Year after year promises are made and broken. Losing weight is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions around. We always begin with great intentions but after a few weeks, we drop back into our usual bad habits and the weight we start to put back on. Here are some basic guidelines you need to follow to make sure you stick to your weight-loss resolution at the end of December.

Determine why you are doing this resolution and write it down.

Try to think about the reason why you want to loose weight. Is it to look better in a bathing suit or to feel young again. Maybe it’s to get the overall better. How about being able to enjoy a more active lifestyle? Whatever, your goals are try to be honest and specific as possible.

Setting those weight-loss goals and writing them down.

Ok! The next important guideline to follow is to stick to your weight-loss goal. However, make sure that this is a sensible goal to begin with. You shouldn’t expect yourself to loose more than 2-4 pounds per week. Keep in mind that the higher your body mass, the more weight you can expect to lose in the long run. If you are in the average range, but still feel that you should lose more weight, you may not want to aim for more than 4 pounds. However, if you are obese, than losing 50 pounds this year may be a reasonable goal this year.

Remember to alway consult with your physician before starting any weight loss program. He or she can help you to determine a sensible goal for weight loss.

Ok! Let’s make a plan you can stick with all year long.

Most likely you’ve tried every weight loss diet fad out their. So you already know what doesn’t work. So, try to be realistic and make small changes that will benefit you over the long run. Eat healthier and consume fewer calories, and try to get more activity.

Setting small goals.

Try to look at where you are now and what you would like to achieve by the end of the year. Now break this down into smaller weight loss goals. Breaking your weight loss journey into small parts will make it seem more attainable. Move on to each goal only after you finish the previous one. Record what you eat and how active you are during the day. This means everything from walking up those steps to working out and so on. Writing these things down will help you see progress. This will help your mind start to process your weight loss goals and believe in them. “If I eat that hotdog, I’ll have to write it down. Well, I better skip it”.

Try to reward yourself for every small goal.

Remember those small goals you planed out? Make sure you enjoy each goal you achieve. Reward yourself with small pants you never thought you could fit into or that tropical vacation you’ve been looking to take. Pick a reward you will truly enjoy. This will build some positive reinforcement that will keep you going until and achieve that weight loss goal you’ve been looking for.

Copyright Troy Francis. Troy is a writer and personal trainer for Exercise-Diet. Please, feel free to republish this article. We only ask that you leave the resource box and link. You can see more great articles on Weight Loss, Diet, Exercise, Health and much more by going to: http://www.Exercise-Diet.com/

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