How to Keep New Year Diet Resolutions
Now for a not-so-uplifting post-holiday prediction: Most people are not going to keep their resolutions all year long. We start out with the best of intentions but the worst of strategies. By the end of January, a third will have broken our resolutions, and by July more than half of us will have lost our way.
Most people fail because they eventually run out of willpower. Now it turns out from scientific studies that willpower is a real form of mental energy, powered by glucose in the bloodstream which is used up as you exert self-control.
Now, this is something interesting: a research study that tracked people’s reactions to temptations throughout the day showed that people with the best self-control are the ones who use their willpower - less often. Instead of fending off one urge after another, these people set up their lives to minimize temptations. They play offense, not defense, using their willpower in advance so that they avoid crises and conserve their mental energy.
This strategy is especially important if you’re trying to lose weight. Weight loss is one of the most prevalent New Year’s resolutions as well as one of the most difficult. The science behind glucose and the brain make perfect sense as to why so many people fail in their diet resolutions. This is why having a very defined program and coaching support during a weight loss program truly makes a difference in being successful on your diet, and in keeping the weight off after you’ve worked so hard to lose it.
If you are just counting calories or starving yourself, your brain’s glucose supply can get way out of whack and that means less willpower. Because of this vicious cycle, even people with great self-control for the rest of their lives can have a terrible time remaining slim.
Doing a supervised low-carb/high-protein weight loss program means that you are getting just the right amount of glucose for your brain and other body functions. In fact, the body does something amazing on a low-carb diet. The protein in muscle will actually create glucose for the brain and bodily needs in a process called gluconeogenesis.
Now let’s go over some general guidelines to be successful in achieving your goals. Goals are, after all, the same as resolutions.
First. Be realistic. If you have a laundry list of resolutions your attention, energy, resources, and will power will all be diluted and it is likely you will not achieve many or any of those goals.
Limit yourself to one to three, max, resolutions for the new year.
Second. Make your goals achievable. If you say you want to be 3 clothes sizes smaller by Valentine’s, that may not be very realistic (unless you are in a structured program with great coaching support like at BonVie Weight Loss & Nutritional Wellness).
If you are trying a do-it-yourself program it may be more realistic to develop a strategy for each single smaller clothes size. In other words, break down your goals into smaller achievable steps. You know how to eat an elephant, don’t you? One bite at a time. Pardon the pun…
Three. Write out a specific strategy: a game plan. And when I say “write” I do mean analog. Studies have shown that people who commit pen to paper are more successful in achieving their goals than those using digital devices. Write down your goal and the steps to make it happen in the present such as: “I have lost 20 lbs by (the date)” rather than “I will lose 20 lbs by (the date)”.
Make each step measurable, which means quantifiable. Only that which can be measured will be achieved.
This plan can be in the form of an outline. Using the 20 lb weight loss resolution as an example, it might look something like this:
I have lost 20 lbs by (your date) by losing 2 lbs per week
Then write:
Week One (with its date) – I have lost 2 lbs
Then your strategies: for example:
I eat lean protein 3 times a day and low-sugar veggies with each meal
I do not eat carbohydrates or fried foods
I drink 64 oz of water each day
I do not drink alcohol, soda, juice
You can actually repeat this same plan every week until you reach your goal, adjusting as appropriate. I know it seems simple but reaching your goal in small specific chunks like this is very effective.
Include a plan for avoiding slip-ups. Like “I always eat before I go out with friends or family”. “I eat small portions every 3-4 hours”.
And a plan for when you do slip: write down why the deviation happened:
I was tired, I was hungry, I was emotional, I had cravings – and for each of those, write down a solution to avoid the same thing happening again. And remember, get right back on your horse; one slip does not need to be a slippery slope to failure.
And finally, get support from others.
Share your weight loss goal and what you need to do to achieve it as much as is appropriate with family, friends, co-workers, and especially your relationship partner. Ask them to help support you, or at the very least - not to sabotage you. And for those who do, you may want to take a break from them for a bit while you are taking care of yourself.
From BonVie Weight Loss & Nutritional Wellness, we wish you the best health and happiness in the new year. Good luck with those resolutions!
