Actually Keeping My New Years Resolution To Lose Weight

by Carol
(New Jersey)

My story started a couple of years ago. Just like everyone else, I started that year making a New Years resolution that I would become healthier in order to lose weight. I really didn't know how I was going to accomplish this task. I just knew that I needed to lose weight.

Just like everyone else, I paid for a gym membership. I cleared out my cabinets in my kitchen. I threw out the unhealthy junk food and I filled my cabinets with lots of healthy snacks. I did all of the things that many people do when they create New Years resolutions for themselves. I had good intentions, but I didn't have a serious goal and I certainly didn't have a plan to support the goal.

As you might imagine, my New Years resolution faded to the background of my life. Slowly but surely, I went back to my old eating habits. I never really used my gym membership.

Since I didn't have any plans created to support my goals, it was very easy for me to get off track. Then again, since I was never firmly on track to begin with, it was very easy for me to go back to my old unhealthy ways.

Weeks turned into months, and before I knew it, another year passed where I found that setting New Years resolutions didn't work for me. I think I can safely say that I'm not alone in this sentiment.

When I was deciding upon a New Years resolution for the year that was coming up, I had a serious conference with myself. I decided that this year, I needed to get serious about losing weight, or learn to be happy with my current weight. I didn't want to keep pretending to want to lose weight while not doing anything about it. I decided that I would not only make New Years resolutions, but I would also make goals with plans to support the goals.

For example, I decided that I wanted to tone my body and give my heart a workout as well. I also decided that I didn't need to waste any more money on a gym membership in order to accomplish this goal. I simply purchased a great pair of running/walking shoes. Then, I started walking every day, starting with 20 minutes a day. I eventually built up my time to an hour a day.

In order to support my New Years resolution goal of losing weight, I also decided to make plans towards a goal of eating healthier. This time, I didn't perform a clean sweep of my pantry. I allowed my body to let me know when it was time to make dietary changes. As I continued to walk, I found that I naturally wanted to eat healthier. Therefore, I was naturally motivated to make changes in my grocery shopping habits. I liked this new way of making dietary changes because it wasn't simply based upon New Years resolutions. It was based upon natural transitions in my life.

Because I set plans and goals for myself that work for me, I lost 40 pounds this last year (2011). However, the most important part of this transition isn't simply in my weight loss. The most important transition for me is in learning that a New Years resolution can come true when I make realistic goals and hold myself accountable to those goals.