Top Ten Ways to Keep Your Resolution to Lose Weight

Everyone knows that making and breaking a promise are easier than keeping one. If your resolution for the New Year is to lose weight, here are the top ten ways to ensure that you keep your word till the last day of the year.

SET THE RIGHT GOAL

The right goal should be SMART - specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. We already have time-bound covered if we set to achieve our goal by year end. As for specific, exactly how many pounds do you wish to lose? Are you comfortable by making this slightly more challenging by dividing the total number of pounds you wish to lose by twelve? This will give you the number of pounds you should aim to lose every month. With a weighing scale, your goal is immediately measurable. Make sure it's attainable and realistic: losing fifty pounds would be unrealistic if it will make you end up anorexic and losing fifty pounds is definitely unattainable if you've only given yourself two months to work with.

GIVE YOURSELF A PEP TALK AT THE START AND END OF THE DAY

Ask any inspirational author and they'll definitely agree: having a positive attitude always helps! Thus, upon waking up and before you sleep, look at the mirror and give yourself a pep talk. Be sincere: believe in yourself and have faith in your ability to lose weight.

TAKE IT ONE MEAL AT A TIME

There is absolutely no point terrifying yourself into a panic attack by thinking of the hundreds of meals you would now have to modify and sacrifice in your quest to lose weight. Instead of moaning about how lofty and seemingly difficult your goals are, concentrate rather on taking it one meal at a time.

DO YOUR BEST TO EAT IN

The outside world is full of temptations and we're not just talking about greed, pornography, and substance abuse. No, there's also one of the seven deadliest sins called gluttony and having a meal outside your home will expose you to the countless dishes of tasty delicacies within your reach. Unfortunately for you, most of them are probably bad for your health - designed more to help you gain pounds - and maybe even make you suffer from hypertension and diabetes - instead of losing some. There's nothing wrong about eating out but just don't make a habit of it...especially while you're dieting.

LEARN HOW TO COOK

Speaking of eating in, one way of ensuring that you do stay home more often for meals is learning how to cook. Developing your culinary talents will give you the power to make meals at home just as delicious as what you can eat outside but healthy at the same time, not to mention affordable since there are no service charges and tips to pay!

KEEP A JOURNAL

Write daily notes about your journey to weight loss. Monitor your progress and take comfort from it. Be inspired by it. You'll find it easier to stay true to your word if you know last week hadn't been a waste.

INDULGE IN GREENS

If you have an urgent need to binge out, do your best to eat more greens than the red and white meat variety. Greens are healthy and won't make you gain weight. With the right herbs and spices, they taste just as good as a juicy steak, too!

GET A HOBBY

Don't let your mind dwell so much on the various unhealthy but scrumptious food you're missing out on. Don't let your body pay attention too much on the initial hunger pangs you'll be suffering from. Get a new hobby to forget about the pains of diet and exercise.

MISERY, OR RATHER DIET AND EXERCISE, LOVES COMPANY

When your solitary hobbies are no longer enough to entertain you, call or visit a friend to help you cope and stick to your resolution. Even better, try to look for a friend who's undergoing the same thing! Between the two of you, you're sure to find better ways to help each other with your weight loss goals.

REWARD YOURSELF ONCE A WEEK

At the end of the week, ask yourself if you've done a good job. If it's a resounding yes then go ahead and give yourself a reward of your choice. Yes, you can eat more of what used to be in your forbidden list but just make sure you keep to your limits.