Five Easy Steps to Keep Your Weight Loss New Year's Resolution

So your New Year's Resolution is to lose weight and get in shape? Here are some tips to help you really commit to your New Year's Resolution of losing weight.

Step 1: Find a Diet Plan that Works for You

The first step in helping you keep your New Year's Resolution of losing weight is to find a diet plan that fits your lifestyle. There are many diet plans available on the market today. How do you know which one you are most likely to stick with? When researching different diet plans, take into account your lifestyle. Consider how much time you have on a daily basis to commit to eating healthy. If you have lots of time (and the desire) to cook healthy meals, you may want to focus on finding healthy eating cookbooks and preparing meals from them. If your day is already so hectic that you're lucky to even eat breakfast or lunch, look at plans that make use of meal replacement shakes and bars that you can take with you when you're on the go. The best diet plan is the one that most closely fits into your current lifestyle. Of course, the New Year is also a great time to reconsider your lifestyle and make changes if things just aren't working for you. A new diet plan may also help you to make the changes you need.

Step 2: Find an Exercise Plan that Works for You

Again, finding the right exercise plan that fits into your current lifestyle is critical to your success in keeping your New Year's Resolution. Perhaps joining a gym that you can go to before or after work fits into your schedule. Many gyms offer group exercise classes at specified times. A loose camaraderie and sometimes even friendships form among the classmates, and this can be a real motivator to keep showing up to class when life gets particularly hectic. If you don't feel comfortable financially or socially to join a gym or class at this time, look for ways to exercise in the privacy of your own home. The most important keys to maintaining a workout plan is to set aside a specific time of day for it and make sure you are doing something that you enjoy.

Step 3: Write Out Your Goals

Now that you have committed to a new diet plan and exercise schedule, it is time to put your goals onto paper. Be very specific in what you wish to achieve. An example of this would be: "I am going to lose 10 pounds of fat and two inches in my waist by April. I will do this by eating 3 healthy meals each day, drinking 8 glasses of water each day, and working out six days a week." Make your goals reasonable. This is not the time to be lofty. Also, put a timeline onto when you wish to achieve said goals. Set your timeline no more than 90 days from when you commit to putting your plan into motion. Why 90 days? Anything more than 12 weeks will seem too far away and it will be too easy to fall off the wagon. Three months is enough time to see serious results and tweak anything that is not working as well as it should. Post your goals someplace where you will see them everyday, such as on the bathroom mirror or on the refrigerator door. Make sure your goal date is clearly visible.

Step 4: Write Out Your Rewards

In addition to writing out your goals for the next 90 days, consider how you are going to reward yourself for keeping your goals. If dieting and exercising in new to you, you may need to reward yourself every day in the beginning. Keep the reward small but satisfying. For example, if your goal is to eat three healthy meals each day along with drinking 8 glasses of water and working out, your reward might be a glass of wine with dinner that evening. Weekly goals might be along the lines of indulging in one of your favorite foods that you haven't had all week, a nice long bubble bath, or a pedicure.

Step 5: Make a Plan for Handling Temptations

It is impossible to go for 90 days without facing unexpected temptations. And we Americans tempt ourselves with food more than anything else. Birthday parties, Super Bowl games, anniversaries, and achievements at work are all celebrated with food. Determine now how you are going to handle the interruptions along the way. If you know of an upcoming celebration that will take you away from your plan, will you bend your rules to accommodate said interruption? How do you plan to handle unexpected interruptions, such as your colleagues at work deciding at the last minute to go to Happy Hour one evening? If you see a lot of interruptions coming up in the next 90 days, you may decide to pick and choose which ones to allow and which ones you will skip. Or perhaps a good compromise would be to allow the interruption and go to the event, but limit the foods you choose to eat. Try to keep interruptions to a minimum, if possible.

Congratulations! You are now armed and ready to make a serious commitment to your New Year's Resolution of losing weight. You have done the mental homework to make sure you have a reasonable way to achieve your goals in a reasonable amount of time. The only thing left is to put your plan into action.