Are Your New Year’s Resolutions Already History?

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Small Action Steps You Can Take Now

Did you make a long list of New Year’s resolutions only to question them by the end of New Year’s Day and forget about them after the first week? Was weight loss one of your resolutions?

If you’re unable to lose weight, you might not be ready. Say what? Weight loss depends as much on your mental attitude as it does the foods that you eat. In one of the behavioral change models, there are stages of motivational readiness. If you are in the “precontemplation” stage, you have no intention of changing. During the “contemplation” stage, you intend to change but later on. In the “preparation” stage, you are prepared to change within the next month and as you move into the “action” stage, you’re ready to change behaviors now.

Many people fail at weight loss because they’re still in the precontemplation or contemplation stages. You may feel that the cons of weight loss are greater than the pros and that you can’t succeed. For weight loss success, you must:

1.Believe you can succeed.

2.Feel that the pros or benefits outweigh the cons

Once you are ready for action and know that you can succeed:

1. Set small realistic goals, one at a time. Make these goals specific, not broad. For example, instead of “I want to lose weight,” say “I want to lose 5 pounds in 4-5 weeks.

2. Decide how you will meet this goal and put dates on your daily calendar. Perhaps you decide tojoin the Y and ride the stationary bike three times per week for 30-40 minutes. Make a date with yourself on your calendar and give it the same priority you do your work or it will never happen. Be realistic about our action steps. Make sure they work with your life.

3. Meet this goal before you begin your next one. Small steps over time lead to great success.