4 Reasons Why Weight Loss New Year's Resolutions Don't Work (and What To Do About Them)

It's become the American way. As the ball drops in Times Square ringing in 2008, millions of Americans will be shifting from holiday gluttony to their annual New Year's resolution of dieting and deprivation to lose weight - which, as you know, NEVER survives the test of time!

Want to do it again in 2009? We both know the answer to that - you want off of the diet roller coaster!

Is a New Year's resolution to lose weight a bad idea? YES! But you still want to lose some weight. How do you reconcile wanting to lose weight without making a New Year's resolution to lose weight?

Because we can't change what we do not understand, you must understand the fundamental flaws - the faulty psychology - in a New Year's resolution around weight loss

1) New Year's Resolutions to lose weight have consistently failed to produce the desired lifelong weight control result. At best they "work" temporarily" and that's if they "work" at all!

2) A New Year's Resolution to lose weight may generate weight loss and appear to work, but weight loss is NOT the cure for weight problems (if it was, we would have an epidemic of thin people, NOT fat people!).

3) Knowing in early December that a New Year's Resolution around a weight loss goal will be made creates permissiveness (and need) to over-indulge up to that time - because, after all, come January, I'm going on a strict diet.

4) This on a diet or off a diet mentality does not produce behavior patterns that are ultimately effective during trial by fire in the real world over time.

This is all cute, you say. But, if I'm not going to make a New Year's Resolution around weight loss, what do I do about my weight problem?

I wrote above, New Year's Resolutions to lose weight have consistently failed to produce lifelong weight control result that you desire. You have the opportunity to adjust your resolution. Here are my three guidelines for making a New Year's resolution around weight control

1) Resolve to learn what is necessary to consistently feed yourself in a healthy manner - aside from what diets and experts say, learn what works for YOU nutritionally.

2) Resolve to understand and master the psychology of successful weight control - the issues and dynamics in your life that impact your food behavior.
3) Resolve to learn how to balance what needs to balanced in your life so you get what you want as much as possible in all arenas in which food is involved (weight, health, social, satisfaction, taste preference, convenience, etc.).

Notice that these are not quick fix solutions, but rather designed to generate balance in life and the lifelong weight control you REALLY desire.

And remember ill conceived shortcuts are inevitably MORE time consuming and MORE expensive! The typical New Year's Resolution to lose weight has proven to be just that. Don't fall for that trap again!