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Are you one of the millions of Americans who looked into a mirror on December 31 and made a solemn promise to yourself that this was the year you were going to attack the battle of the bulge and win? Now that January is over, how are you doing with your pledge? Are you still going strong and on your way to a sexier you, or like all the times before has your New Years resolution been discarded like one of your kids brand-new Christmas toys?
If your answer caused you to hang your head in defeat, keep reading, because youre not alone. The average person fails with their New Years resolutions simply because resolutions dont work. While youre filled with boundless optimism of what the new year represents, without a specific plan to guide you to your weight-loss success, you will fail every time! The good news is that you can still go back to the SMART way to get your weight-loss back on track while its still early in the year and make a life-changing decision today that will stick with you for the rest of your life.
Specific The first thing you need to do is to get clear on exactly what you hope to accomplish with your goal. Think like a newspaper reporter writing the story of the century. Ask questions and then answer them: Who? What? Where? Which? Why? Answer these questions and youll be on the right track.
Measurable If you cant measure your progress, how will you know if youre still on the right track or youve been derailed without realizing it? Numbers mean everything, so instead of saying something like, I want to be skinny enough that I no longer have to have to wear a table cloth instead of a dress, go with a number that you can easily quantify. 15 pounds or 50 youll know if youre headed in the right direction and when you get there.
Attainable If your starting weight is 350 or 400 pounds, dont set an initial goal of 125 pounds. Start small, perhaps with something like 25 or even 50 pounds. Its a bite-sized, yet attainable goal that can be reached within a reasonable period of time. Once you hit that goal, set the bar even higher, and keep doing it until you get where youre going.
Realistic How bad do you want it? If you swing for the fences with a goal of losing 150 or 200 pounds, a failure can really set you back. And it might so thoroughly demoralize you that you give up altogether. Instead of trying to get there all at once, take small baby steps that will eventually lead to bigger and better things.
Time-Bound A time frame to reach your goal is a critical component to your success or failure. So set a goal that you think you can reach in a time-frame that makes sense. For instance, giving yourself 10 weeks to lose 25 or 30 pounds is fairly aggressive, yet lets you know how long you have to reach your goal. The good news is that if you reach your goal sooner than you expected, you can set your personal bar even higher. At the same time, if you dont quite make it, you can revise it downward. The good news is youll be taking proactive steps to reaching your goals.
To take this plan to the next level and help ensure your success, there are six healthy habits you need to employ in reaching these goals.
1. Start Out Right Every Day You may be tempted to skip breakfast with the mistaken idea that you really dont need those calories to start your day. Dont hamstring your weight loss. Eating a good healthy breakfast will kick start your metabolism and will awaken your brain. A high-protein breakfast consisting of eggs will do wonders for you. Scrambled, hard-boiled, or in omelet form doesnt really matter. If you like, mix it up a little bit from one day to the next.
2. Get Off the Couch Not only will it do your body a world of good, but exercise will help you feel better about your overall level of health. Before you get too carried away and decide to run a marathon race, check with your doctor to design a reasonable exercise regimen that makes sense for the shape youre in, and takes into consideration any health issues you may have.
3. Dont Go It Alone Just as you should never go swimming all by yourself, you should have a support network in place to help keep you motivated to succeed. A health coach can do that by encouraging you when you need it, but can also give you a swift kick in the seat of your pants if you show signs of giving up prematurely. A friend, a spouse, or a co-worker can also be helpful. Spread the news about what youre trying to do. They can help to motivate you as you get closer to the success youre striving for and they might even follow your lead and make positive changes in their own life.
4. Eat Regularly Small, regular meals are easier to digest and will actually help you to lose weight even more quickly. Other benefits include being able to stabilize your blood sugar, among other important health benefits.
5. Be Yourself Your plan needs to be custom-tailored to you, your goals, and your needs. Cookie cutter weight loss plans dont usually work because were all different. Recognize your unique qualities and embrace them. Dont forget that what works well for someone else may not work for you, so dont be afraid to modify your plan to meet your needs and your lifestyle.
6. Keep Score At first you may look at your bathroom scale with a cross between contempt and fear, but youre going to have to quantify your progress. While your pants will fit less snugly as you lose weight, its not an effective method of knowing just what youve accomplished. Numbers dont lie. Theyll tell you in no uncertain terms whether or not your weight loss plan is succeeding. If its not, you can redouble your efforts to reach your goals.
Losing weight can be a challenging, individual effort that many undertake and very few people actually succeed at for any length of time. You wont get there overnight, but you can reach all of your goals. A systematic, step-by-step process will get you to your ideal weight.
Unfortunately, some people just dont succeed with their goals as quickly as they would like. Instead of giving up, analyze the reasons behind why you may not be reaching your goals as quickly as you might hope. Dont be surprised if the only answer you can come up with is, Beats the heck out of me.
Sometimes a professional evaluation or another set of eyes or ears can mean the difference between failure and success. Then again, you may just need a second opinion to verify that youre on the right track. Whatever the case, point your web browser towards http://www.loseweightfromhome.com. It will help you to answer all the questions you have and reach your weight loss goals more quickly.
Do it today. Youll be glad you did.
