Having Trouble Staying with your New Year's Resolution?

Well here we are, almost into February. Where did January go? Let's evaluate. How are you doing on your New Year's Resolution?

Some of us may have lost steam as the new year has settled in and we have set such a grandiose goal for ourselves, that it is difficult to sustain such a regime. Weight loss is difficult and staying with the program has its ups and downs and we as Americans have difficulty being patient for the results of such a monotonous ongoing lifelong issue.

OK now, do not beat yourself up. In order to lose weight, one must evaluate the readiness to change and have an understanding of the stages of weight loss that you must undergo to achieve success over the long haul. Having the idea to lose weight and really wanting it are the beginning stages of this.

It's the sustenance over time that takes realization and once we know and understand how to do it, it makes it easier to stick with the program.
The first level is the stage where you feel anxious to succeed and really motivated to stay with the program of weight loss. You have made a commitment to yourself and are ready to stick with it no matter what it takes. This stage is the earliest stage and the most regimented stage.
Next, You are pretty much over it! Now, this is where we lose most people. This is when the inner voice is saying, "wait, I do not have to really do this", "look at everyone else, they are not on any sort of program", "what? I only lost one pound after all of that? I am over it!"

At this moment, it is crucial to have a support system in place of others that are staying with the program. Also, remember in the very first stage, the reasons why losing weight meant so much to you.

It you can get through the second stage, you have arrived in a more realistic place and expectations are not as out of site as the initial phase. You are understanding what it takes to lose and keep weight off and what you are needing to do to meet your goals. You have a more consistent pattern of balancing eating with activity and finally, you have reached a level of understanding that this is a lifestyle. You have replaced old habits with new, you have a better view of how life is in control, you have a renewed sense of self awareness that feels good and you are no longer on a roller coaster of yo yo dieting. Congratulations, you have achieved the Lifestyle Change that you did not know you were looking for in the beginning. What you set out for and your journey were just a little different course than planned however, where you have arrived is better than you could have imagined.

In summary, try to have an understanding of what did not work and realize that this is a journey without destination. Patience and understanding of who you are along the way will create a foundation that leads to success!

I wish for you the best,

Amy