Healthy-Weight-LossIt’s such a cliché to say your New Year’s resolution is to have a healthy-weight-loss program, right? Yet most of us have a weight loss resolution at the top of our list! The only problem is sticking to it. So how can this time be any different? Resolve to make this your year to make your resolutions really happen! Here’s some pointers on making resolutions you can live with. Make your resolution attainable. Vowing to lose 50 pounds by Valentine’s Day is pretty unrealistic and sets you up for heart-breaking failure. But breaking it down and saying you’re going to lose 2 pounds a week puts it within reach. Set concrete goals. Be specific in how you’re going to lose that weight. Say: I will walk five days a week for 30 minutes each time,” rather than a general, noncommittal “I’m going to exercise more.” Take it slowly. Change habits and behaviors gradually so they become part of your normal routine. You’ll have a much greater chance of success that way. In other words, don’t make sweeping, radical changes overnight from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1 like: planning to get up at 5 a.m. every day to run 10 miles, banning the morning coffee you’ve enjoyed for 20 years, eliminating all chocolate forever, and vowing to never look at a bread basket again. You’ll never last that way. Be flexible. First, edit out the words “eliminate,” “never” and “forbidden” from your vocabulary. Life doesn’t work that way. But moderation, limitations, and sampling can be part of any eating plan. Feeling deprived is the fast track to failure of any resolution. Make healthy substitutions, but now and then allow yourself to eat the things you love — in small portions. Stay motivated.A resolution involves determination and “stick-to-itiveness.” You’re in it for the long haul. So once you decide you’re going to lose weight this year, you’ll have to change your mindset. Don’t go into it half-heartedly or you’ll go belly up by Jan. 3. To stay with your healthy-weight-loss efforts, make your intentions known, enlist the support of family and friends, make exercise fun with variety, and reward each accomplishment with a non-food treat.
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