RD FIT LIFE

How to Stay Accountable to Your New Year’s Resolutions in Five Easy Steps

Only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s resolutions according to Forbes. Why is this? Why is it so hard for us to hold ourselves accountable?

Well, Today I have 5 things that can help you keep your resolutions alive all year long.

Only Choose 3 Things to Focus on

Most people choose too many things to focus on for resolutions. They may want to lose weight, save money, pay off a credit card, shop less, cook at home more, so on and so on. The problem is, there are too many goals. When you try to do too many things well, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and fail. So choose three things. The three most important things to you that you want to achieve over the next year. This way, you can stay focused on only three resolutions. When we narrow our focus, we are more likely to succeed.

Start Slow and Build

Be REALISTIC with how you start. For example, if you want to start going to a gym and you have not currently had a gym routine, do not set a goal of working out five times per week. Chances are, you will go the first day/week, get really sore or pull something and eventually throw in the towel because it’s too much on your body. If a huge issue comes up at work and you miss two days, you may throw in the towel because you haven’t been able to keep your word to yourself to go five days per week. Your best bet is to start with 2 or 3 days per week. After a month, if it has been doable, increase by one day and try that for a few weeks. Build up to the ultimate goal of five times per week.

Same goes for saving money. If you haven’t ever been a saver, don’t delegate $200 per paycheck to a savings account if you know you will probably be transferring that same money back to your checking account shortly after. Try starting with $5 per paycheck. This way, it builds the habit of saving. After about a month, increase to $10, then $20, and so on and so forth.

Remember, if these are New Year’s resolutions, these are most likely areas you struggle with for improvement. So setting goals too high will set you up for failure. If you are realistic with your goals, they are easier to achieve and grow. This keeps us motivated and excited to keep going since we have now seen we can be successful.

Set Reminders to Stay Accountable

Make. A. Plan. It’s that simple. If this is something you really want, fill up that Google calendar for the next 6 months with “check-ins”. If you want to cook more at home twice per week, put those two days in your calendar for the next 6 months. That way you will have reminders popping up and you’ll plan for these days. If you want to put $5 in your savings every paycheck, put that reminder in on every payday Friday. This way, when you’re in a lull which we all hit when we are striving for a long term goal, you’ll have that reminder and that kick to put you back on track.

When You Mess Up, Get Back on Track Immediately

If you mess up on Wednesday and have a cheat meal, DO NOT wait until Monday to “start over”! Focus on that next meal. Make a plan. Use your cheat meal as a motivator to do better. Don’t allow one meal to ruin the success you’ve had thus far!

Same with saving. If you went shopping during a week you said you wouldn’t, don’t dwell on it. It happened! Now it’s time to make a plan! What can you do in your week to save money? Cancel a night out? Sell a pair of shoes you haven’t worn in a year?

Make it a PRIORITY 

Your three goals have to be something you really want. They have to be a priority. If you see challenges getting in the way, address those challenges. Find support. I recently had a baby and I wanted to get back to my pre-baby weight. It was a priority for me. My husband and I worked out a schedule for me to get back in the gym. I made sure we had groceries in the house to accommodate my goal. We definitely ran into challenges. When I couldn’t make it to the gym because something came up, we planned for it to happen the next day. If we had an unhealthy dinner, I planned out meals for the next day to be sure I stayed on my routine. These resolutions have to be important to you. They must stay a top priority. Success does not come easy, or no one would know failure.

I do believe this is the way to join the successful 8%. This article will help you find a way to stay focused, feel less guilty if you fall off track, start small, and be successful reaching your goals! We all have the desire for change and the drive for success. It’s just having the right tools to teach us how to get there!

Finally, a Book by a Dietitian About Weight Loss Surgery!

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I am so excited to announce that I have written a book and it is now available on Amazon for purchase!  I did want to explain why I wrote this book and what better place to do that than right here.

I recently left the world of bariatric nutrition counseling to pursue a different career path within the world of dietetics.  Over the years working with weight loss surgery patients, I was always asked where an informational book about bariatric nutrition could be found.  That was a great question.  I couldn’t really find one that I highly recommended.  Throughout the years I was asked by many of my patients why I had not written a book.  I could think of a million reasons… It takes a lot of time… and how in the world do I compile all the knowledge I’ve soaked up over the years?  During the last several months I was working with these patients, the request continued to grow.  It seemed like I was being asked almost weekly to compile my knowledge.  So that’s when I began.

Once I started, it seemed like my life consisted of work, home, and typing away.  Here are some thoughts I had while writing.

  1. How in the world will I organize all this knowledge??
  2. I’ve really seen thousands of patients over the years…
  3. Gosh my patients have been motivational!
  4. Is that the correct usage of a semi-colon?
  5. I really can’t let this knowledge go to waste.
  6. Will people actually read this?
  7. Oh my goodness… It’s really finished!

That’s it!  I had completed my first draft.  I located some amazing editors (AKA: my brother and husband) who read it immediately.  They spent so much time going over every chapter with me and I could not have done it without them.  By the time the editing was complete, the excitement began.  It was becoming real.  After all of the long hours writing, designing, and editing, it was now ready for publishing.

What I hope for this book is to help people.  The questions I received over and over are finally answered.  They are answered in a way that can help people feel more comfortable living this new lifestyle.  It is a big change for most people and no one should feel alone and confused.   So if you know anyone that is considering weight loss surgery, tell them about this book.  They will find out what to expect, learn what questions to ask, and discover how to insure long-term success.   This is important information to know in order to win with weight loss surgery!

*My book is available to purchase on the side bar of my home page.  Kindle app is available for download on Apple products.

Five Things To Do To Avoid Food Temptation

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With the holidays approaching, I feel that this blog post is extremely important to start practicing with now!

One culprit that causes weight gain is temptation.  Sometimes foods are so enticing, we don’t have enough will power to say no!

So what can we do to help build that will power and keep us from those situations arising in the first place?

Here are 5 tips you can follow to avoid food temptation!

1.  Make your home your sanctuary.

If you have junk foods or trigger foods at home, it will be nearly impossible to stay on track with those treats dancing around in the back of your brain.  Make today the day you grab an empty box, open that pantry, and carry a load to your local food bank!  This way, if you have a strong craving for something unhealthy, your only choice is to throw on shoes, jump in the car, and go purchase it.  And no one wants to do that in the middle of the night.  This will also help with mindless snacking on junk.

And before you say, “But the kids really like ____, I can’t just get rid of that…” think about their health.  Is that a regular food you want them to grow up eating?  Or should that food really be a treat for them?

2.  Remove yourself from the situation or find a distraction.

When choosing a healthier lifestyle, you must allow yourself time to go through sugar/salt/fat withdrawal.  Yes, we can be addicted to these substances and sometimes it is just as bad as drugs/alcohol.  When looking at brain scans, our brain can light up like a Christmas tree when eating these foods in a stressful state and shortly after, we feel calm and relaxed.  This was something we discussed during a food addiction seminar I attended.  What is happening is actually a serotonin (our feel good hormone) release.  And if habits like that have been practiced too long, we can now be addicted and must allow time for withdrawal.

So if its evening time, the tv is on, and you reach for something to munch on while you relax, ask yourself, “before I take this bite, am I truly physically hungry?  Or am I looking for something to do?”  If you are not physically hungry, this is a great time to remove yourself from the situation you are currently in, or find a good distraction.

By distracting the mind from temptation, you are currently in the process of breaking a habit.  It takes almost a month to break a habit, so stay strong.  Find something that can relax you at the same time whether its a craft, hobby, or going for a walk.

3.  Eat slowly.

This is an extremely helpful tip.  The slower you eat, the faster you fill up.  Once you are no longer hungry, you will be less inclined to have dessert or a late night snack.

Asking for a to-go box immediately when ordering your food is also a step in the right direction.  When you remove half of your meal from your plate, you are eliminating that temptation of eating the full serving.  Always give yourself 10-15 minutes after completing a meal to determine if you are satisfied or not.

The last suggestion when it comes to social gatherings, restaurant celebrations, or holidays, is that you can always eat before you go if you don’t think you will have full control.  Now this doesn’t mean I believe you should never have “cheat meals” or something unhealthy occasionally…  But if this is a gathering you are attending recently after a cheat meal or it happens to be a place serving trigger foods for you, it is a great idea to eat ahead of time and just enjoy the social aspect of the event.

4.  Don’t buy it!

If you do not purchase this food, you cannot eat it!  Practicing the word NO is really important.

5.  Avoid tempting aisles at the grocery store.

You always want to shop the outskirts of the grocery store.  This will keep you around fresh produce, protein, and dairy products.  Anything within the aisles will always revolve around processed foods.  If you have a specific trigger food, AVOID THAT AISLE!

One grocery store in particular has really helped some of my patients by doing an online ordering system!  You can order all of your groceries online, pay online, and schedule a pick-up time!  How awesome is that?  This way you don’t have to look at the junk on sale at each end cap or smell the aromas from the bakery.

SUMMARY

These are just some of the things I practice with my patients to make sure temptation is not going to be an issue while living healthy.  I do believe in moderation, but for some people, if they fall off track or even have a cheat meal, they may throw in the towel because they already feel that they have failed.  So these are some easy tips to work on to make sure you avoid temptation and stay successful with your healthy lifestyle.