Tag: New Years Eve

Simple Ways to Stick to Your New Years Resolution

As the 2021 New Year approaches, Americans will set a resolution to eat healthier or lose weight. Here are some tips to help the resolution last all year long.

As the 2021 New Year approaches, Americans will set a resolution to eat healthier or lose weight.  Here are some tips to help the resolution last all year long.

Simple Ways to Stick to Your Weight Loss New Year’s Resolution

With every New Year comes a fresh start, and an opportunity to reflect on areas of growth.  According to a recent poll on finder.com, an estimated 188.9 million American adults (approximately 74% of the population) have admitted they will set a 2021 New Year’s resolution.  Approximately 45% of those claim to be setting a health related resolution, such as weight loss or diet changes.  But sadly, according to Psychology Today, an estimated 40% of resolutions fail by March and only 10% of people on average keep their resolutions until the following December. 

How to Make a Strong Resolution

Simple Ways to Stick to Your Weight Loss New Year’s Resolution

Luckily there are some tips and tricks to help you keep your New Year’s Resolution.  The first thing to do is make sure you are setting a resolution that is actually destined for success.  Instead of setting lofty, unattainable goals that would set you up for failure (like trying to lose too much weight in too short of a time), sitting down and analyzing why a goal is being set and writing out steps to succeed can help minimize chances that the goal will fail shortly into the New Year. In goal setting, the acronym S.M.A.R.T. can be extremely helpful:

Specific: Is the goal specific, well defined, clear and unambiguous?

Measurable: Set criteria to help measure progress towards the accomplishment of the goal

Achievable: Make sure the goal is attainable and not impossible to achieve

Realistic: The goal is within reach, realistic and relevant 

Timely: The goal needs to have a clearly defined timeline, including a start date and target end date.  [Retrieved from corporatefinanceinstitute.com]

If your New Year’s resolution in 2021 is to “lose more weight”,  breaking it into a S.M.A.R.T goal would be to break it down into smaller subgoals, such as 1 to 2 pounds per week.  If you need to lose 20 pounds, your time limit on the goal needs to fit within healthy guidelines for weight loss.  So your goal should be to lose 20 pounds by April-May if you begin the first week of January.  The SureFiz scale and program helps to break down weight loss goals into smaller subgoals that help you attain the overall weight loss goal more efficiently.  It takes the guesswork out of weight loss for you!  Be sure you are using the app to help aid you as you set your New Year’s resolutions.  

Tips for Long-term success

Simple Ways to Stick to Your Weight Loss New Year’s Resolution

Another way to ensure you can achieve long-term success with your weight loss resolution is to look at possible obstacles you will face.  If your goal is to eat less sugar, but you have a weekly meeting where donuts are offered, you want to find ways to overcome this obstacle before it is facing you.  An example of how to handle this could be to either make sure you have eaten before the weekly meeting and aren’t hungry, or sit as far away from the donuts as possible, or even bring a healthy snack option for yourself if you feel the need to eat something.  Substituting a healthier habit for your current habit is a strong, proven method to successful behavior modification, according to Psychology Today.  

A common obstacle in behavior change and goal setting is what we do when we fail.  A few missteps are to be expected on a weight loss journey, such as eating the donut or a piece of pizza.  Studies of behavior modification show that our self-talk and self-stories can be extremely powerful motivators in whether we see long-term success (Source: nbcwashington).  If you eat the donut or the pizza and then tell yourself you are a failure and can’t stick to the diet plan, then you are much more likely to fail.  SureFiz trainer Jenn Ryan recommends preparing ahead of time for small failures and having a positive self-talk response ready to combat any negative feelings.  If you are more likely to think you cannot accomplish a goal, then you will most definitely quit at the first sign of challenge.  Be ready for these moments with positive reinforcement.  An example would be, “One donut won’t ruin my diet. I can start fresh with my healthy lunch and get right back on track.  I can do this!”  Preparing a positive response before you are faced with your challenging situation will ensure that you actually respond positively and can pivot quickly to get back on course.

New Years resolutions may be tough to keep, but they are not impossible.  When it comes to weight loss and diet help, SureFiz is the best tool to help you not only lose the weight but keep it off for good.  We can help you be one of the 10-20% of the population who keeps their resolution by the end of 2021.  Be sure to check out our website for more diet tips, healthy recipes and weight loss inspiration to keep you motivated throughout the entire year.  

The Science Behind Failed New Year Resolutions

With the New Year approaching, many people will evaluate their goals for 2021, only to have those resolutions fail within a few months. Why?

With the New Year approaching, many people will evaluate their goals for 2021, only to have those resolutions fail within a few months.   There may be more science behind the reasons of failure than just a lack of willpower. 

The Science Behind Failed New Year's Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions

Another New Year is fast approaching, and with the New Year comes many New Year’s resolutions, most of which have to do with healthier living and weight loss. But a few months into the year, most of the resolutions fail.  In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal, nearly 88% of all New Year’s resolutions fail to be kept by the end of the year.  Many who set lofty New Year’s resolutions feel like a failure when they don’t stick to their resolutions and they just give up any attempt to improve their lives.  Instead of letting a failed resolution ruin a healthy weight loss plan, it can be helpful to look into the science behind why many resolutions fail.

The Science Behind Resolutions

According to Bancroft.org, the field of Applied Behavior Analysis can lend some insight into what happens in the brain when a resolution is set.  “In behavior analysis, ‘temporal discounting’ is how we respond to consequences due to delay. For example, if we had a choice between $100 today or $100 in a month – the choice would be clear. We’d all take the cash today. But adjust the delay or the amount – the  ‘reinforcer’ – and our choice might look different. What if we had a choice between $100 today or $1,000 in a month? Likely, many would wait for the larger payout. Research shows animals are generally impulsive, while humans are better able to achieve long-term greater gain (such as that thousand bucks). This same research can explain failed New Year’s promises, too.  Many resolutions involve delayed gratification – selecting between a late-night ice cream habit now or a lower number on the scale in a month”.  

With the delayed gratification of weight loss or health benefits related to better choices in the New Year, it is easy to see how there could be roadblocks towards the long-term goal.  When faced with a temptation such as the late night ice cream, if a person gives in and eats the ice cream, there is a feeling of failure.  With that comes a defense mechanism response in the brain, in an attempt to explain the reason for the slip. These hypothetical constructs are generally what lead people to give up completely on their resolution instead of simply waking up the next morning and trying again.  An example of a hypothetical construct when it comes to dieting would be telling oneself, “I guess I’m just not the type of person who can be on a diet”.  [Retrieved from Bancroft.org]

Psychology Today explains that a person’s self talk will direct their actions.  When setting goals it can be especially beneficial to change any negative self-talk about failure into positive affirmations.  For example, instead of thinking, “I’m not the type of person who can be on a diet”, having a practiced script of positive messages ready can help turn the brain around.  It can be helpful to think of each goal and prepare any obstacles ahead of time, being ready with positive sentences to speak to oneself.  [Retrieved from psychologytoday.com].

How to set a New Year’s Resolution

Instead of setting lofty, unattainable health or weight loss goals that would set someone up for failure, sitting down and analyzing why a goal is being set and writing out steps to succeed can help minimize chances that the goal will fail shortly into the New Year. In goal setting, the acronym S.M.A.R.T. can be extremely helpful:

Specific: Is the goal specific, well defined, clear and unambiguous?

Measurable: Set criteria to help measure progress towards the accomplishment of the goal

Achievable: Make sure the goal is attainable and not impossible to achieve

Realistic: The goal is within reach, realistic and relevant 

Timely: The goal needs to have a clearly defined timeline, including a start date and target end date.  [Retrieved from corporatefinanceinstitute.com]

Conclusion

New Year’s Resolutions, like any goals, should be thought out ahead of time and with clear, concise steps to achieve them.  An understanding of the science behind potential failure can not only help overcome obstacles during the process but can also help people from becoming one of the 88% who fail to accomplish the goals they set.  It is also valuable to know that it’s not personal failure, there is a science to the brain and why it works the way it does. Resetting pathways and habits in weight loss can be hard but not impossible.  SureFiz technology is a valuable tool and program that can help in all areas of diet and weight loss goal setting.  The program takes a lot of guesswork out of weight loss and helps users set specific goals.  It truly is the secret sauce to weight loss!