In 2024, 3 in 10 Americans made a New Year’s resolution with just 9% actually sticking to their resolutions throughout the year according to Drive Research. In addition, 79% of New Year’s goals involve improving health including increasing fitness levels (48%), boosting mental health (36%) and improving diet (32%). So why do so many of us fail to achieve our goals? Are we just setting ourselves up for failure? Learn how to make realistic resolutions and how to overcome the roadblocks along the way.
[READ: 9 Daily Habits to Boost Your Mental Health: Simple Steps for Boosting Your Well-Being]
The Science of Successful Goal Setting
Setting a long-term goal — like losing 20 pounds — without outlining specific ways to achieve it tends to set you up for failure. It may be a good long-term goal, but in order to reach it you need to take baby steps to get it done. These baby steps are behavior modifications that need to be made in order to meet your long term goal.
To change a behavior, it takes time. You need to repeat that behavior over and over again until it becomes part of your everyday life (like brushing your teeth). Typically, it takes about six months for a small change to turn into a new behavior.
[READ: How Long Does It Take to Create a New Habit?]
Long-Term Goals vs. Weekly Habits: The Baby Step Approach
When it comes to weight loss and eating for health, make one long term resolution but then set between one to three weekly goals that you want to accomplish. These goals should help develop healthy habits that will ultimately help achieve your long-term resolution.
Some examples of weekly goals:
— I will go to Pilates class twice a week.
— I will eat three fruits every day.
— I will make time for breakfast three times a week.
— I will fill my water bottle to help me hydrate throughout the day.
— I will cook dinner twice a week.
Notice that these goals are simple and achievable. Instead of making goals like “I will go to the gym every day,” start with one or two days and build it up from there. This is how to set yourself up for success. Revisit your goals weekly to see if you want to continue them or create new ones.
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The Power of Awareness: Why Tracking Your Habits Works
Life is hectic and you don’t always remember everything you eat during each meal or when you went to your gym class. Being aware — at least temporarily–of your current eating, exercise, and healthy lifestyle habits helps monitor your goals. Keeping a diary or using tracking apps tends to help many people.
To give it a try, record everything you eat and drink for three to five days and review it. Many folks are shocked when they do this! Once you notice your not-so-good habits, start fixing them. For example, if you notice a tendency to snack on unhealthy fare, set a goal to eat a fruit or vegetable with each snack. This can help replace the higher-calorie junk food with lower-calorie healthy fare. Building on these smaller goals over time can help you achieve your long-term resolution.
[READ: Best Weight Loss Apps According to Experts]
6 Common Roadblocks and Expert Strategies for Overcoming Them
We all encounter roadblocks in our lives. Instead of throwing your hands up in defeat, find ways around these barriers so you can reach the finish line. Registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) from around the world weighed in on common barriers people face when trying to lose weight:
1. Barrier Breakdown: Addressing the ‘Perfect Time’ Myth
According to Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, host of the Media Savvy Podcast, creator of BetterThanDieting.com, author of “Read It Before You Eat It – Taking You from Label to Table,” this is a common excuse. “In reality, there’s never a perfect time to diet — especially if you assume dieting means restrictive eating and immovable structure. Who would want that at any time?” says Taub-Dix. Life will always be busy, stressful or social or all of the above. Taub-Dix says “Waiting for the perfect time to improve your eating habits is like waiting for your calendar to clear before taking care of yourself. It may never happen.”
Instead of an all-or-nothing mindset by cutting out all of your favorite foods, Taub-Dix recommends trying to cut back on portion sizes and stocking your fridge and pantry with foods you actually enjoy that also make you feel good, like pre-cut veggies, yogurt, fresh fruit, nuts and whole-grain snacks that are easy to grab when hunger hits. This way you always have food at your fingertips that you can reach for without needing to be “ready.”
[READ: Is Japanese Walking Worth Trying?]
2. From Stress Eating to Self-Care: Managing Emotional Triggers
A common barrier to weight loss is turning to food for comfort, distraction or emotional relief.
“Research shows that chronic stress raises cortisol, which can increase appetite and cravings for high-calorie foods,” says New York-based RD Katherine Brooking.
Brooking recommends managing stress by identifying emotional triggers and building alternative coping strategies including deep breathing, meditation, a short walk or calling a friend. In addition, “mindfulness practices, such as pausing before eating and checking in with your physical hunger, have been shown to reduce emotional eating in multiple studies,” explains Brooking. Further, “establishing consistent sleep, daily exercise and self-care routines can also lower baseline stress, making it easier to stay on track with weight-loss goals.”
3. Cooking Confidence: Simple Steps to Kitchen Comfort
“As a registered dietitian, over the years I’ve had many patients, friends and family tell me they struggle with their nutrition goals because they just do not feel comfortable in the kitchen,” says RD Gena Seraita, Program Director for New York University’s Dietetic Internship Program. For those with limited experience cooking, the key when starting to prepare your own healthy meals and snacks is to keep it simple. Seraita suggests doing any of the following:
— Seek out recipes with less than 10 ingredients and use more basic cooking methods, such as baking and roasting.
— Invest in a meat thermometer to ensure your proteins are cooked to the correct temperature.
— Opt for sheet pan dinners, which are an easy and balanced meal on the table with minimum effort.
4. Ditching the ‘All-or-Nothing’ Trap for Sustainable Change
Most people get trapped in an all-or-nothing mindset with weight loss, says RDN Elizabeth Shaw, internationally-based nutrition communications authority at www.shawsimpleswaps.com.
“They try to follow a plan perfectly, and the moment real life happens, like a birthday or an unplanned happy hour, they assume they’ve ‘ruined’ everything. Instead of adjusting their choices to account for that extra slice of cake or cocktail, they feel defeated and throw in the towel,” says Shaw.
Instead, Shaw recommends to clients that small changes make big differences.
“Sustainable weight loss isn’t about perfection; it’s about consistent, doable habits that build over time,” explains Shaw. “If you’re exhausted from starting over every January, focus on the small shifts you can make today. Swap the morning donut for an egg bite or yogurt that keeps you full longer. Suggest a walk with a friend instead of a wine night.”
5. Healthy Travel Habits: Staying on Track When on the Road
“Frequent travel can make healthy habits feel harder — between time-zone changes, long flights, unpredictable schedules, meals out, hotel food — but it doesn’t make weight-loss impossible,” says RD Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN, Nutrition Consultant, Author, Host of The Business of Wellness Podcast. This is when a little planning ahead creates structure with built-in flexibility, which is the real key for staying consistent. “I encourage clients to anchor their day with a bigger, protein-and-fiber-rich breakfast (think Greek yogurt + fruit, eggs + veggies, or oatmeal + nuts), aim for protein and fiber at every meal, and pack a few snacks for when options are limited,” says London. Other recommendations from London for eating healthier when traveling includes staying hydrated with unsweetened beverages, getting creative with movement (like indoor conference-center walks), and protecting sleep as much as possible.
6. When to Seek Professional Help for Weight Loss
As hard as you try, those extra pounds just won’t come off. You end up feeling discouraged and going back to your old eating habits and gaining weight. It’s time to call for help. A registered dietitian can look at your medical history, family history, diet and current medical status and help determine the cause. Sometimes you need these experts to point you in the right direction; other times, they may discover a red flag for certain medical conditions.
To find a registered dietitian in your area, visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website and click on the green button that says “Find a Nutrition Expert.” Many now take insurance, so be sure to ask.
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How to Set Realistic New Year’s Resolutions for Health and Weight Loss Success originally appeared on usnews.com
