4 Steps to Making a Resolution That Will Actually Help You Lose Weight in 2016

We’ve all made those sweeping, drastic resolutions that fizzle out by February. I’m talking about resolving to get up early and work out every day, and not eat any sugar, and cook at home every night, and stop drinking so much wine, and…

Here’s the deal: you know that all of the above are things you “should” do for your health, but trying to do them all at once is probably not the best idea for some people. Why? Perfection just isn’t possible, and the more pressure you put on yourself to make too many changes the more your resolutions may backfire. And that reality leaves you in the same place every year—stuck.

If this sounds familiar, this year you can break the pattern by using a “step ladder” approach, where each successful change builds on the next, and can all be maintained, for real this time! It may not feel as dramatic, but for many people it’s the best way to build lasting changes. Instead of burning out you’ll actually see real and lasting progress. Ready? Here are the four key steps.

Identify your “domino”

What I mean by this is the one behavior that affects others the most. For example, some of my clients tell me that alcohol is their domino, because drinking leads to both giving into unhealthy eating, and skipping the gym. Others tell me it’s dining out, because they wind up eating more at restaurants, and maybe having a drink or two, which they don’t tend to do when they cook at home. For some it’s skipping breakfast, because it leads to nibbling more all day, feeling too hungry to go to the gym, and overeating at night. Basically identify the one behavior that helps you stay in the healthiest space (or the one unhealthy habit that causes everything to unravel), and make just that one your focus to start.

Seek out support

Once you’ve zeroed in on your target, up your chances of success by identifying the things that will help make following through easier. If your domino is working out (because when you work out you’re more likely to eat healthfully, drink less, etc.), make a list of all the things that boost the chances that you’ll fit exercise in, and all of the things that tend to get in the way, so you can find ways to circumvent them.

For example, if workouts cut into your social time, recruit a workout buddy. If you find exercise boring, sign up for a class that sounds fun, like a dance workout instead of that tedious elliptical. If you struggle to find time to work out, make peace with fitting it in when you can, rather than the all or nothing (“If I can’t do a full workout I’ll skip it”). Just doing things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or carving out 15 minutes from your lunch break to walk, really add up day after day.

The idea here is to make the one domino goal you’ve set really work, because it’s like your weight loss and wellness linchpin—if it falls apart, chances are other healthy habits will go with it.

 

Plan a weekly progress report

Note that I didn’t say a weekly weigh-in. Don’t worry about what the scale says right now. Instead, sit down each week to assess how your domino goal is going. Take an honest look at what’s going well, and identify what you can work on during the upcoming week to best support your goal.

When things are going well, celebrate your progress in healthy ways (a new kitchen tool or healthy cookbook if you’re cooking at home, a new workout outfit if exercise is your goal are some ideas). And if you’re stumbling, don’t beat yourself up. Change isn’t always easy or linear. Sometimes you do take two steps forward and one step back, but to get to your destination the key is to keep going.

No matter what, don’t stop looking for new ways to stay motivated: set up an inspirational Pinterest board; chronicle your journey on a blog or social media; or plan a fun trip that ties in with your goal, like a girlfriend getaway to a spa, a healthy cooking class, or a hiking trip.

 

Slowly build on your foundation

Once your domino really feels like your new normal, strategically add new goals one at a time with the same degree of attention and patience. If your inner voice tells you you’re not doing enough, talk right back, and remind yourself of the times when taking on too much led to giving up. I’ve had many clients focus on nutrition first, and then only add exercise once they’ve really settled into a consistent healthy eating pattern. And guess what? They stuck with each one, whereas taking on the two simultaneously in the past led to ditching them both. If that’s happened to you, make ‘slow and steady’ your mantra this year. By giving yourself the room to move at your own pace, you just might find that come next December you don’t feel the need to make any resolutions at all for 2017!

Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, is Health’s contributing nutrition editor. She privately counsels clients in New York, Los Angeles, and long distance. Cynthia is also the sports nutrition consultant to the New York Rangers NHL team and the New York Yankees MLB team, and is board certified as a specialist in sports dietetics.

This article originally appeared on Health.com

Weight-Loss Solutions for the New Year

Put your stress on the shelf and resolve to focus on you come January 1.

To help you out, here are some experts’ tips for turning last year’s failed resolution into something lasting for the future.

Make peace with your trigger foods

Old resolution: That’s it, no more chocolate—ever!

Banning your favorite treat—whether it’s chocolate, soda, lattes, or french fries—is bound to backfire, says Julie Upton, RD, Health.com’sident dietitian: “Dieters will eat it, binge on it, feel bad, and then throw in the towel and revert back to their old eating patterns.”

Makeover: “Make peace with your trigger foods,” Upton says. “Don’t have them at home staring you in the face, but allow yourself to have them once or twice a week.”

Rejoice in the lifelong health benefits

Old resolution: Those holiday parties went straight to my hips. I’m going to have to starve myself to undo the damage.

“When somebody says diet, they’re thinking deprivation,” says Tom Kersting, PhD, author of Losing Weight When Diets Fail. If your weight loss plan feels like a drag, you’re going to feel punished and abandon it.

Makeover: Rejoice in the lifelong health benefits you’ll be creating instead of getting down about dieting. “I want people to think health and longevity,” Kersting says. “Losing weight becomes easy when you invest your mental energy in making positive, healthy changes for yourself.”

Set a goal

Old resolution: I am going to lose weight—somehow.

“People often will just set a weight-loss goal, but they don’t have a good plan on how to get there,” says Donald Hensrud, MD, a preventive medicine and nutrition specialist for MayoClinic.com. Without a detailed plan, you’re likely to go back to previous eating and exercise patterns.

Makeover: Set a goal that is “specific, measurable, realistic, and trackable,” Dr. Hensrud says. Walk for 15 minutes three times a week after work, or add aa serving each of fruits and vegetables, he suggests. Focus on changes that you can make a part of your lifestyle seamlessly so you’ll be able to sustain them for the long haul.

Start working out at home

Old resolution: I’m signing up for my gym’s lifetime membership plan.

Finding a gym you really like is a good start, but simply signing up won’t help you lose weight. “Like any plan, you want to be specific,” says Gold’s Gym Fitness Institute expert Ramona Braganza. “If it’s very vague it leaves you too many places to sabotage yourself.”

Makeover: Start working out at home or become a member at a gym you like before the New Year. This way, you’ll have a plan in place when your resolution kicks in January 1. Planning ahead also allows you to structure your workout based on your gym’s offerings. “Pick some classes, find the best trainers, and have some friends join you,” Braganza suggests, “and it all falls into place.”

Make some basic alterations

Old resolution: I’m going to lose 30 pounds—by March.

Drastic resolutions like this are simply not realistic, says Diana Keuilian, a California–based personal trainer and author of Avoid the Freshman 15. You’ll just get discouraged and give up.

Makeover: Make some basic alterations to your lifestyle. “These changes don’t all have to happen at once, but changes in what you eat, when you eat it, and how much you move your body will ultimately cause you to lose the weight,” Keuilian says. “People who aren’t willing to change their lifestyle will never be successful with weight loss.”

Have a friend hold you accountable

Old resolution: I can do it all—eat better, lose weight, and start exercising.

This resolution may sound good, but it “is a high bar for most people to achieve,” says Melinda M. Manore, PhD, RD, professor of nutrition and exercise sciences at Oregon State University. If your goals are too lofty, you’ll have trouble accomplishing them, and you’re likely to give up, she says.

Makeover: Focus on one or two areas and team up with a weight-loss companion—a friend, relative, or personal trainer—who will make sure you stick to the plan. “It is much easier to go for a walk every day at 6 a.m. if you know a friend is waiting for you,” Manore says.

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