It’s sad to say, but the vast majority of the people who vow to lose weight when they’re choosing their resolutions on New Year’s Eve don’t even get close to achieving that or sticking to those resolutions.
However, if you take a realistic approach and take steps that you know you can sustain, you can have confidence in your abilities to lose that excess weight. Even when your resolve is tested, you can remain faithful to your resolutions.
To help you understand how to stick to your resolutions and approach weight loss in a realistic and sustainable way, we’ve laid out some vital information for you below.
There’s Always the Possibility of a Fresh Start
Wanting to lose weight is not uncommon. Despite the obesity problem many countries have, many people are looking to shed fat. A US study found that 25% of men and 40% of women say they’re trying to lose weight.
Even if you’re having difficulties, carrying on and pushing through is possible. Many people make one misstep during their weight loss efforts and then give up entirely but that’s not how it should be.
Next time you make a mistake and eat the wrong thing, embrace the fresh start and get back on track once more and keep working.
Start Right Away, Not Tomorrow
No matter what time of year it is, you should start your weight loss journey today rather than tomorrow. It doesn’t have to be 1st January for you to start attempting to lose weight and get healthier.
It’s all too easy to put things off until tomorrow but why do that when you can start right away instead? Now is never a bad time to do something that you want and need to do. You shouldn’t forget that.
If you keep putting things off and telling yourself that you’ll do them tomorrow, you might end up never doing those things at all.
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Does Cutting Out Specific Foods You Love Really Work?
It’s common for people to try to cut out specific foods from their diet when they’re trying to lose weight. And those are usually the foods that they like most of all. But complete abstinence is not necessarily the right way.
If you try to ban foods from your diet completely, you might end up giving up on the whole idea because you hate your diet. It’s usually better to eat those foods you like in moderation.
Cutting down on unhealthy foods is, of course, a good thing but if you adopt an unrealistic diet, it’ll be counterproductive for you.
Track Your Progress and Recognise Your Successes
It’s useful to track your progress as you make it. The weight loss you experience might not be immediately noticeable when you look in the mirror but that’s not to say it isn’t happening.
By tracking the stats and seeing how much you weigh from week to week, you’ll be able to grow in confidence as you notice your weight heading in the right direction. It really can be a big motivator.
You should also try to recognise your successes. People can be very good at being harsh on themselves as they try to lose weight but forget to celebrate the good times too.
Work to Catch Slip-ups as They’re Happening
We’re all prone to dieting mistakes and slip-ups. It’s just one of those facts of weight loss; no one is perfect and no one will be able to go a whole year without slipping up and eating something they probably shouldn’t.
But you certainly can reduce and prevent a lot of those slip-ups if you start recognising when they’re going to happen. Learn to read your behaviour and intervene when you feel you’re about to slip-up.
This is something that you’re going to get better at over time, so don’t worry if you do have a few slip-ups along the way; it happens to all of us.
Being Hard on Yourself Doesn’t Yield Positive Long-Term Outcomes
If you spend too much time being negative and harsh on yourself about your progress or your mistakes, it can make you feel a little better, like you’re being disciplined or holding yourself accountable.
However, it can be demoralising and draining if you’re constantly being harsh on yourself when trying to lose weight. This can make you throw in the towel and give up, rendering all your efforts pointless.
You won’t achieve the long-term outcomes you want to achieve if you’re constantly hard on yourself so try to avoid that.
Build Positive Routines
One thing that can really help you when you’re trying to stick to a healthy diet and lifestyle is a routine. Once you start building positive lifestyle routines, you’ll find it easier to stick to your weight loss resolutions.
Those routines will help you to establish patterns that you know are healthy. You can do things like plan meals and ensure you only buy foods that are part of your healthy diet.
These habits and routines don’t need to be perfect at all times, but having some kind of structure will help a lot.
How to Beat the Dreaded Regain
People often worry about losing weight and then putting it straight back on. That’s understandable because it’s estimated that between 33% and 67% of dieters regain the weight they lose before long.
You can beat this by being consistent and not trying to make changes are too much for you to manage. If you want to keep off the fat, you shouldn’t be overambitious with your diet.
Keep things realistic and sustainable and you’ll be more likely to lose weight and keep it off.
If you keep these points in mind and take a realistic and committed approach to your weight loss goals, you’ll see the results you’ve been searching for.
Sohail has been searching diets and belly fat solutions for over a decade, and manage a pool of trained authors to write articles, which have helped thousands of readers to this date. He has CPD accredited Certificate in Nutrition for Weight Loss besides his MBA degree. He also owns this website, which he founded in 2013 to share his ideas and knowledge. Not to mention he has tried numerous supplements over the years and has an extensive and thorough knowledge on supplements. Besides spending time on his study, research and literature, Sohail loves swimming, gardening and travelling.
