Keeping a New Year's Resolution to Lose Weight

The New Year is upon us!

Have you made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and get healthy in 2018? Did you make a resolution in 2017? How about the year before that?

Did you follow through?

According to Forbes only 8% of people actually keep their New Year’s resolutions. That’s pretty depressing. Why even bother to make a resolution if there’s a 92% chance you’ll fail?

BUT WAIT! Before you give up on setting a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and get healthy, turn your thinking around….

What if you could be part of the 8% who actually achieves their goal?

What makes the 8% different?

I can promise you that the 8% of people who actually see their resolutions to fruition are not any smarter, more educated, or more successful than you. People who keep their resolutions simply make those resolutions differently than the rest of us.

It’s the PROCESS, not the person.

Resolution #1: Resolve to change how you set your New Year’s resolutions to greatly increase your chances of success.

Here’s how to set and keep your New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and get healthy (or achieve any other goal for that matter):

1. Choose one big goal. Just one. I chuckle when I see people post a list of New Year’s resolutions that include losing weight, getting healthy, saving money, being more organized, starting a business, writing a book…in other words you want to morph into Tony Robbins in the span of 12 months. You absolutely should set your sights high and challenge yourself, but you also need to be realistic. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to change every aspect of your life or personality! What’s most important to you? What can you realistically achieve in the next 12 months? Envision the end of 2018...what one major achievement would make you most proud of yourself?

2. Get specific…like waaaay more specific. 'Lose weight' and 'Get healthy'. What does that even mean?!? How much do you want to weigh? What size dress do you want to fit into? How much do you want to be able to squat or bench press? How far do you want to be able to run? How many points do you want to lower your cholesterol?

3. Take a cold hard look at your current situation. This part can be painful, but you must have a starting point to give yourself direction, and so that you know if your action plan is working. For example if your main New Year’s resolution is to lose weight you will need to know your current weight! Then you will need to weigh yourself frequently to see if your program is working to help you achieve the goal of weight loss! If you want your waist measurement to be smaller, you will need to know your current waist size. If you want to be able to run a mile in under 10 minutes, you need to know how long it takes you to run a mile today. If you want to lower your cholesterol or blood pressure, you need to know your current numbers. If you want to be able to bench press 150 lbs., you need to know how much you can bench press right now. Measurements, photos, and other metrics aren’t meant to make you feel bad about yourself. They are BENCHMARKS that will serve as a starting point and help you understand whether or not your program is working.

4. Figure out your ‘why’? Why do you want to lose weight and get healthy? Take time to really think this through. What are your real reasons? Getting healthy is something we’re supposed to want…but that’s not very motivating. Do you want to look better to attract a new mate? Do you want to get healthy so you can start a family? Do you want to compete in your first 5k or sprint triathlon? Do you have a wedding, vacation, or reunion coming up? Do you want to be able to hit a hiking trail and keep up with your friends? What really gets you excited about reaching your goal?

5. Write it down. Most people skip this step but that’s a huge mistake. Put a real pen to real paper and record everything. Record your starting stats and how you are feeling physically and mentally. Record exactly what you want and when you want to achieve it. Write out your ‘whys’ and what excites you about your health journey. Jot down the names of people who will support you…and perhaps the names of those who might sabotage you. List the potential obstacles and how you’ll overcome them. WRITE. IT. DOWN.

6. Take action. It’s not enough to set a goal...you must take action. Don’t delay this! If you are writing out your goals right now you are already in a motivated state of mind! Take advantage of the moment and take the next actionable step! Maybe it’s making an appointment with your doctor for blood work. Maybe it’s finally making that phone call to a local personal trainer that you’ve been putting off for 6 months. Maybe it’s signing up for a 5k. Or maybe it’s taking a leap of faith and joining an online nutrition and fitness program (like my 10 Week Carb Cycle – shameless plug). Whatever you do, don’t write out your goals and then put them away! They’ll just get lost in the shuffle. Take a definitive STEP in the right direction!

7. Keep yourself accountable. Post your goals around your house and read them every day. Write your goal on a note card and carry it in your purse or wallet. Tell everyone about your goals. Post it on social media. Start a public blog to detail your journey. Get an accountability partner or join a group of like-minded people trying to achieve similar goals. Is it scary to think you'll fail and everyone will know? Yes! But this type of healthy fear is proven to help people stick to their plan and achieve their goals!

You can be a part of the 8% who are successful at keeping a New Year's resolution to lose weight and get healthy!

Be optimistic, write it down, take action, and keep yourself accountable!

In the spirit of putting scary goals out there and keeping myself accountable...my big goal for 2018 is to compete in my first power lifting competition!

I'd love to hear from you! What's your #1 goal in 2018?

If you need help getting healthy and fit in 2018 join me and an inspiring group of women who are working on fitness goals during The Female Biodiet 10 Week Carb Cycling program! Carb cycling has been key to my success in losing body fat and maintaining my lean and happy weight. It's an extremely flexible lifestyle that will help you work with your body instead of against it.