How To Stick To Your New Year’s Resolution To Lose Weight

Did you set a New Year’s Resolution last year?

Did you achieve it?

More importantly, do you actually remember what your resolution was?

If you didn’t achieve your goal (or don’t even remember it), don’t worry, you’re not alone. Forbes reported that only 8% of people stick to their New Year’s Resolutions. 8!

I know New Year’s resolutions can just sound like a trendy thing. You make up a goal so you and your friends can chat about New Year’s resolutions, and then completely forget about them.

But goals setting works, if you know how to set them properly and stick to them.

I know many of us have health related goals, such as losing weight, eating better, getting fitter, getting abs, etc. So I’m going to help you set these goals and actually stick to them!

MAKE A PLAN OF ACTION 

There’s no point in setting a weight loss or health related goal if you don’t know how you’re going to achieve it.

MAKE A PLAN! 

This might include joining a gym, exercising 4 days per week, cutting back on takeaway, etc.

You need to think about what is going to work for YOU. Once you’ve done that, write down your plan of action steps underneath your goal.

There are 2 things that I know work; and they are meal planning and having a regular exercise routine. So I’m going to cover them each in a bit more detail as I feel they need a mention! They will be a key part of your plan of action.

MEAL PREPPING

70-80% of weight loss is through diet alone. I love exercise, but diet will play the biggest role in helping you lose weight and improve your health.

Meal prepping means you will always have healthy food ready and available for you. It will take away the temptations of getting something unhealthy for dinner when you already have something delicious prepared in the fridge, or buying that chocolate bar when you have already prepared healthy snacks.

You’ll actually save time AND money! And it will get you closer to your goal of losing weight.

It can sound like a lot of effort, but it’s totally worth it!

People like to meal prep in different ways, but this is how I do it.

I have a list of 20 healthy recipes that I already know I love. And each Sunday, I’ll write down all of my meals and snacks from Monday to Friday. I usually leave weekends out because I tend to eat out and do social things on weekends. But you can plan for a full 7 days if you want.

I then do a grocery shop to last me the entire week. So I have everything I need until Friday – including snacks. If something needs to be bought fresh, I’ll make another quick stop at the shops on Wednesday to pick up the fresh food.

On Sunday, I’ll cook up something delicious for dinner and then make a few extra servings to have as leftover lunches. I’ll wash and cut all my veggies for future meals, freeze bananas for my smoothies, cut up carrot sticks and portion out nuts for my snacks, and sometimes I’ll even bake some healthy banana muffins for dessert.

On Wednesdays, I’ll do another cook up so that I have leftovers for lunch. It’s also a great idea to always make a bit extra at dinner so you have something healthy to eat for lunch the next day. Leftovers make life so much easier!

You can download my free 7 Day Meal Plan to give you some ideas!

REGULAR EXERCISE ROUTINE

We all lose the motivation to exercise at some point.

But if you get into the habit of making exercise part of your daily routine, you won’t have to worry about losing motivation. You’ll just do it because it’s part of your day.

The fittest and healthiest I have EVER been was when I was in the routine of exercising every morning before work. I love getting my workouts done first thing in the morning, and then you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the day. The later you leave it during the day, the more chance you have of making an excuse not to do it.

If you don’t even know where to start with exercise, check out my 3 Steps To Lean Legs Program. I have created it for women who want a toned, but leaner look. It includes cardio and resistance workouts you can do at home, and has the workouts laid out for you so that you know exactly what to do.

SET SMART GOALS 

SMART stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-based

Your goal should be detailed. So rather than making a goal “to lose weight”, be more specific.

“My goal is to lose 10kgs by 30 June 2019.”

This is specific, you can measure it, and it has a time frame :) 

Also, make sure your goal is realistic for you. If you already small, losing 10kgs might be impossible. Or if you do want to lose 10kgs, don’t try and do it in 1 month.

WRITE YOUR GOALS DOWN 

A Harvard study found that 3% of people have clear, written goals. These 3% of people were 10 times more successful than everyone else.

Writing down goals gives yourself accountability. You’ve committed to it!

I write my goals down in the notes section of my phone, so I can always refer back to them. If you would forget to check them there, write them on a piece of paper and stick them on the fridge or on your desk. Put them somewhere you will see regularly.

SHARE YOUR GOALS

Sharing your goals with friends and family gives you another level of accountability. Tell them why it’s important to you!

Losing weight is also super hard and it can be great to have your friends and family support you, and understand why you are doing it.

They’ll support your new gym habits and be proud of you when you skip dessert or have catch up dinners at home instead of out, rather than question it.

You never know, you might also find yourself a gym buddy!

CHECK YOUR GOALS EACH MONTH 

Make a point of looking at your goal each month. Set a date that you are going to review your goal and stick to it.

You can put a reminder in your calendar, or maybe you and a friend or partner can have a dinner date on the same night each month to go over your goals together. Why not make it fun! :)

DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP – NOBODY’S PERFECT

It’s unrealistic to think that you won’t have setbacks. There will DEFINITELY be times where you have a bad period of eating and exercise, and your weight goes up. If you acknowledge that now, you won’t feel so disheartened when it happens.

Remember that nobody is perfect and every single person will have their ups and down (even the Insta influencers). So don’t beat yourself up.

One important thing to remember is that everyone is motivated at the start. But most of the time (well 92% of the time), life gets in the way, we get busy, we lose motivation, and then eventually give up.

Don’t give up on your goals! They are important to you :) Follow these steps and you will make 2019 your healthiest year yet!

Love Rachael xx