As I blogged yesterday, my New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight – again. The thing about making weight loss a resolution is that so many people do it (especially after all those holiday pounds!), but many fail to follow through.
What can you do to keep your resolution? There are a few hints from psychologist John Norcross on how to keep those resolutions:
Believe it can be done.
That’s right – don’t let the haters keep you down, saying “You can’t do that.” Believe in yourself that you can succeed.
Be realistic.
I am never going to weigh 120 pounds again. I don’t even think I’d want to be that small – I am just not built that way. But, losing 20 – 30 pounds is realistic for me. I think I may try to break it down more to make it easier – 10 pounds at a time sounds much less overwhelming than 30 pounds total.
You may be able to do it without a support group.
The health science center I work for offers a Weight Watchers group, but I’ve never really wanted to join it. Norcross says that we tend to think most people – whether trying to lose weight, quit smoking, or stop drinking – need some type of support group. But, Norcross says some people, whom he calls self-changers, can do it all on their own.
It takes steps.
That’s right – I am not going to lose 30 pounds in a week, it’s going to take steps. Norcross says a resolution begins with psych (you need to be motivated and set a goal), prep (this is your planning – like I need to plan healthy meals and set exercise dates), perspire (it’s going to take work and you need to learn the skills needed to follow the resolution through), and ends with persevere (overcome the slipups).
And finally, don’t forget to reward yourself for your success. But, Norcross suggests that you may withdraw rewards if you don’t meet your goals.