I know — it’s almost cruel to get on the scale after the holidays, isn’t it? Never mind, you’ll be on plan and shift the extra soon enough.
Right?
And what happens if you fall off your resolution? Will you join the others who quit after one stumble? Do you also keep driving down the wrong road when you realize you’ve missed an exit or turn? No, of course, we don’t. We turn around and get back to our route as soon as possible.
Life happens. The key to long-term weight loss and maintenance is persistence. It gets easier once you get serious and choose to resolve the issues that drive the behavior or when you decide you truly want to change.
Making the Choice
Six years ago, I began the new year of 2012 up a good 7 pounds over the week before Christmas. Again. Every new year my resolution was the same. For 2012, I resolved to figure out how to lose the weight and keep it off. Truthfully, I had to go up a size by April of that year, and I was desperate. By Memorial Day, I was desperate enough to actually make some changes, and by October, those changes helped me drop 22 pounds. I may have been staring down temptation in my pantry, but I had chosen to stop the yo-yo by making dealing with the stuff that made me stuff my face. It was hard. It wasn’t fun. It took way too long.
And it was worth it.
So how do you get serious? How do you resolve issues and change your behaviors to fit your goals? How do you stick with those goals? We’ll look at some practical ideas over the next few weeks.
It helps to reduce temptation where you can.
a) This year, I considered very carefully what holiday foods I made. I made what I most wanted either in smaller quantities or with alternative recipes. It’s a good practice throughout the year.
b) I did spend about three days with family meals and the expectations that creep in. I was a guest, so being grateful and polite was my best option. I couldn’t do much about the temptation there, but I could be judicious with my portions and manage my choices at home. Turns out, my skinny-stick sister-in-law takes smaller portions, too. Hmmmmmm.
c) Where can you reduce temptation? What do you buy — for others in the household, of course — that you could either not buy or put in an opaque container out of your reach or sight?
d) Are there recipes you can alter? Key is that they must still satisfy you.
e) What foods should you relegate to the realm of Kryptonite? Keep them out of the house. Just do it. Sometimes we just have to protect ourselves.
As always, if you need a little support to establish good habits, don’t hesitate to contact me. We truly can get you where you want to be.
