do so. This is where setting several short term goals particularly comes into play. Set a specific number for each month! The good feeling that you get from successfully reaching those short term goals will help keep you on track for the big picture.)

Take Small Steps

Do you have a goal in mind along with some ideas of specific steps on what you are going to do to reach that goal? Great! You’re on a roll. However, beware of a very common mistake that a lot of people make with goal-setting: setting goals that are just too big. Time constraints, finances, health issues, and other factors can be unavoidable. Telling yourself that you want to lose 50 pounds by Valentine’s Day is a bit overzealous and could set you up for disappointment, no matter how much you exercise. Another example is telling yourself that you are going to start exercising for 60 minutes every day when you currently don’t exercise at all. Even if you do stick to that for the first week, you are over-working your body, and your muscles and energy levels are likely to bonk by the next week. Then you’re back at square one again being too tired and sore to lift a finger and feeling like you failed yet another weight loss attempt. Start small and build up every couple of weeks. (Hint: Realistic and safe weight loss is losing 1 to 2 pounds a week. Setting your goals accordingly will make them more attainable.)

Another common mistake that people often make is setting too many goals. (I have been guilty of this one!) All of those goals get jumbled to the point where you forget most of them and don’t have time to take all of them seriously!  So, it is best to keep the number of goals you set to 3 or fewer so that you are able to focus more time and attention on each of them.

Also, be reasonable about the kinds of changes you make to your diet. Going cold turkey can set you up for disaster. For example, if you choose unhealthy snacks 3 times a day, have had 2 sodas a day for the last … well, since you can remember, and eat fried foods 5 times a week, it would be un-realistic to suddenly say, “I am going to stop snacking, never drink Coke again, and completely cut out all fried foods.” That is a major change to make over night. Instead, start small. Try improving the snacks you choose (like I mentioned earlier), cutting back your sodas to 1 a day (and preferably switching to Diet), and decrease the times you eat fried foods to once or twice a week. Even starting small like that can make a big difference in your calorie intake and weight. Once you get used to the changes you’ve made, cut back a little more and a little more. It is easy to get excited about improving your life around the New Year, but be sure that the goals you set are few, attainable, and realistic for you.

Finally, Write it all Down

Numerous studies have found that writing down your goals helps you achieve them by keeping them in your daily thoughts. Get writing! Write down your goal and write down your plan of action. (Hint: Once you’ve written your goal and specific plans down, put them in a place that is visible to you every day. Your mirror, computer screen, and refrigerator are great examples.)

The goals you set can make or break your chances of achievement. When you are setting goals, just remember the acronym “S.M.A.R.T.”, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-sensitive. Be specific by including exact numbers such as pounds, inches, minutes, days a week, etc, and keep them realistic. Remember that a goal requires work! So, write down your S.M.A.R.T. plan for exactly what kind of work (diet and exercise plans) you are going to put into achieving your goals this year.

We all know that motivation with resolutions can be easy to lose. Accomplishing smaller, short-term goals increases your motivation and keeps you pumped about getting closer and closer to your long-term goal. These recommendations are meant to keep you motivated and excited by keeping your goals fresh in your mind and giving yourself small tastes of glory before finally reaching your long-term goal. Happy goal setting!