Every year, millions of people make resolutions, hoping this will be the year they follow through. But most won’t. Research shows fewer than 10% of people who set a New Year’s resolution actually achieve their goals, according to a CBS News report on Columbia University research. It’s not that people start out intending to quit. Life gets in the way, or the goal wasn’t serious to begin with.
Those Who Are Still at It
For those who seriously want to achieve their goals, I want to talk about one of the most common resolutions people set each year: losing weight. I’ve had this same goal myself over the years, and more than once it was my New Year’s resolution. Keep reading to find out how I did it.
How to Get Serious About your Goals
Speaking from personal experience, I lost more than 30 pounds in a 6-month window. What I learned is that to achieve your goals, you have to be serious about them in the first place. It’s the same for any goal. I’ve noticed that when people set a resolution for the New Year, it’s often just because everyone else is talking about resolutions on social media or at work. Nobody wants to be the only one without one.
My own weight loss goal didn’t start at the beginning of a year. It started closer to the middle, when I finally saw my weight for what it was: unhealthy. My blood pressure had gone up, I got winded easily, and my pants didn’t fit anymore. It was painful to realize I wasn’t doing well with my health. I became serious when it became painful for me.
Setting Goals You’ll Actually Achieve
The first thing I did was decide I had to lose weight. Then I set a goal that’s simpler than you might think. I didn’t put a number on it. I just told myself I was going to lose weight, and why. From there, I researched what I needed to do, then took the steps I’d learned. I lost 30 pounds and dramatically improved my health.
Your path may look different than mine, but the path to achieving your goals is usually the same: identify what you want and why (the goal), learn how to get there through research, then take action and get it done.
How did I Lose 30 Pounds
There are a lot of explanations for how and why someone gains or loses weight, but for anyone who wants to achieve their goal of losing weight, I’ll keep it simple. For me, the biggest contributor to my weight gain was carbohydrates and sugar. Potato chips and soda on the weekends was my craving. Our bodies need a balance of macronutrients, carbs, protein, and fat, to maintain a healthy weight. So, I cut carbs and sugar and increased protein, starting with the popular Keto diet.
I lost weight quickly. I had cravings and wanted to eat all the foods I used to eat, but as I watched the number on the scale drop, I stuck with it. Once I started losing weight, my blood pressure dropped, I felt better, and I slept better. That led me to start working out too. I’ve maintained my weight loss for nearly two years now. When I look in the mirror, I’m no longer unhappy with what I see. I don’t get winded easily anymore, and I feel good about my health
My Bottom Line on Resolutions
Here’s my bottom line on resolutions: you can make one at the New Year, but the ones made just because it’s the New Year are mostly not real. For most who want to achieve their goals, they need a good reason why. Most goals get achieved because there’s an emotional need, sometimes even pain, behind the reason for the goal in the first place.
So find your pain and your why, make a plan to learn how to achieve that goal, then take action. You will be successful!