New year’s resolutions.
Every 365 days, many of us – armed with our best intentions – resolve to lose a few unnecessary pounds and live healthier lives. For some, it works out well. For others, the struggle outweighs the resolve and we lapse into more comfortable routines that probably undermine our weight loss plans.
Here’s a thought: prepare your mind for the journey your about to undertake. Make conscious decisions and take explicit actions now to help you more easily adhere to your plan and enjoy a better chance at real success. Here are a few ideas to put you in the right frame of mind.
1. Define your goals.
Clearly define an endgame. Talk with a Mediplan professional or with your doctor to determine a healthy goal weight and a timeline to get there.
Then, just as importantly – perhaps even more so – discuss easy-to-achieve benchmarks you can aim for along the way: drinking a recommended amount of water, losing 5% of your total “to lose” weight by a selected date or event.
These benchmarks will allow you to celebrate small victories as you work through your weight loss plan.
2. Think positively.
The voice in your head needs to be your biggest cheerleader. I mean, with “you” on your side, you can overcome anything!
3. Develop patience.
Weight loss is a long-term process. Don’t sweat it too much if the number on your bathroom scale doesn’t plummet during the week of January. And if it’s mid-February before you’re able to slip into “those” jeans, then so be it. The key is steady, healthy progress. And you can learn more about that at Mediplan if you’re interested.
4. Practice making good choices.
So, you have about one month before the new year. But there is absolutely no reason why you can’t get a jump on things by choosing a bottle of water over a soda at lunch, an apple instead of a candy bar during your mid-afternoon slump, and replacing the milk in your cereal with skim. Yes, we understand that the holidays will make it tough to eat right, but imagine this: if you can make good choices during December, you can certainly do it after the new year!