“I can never keep my resolutions to lose weight,”  my young hairdresser told me. “I can’t stay on diet, so I’m not trying any more.”

She’s off to a bad start — giving up on being a healthy weight before she even reaches the child-bearing stage of life, or the troublesome middle age where the pounds accumulate so easily. And it’s not true.  She CAN lose weight.  If someone offered her a million dollars to lose every extra pound she is carrying, so would start immediately and have it off in no time.

That’s what we talked about yesterday —  having a strong enough motive to lose the extra fat.  Doing it because you “should” or because someone is nagging you to do it won’t work.  In order to stick to your resolutions, you have to have your goals in sight — and they have to be important enough for you to hang in there through the tough times to reach those goals.  And having a life — a healthy vibrant one — is a good reason to lose the flab that is slowing you down.

Another reason people fail on their good weight loss/fitness resolutions?  Not knowing how.  When I asked my hairdresser HOW she dieted, she looked at me blankly.

“Just — you know — not eating and stuff,” she finally replied.

No wonder she failed and had no interest in trying again.  Instead of making general goals like “I’m going to lose 20 lbs. this year,” make specific ones you can keep.  Say, “I’m going to cut out sugar except on rare occasions and eat mostly low glycemic foods,” and you will more likely see results.  That’s something you can control and something that is doable.  Check out the Green light/Red light page on this site and make your grocery list.  If you have what you need on hand, you will be able to start on schedule.  And make sure you include foods you enjoy.  This isn’t a torture session, but a time of retraining our bodies to run on high quality fuel.

You might resolve to start adding 200 steps to your daily total each week.  Before next January you will be over the 10,000 mark and in the habit of moving.  This is also a goal that can be reached and one you can control.  Get out your pedometer now and start counting your steps so you can have an average taken and a goal set before January 1.

Another suggestion — plan to write down everything you eat in the month of January, and log your exercise daily.  There are several good smart-phone apps to help you with that, but a pen and notebook work fine for those of us who are technology resistant.  Writing down your food will make you more accountable and will also enable you to spot the time, place, and foods that trip you up.

Make your resolutions doable and you WILL be able to stick to them — and will see those extra inches disappear.  Even more important — by this time next year you will be healthier, happier, and living life to the fullest!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown