Greetings Life’s Top Ten ® Readers!

Today, we are nearing the third week of January in the year 2023.  Earlier this year, or maybe at the end of December, about 43% of Americans made resolutions for the New Year. It is about this time of the year when some who started their resolutions will have already given up. People tend to have a hard time keeping goals. In fact, according to this PsychNewsDaily article about 64% of people will give up on their resolutions within the first month. They did not start out with the intention of quitting so early in the year. They give up for many reasons. Perhaps they learned that life can get in the way, or their resolutions were not serious in the first place.

Those Who Are Still at It

For those who seriously want to achieve their resolutions and keep their goals, today I write about one of the top resolutions that people have each year. Losing weight. I have had this same goal over the years and sometimes it was even a New Year’s resolutions for me. Keep Reading to find out how I did it.

How to Get Serious About your Goals

Speaking from personal experience, last year, I lost more than 30 pounds in a 6-month window. What I learned in doing so is, in order to achieve that goal, I had to be serious about it in the first place. It is the same for any goal. I found that when people come up with a “resolution” for the New Year, they do so just because it is a New Year and it is what people are talking about on social media. or at work You don’t want to be the only one without a resolution.  I did not have the resolution to lose weight at the beginning of last year. It was closer to the middle of the year. The first step in getting serious about losing weight was seeing my weight for what it was, unhealthy and not so good looking on me. My blood pressure had gone up, I got winded easily, and my pants didn’t fit anymore. It literally was painful to realize that I was not doing so well with my health. I became serious when it became painful for me.

Setting Real Goals

The first thing I did was decide that I had to lose weight. Then I set a realistic goal that is simpler than you might think. I did not put a number on my weight loss goal. I only told myself that I was going to lose weight and why. Then, I did some research and figured out what I needed to do to lose weight. After that, I took the steps that I had learned and achieved my goal of losing weight. I lost 3o pounds very rapidly and dramatically improved my health. My path to losing weight may be different than your path. However, the path to achieving success is usually the same. Identify what it is you want to do and why (the goal). Then learn about how to get there through research, then take action and get it done.

How did I Lose 30 Pounds

There are a variety of explanations for how and why someone gains and loses weight, I will keep it simple. I learned that the biggest contributor to my weight gain was carbohydrates and sugar. Potato chips and soda on the weekends was my craving! I learned that our bodies need a balance of “macronutrients” of carbs, protein and fat in order to maintain a healthy weight. Basically, what I did was to cut carbohydrates and sugar and increase protein. So, I started with the popular “Keto” diet. I lost weight quickly when I started. Of course, I had cravings and wanted to eat all of the delicious foods that I used to eat. But, as I saw the number on my scale getting smaller, I stuck with it. Once I started losing weight, my blood pressure dropped, I felt better and slept better. That led to me working out and exercising. I have maintained my weight loss for nearly 2 years. Now, when I look in the mirror, I am no longer unhappy with what I see. I no longer get winded easily and I feel good about my health.

My Bottom Line on Resolutions

My thoughts on resolutions, they can be made at the New Year, but the ones made then are mostly not real. If you truly want to achieve your goals and keep your resolutions, you have to have a good reason why. I have found that most goals are achieved because there is an emotional need or even some pain associated with the reason for the goal in the first place. So, find your pain and your why, then go out and make a plan to learn how to achieve that goal, then take action. You will be successful.