The Cycle of Resolutions

It’s that time of year again! Time to take assessment and get down to the business of making some serious promises about changing for good “this time”. The new year is always a great excuse for starting over again and to work on changing whatever habits that have been revived in the past year. It’s the time for resolutions!

The Promise You Make

New Year’s Resolutions, made at the beginning of the year, are usually quite lofty goals. Weight loss is at the top of the list for many people, and it’s a very visible goal - it’s quite obvious when we fail and quite visible when our efforts succeed. So, with all the people starting over with their weight loss plans and making serious attempts to lose weight, why is the adult population in nearly all parts of the world getting fatter? And down to a more personal level, if you have you made resolutions to lose weight year after year, has it lead to success?

Chances are if you made a resolution to “lose weight”, it may not last for long. One reason is because it is a very general promise, so it doesn’t give you much to focus on. This year, instead of promising just to lose weight, try making a resolution to make a very specific change in your habits that lead to weight loss instead. 

Some examples are:

• If you dine out frequently, focus on making lower fat choices, or not overeating at restaurants at least 50% of the time.
• Make a promise to cook one or two lower fat meals every week.
• Resolve to eat 3 or 4 servings of vegetables at least four times a week.
• Promise to do at least 5-10 minutes of walking or other physical activity at least 4 times a week.

The difference between these resolutions and the resolution to “lose weight” is that these are much more specific. Notice something else: Each of these goals can be achieved by following them three or four times a week rather than every day. With these resolutions, you can build on your success, and increase the frequency of your habits in a realistic way

Carolyn Classick-Kohn,MS,RD is chief dietician and owner of her own California based online weight loss program .  Her diets are currently available via web site. Her Personal Diet are designed to give you an easy and convenient diet you can live with. Each diet and meal plan considers your eating preferences, lifestyle, health and give you access to the professional support you need.