31 Days of Organizing for a Better 2010: Lose Weight

Be sure you don't miss a thing! Subscribe to receive updates by email. Or if you use a feed reader, subscribe to my RSS feed! Thanks for visiting!

31 Days of Organizing for a Better 2010: Lose Weight

Join us all month for 31 Days of Organizing for a Better 2010!

Losing weight is probably the most common resolution to make and fail to achieve. Year after year we vow that this time we’re really going to shed those pounds, and year after year we stick with a diet for a couple of weeks before going back to our old habits.

If you’re determined to make 2010 the year that it actually happens, start by reading Lisa’s story. Today at Crazy Adventures in Parenting, she’s sharing how she accomplished her weight loss goal in 2009, and it’s inspiring!

If you’re not sure you can stick with a diet and exercise plan this year either, I’d go so far as to recommend that you take losing weight off your resolution list altogether. You’re either committed to making a go at it or you’re not, but having it on your list with no real plan to make it happen just makes your goal-setting less effective overall. Save it until you’re ready to really make the effort!

For those of you who are ready to get started, here are 6 tips to help you meet your weight loss goal in 2010:

1. Set a goal. And tell someone.

As with all resolutions, the key to finally shedding those pounds is to have a concrete, measurable goal to work toward. What is your ideal weight? How much do you have to lose? Set a goal that will stretch you and make you work harder, but don’t  make one that’s unattainable. If you do, you’ll most likely end up discouraged and give up, which doesn’t do you any good.

2. Make a reasonable diet and exercise plan.

The reason most diet and exercise plans fail is they’re too extreme to maintain long term. You need something that you can keep up with not only while you’re losing the weight but after you’ve hit your goal as well, and eating three carrot sticks eight times a day (or whatever fad diet happens to be hot this week) is probably not going to do it.

Think through your food preferences, the exercises you gravitate toward and your schedule and write down a diet and exercise plan that you think you can actually maintain. As your circumstances change, don’t be afraid to modify your written plan. Even if it slows down your weight loss, you’re more likely to stick with it if you have a plan that fits your lifestyle and preferences.

Jason from Frugal Dad reviewed some common commercial plans (such as NutriSystem, Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig) last week, and while there’s obviously extra money involved, it may be that a program like Weight Watchers is the extra motivation you need to stick to a diet.

3. Join a group.

Whether you choose a formal group like a Weight Watchers support group or join forces online with others who share your weight loss goals, there’s always something to be said about the accountability and camraderie that comes from setting goals and working toward them with other people. Not only will it make your weight loss journey more fun, but there will also be someone there to encourage you along the way.

Some friends of ours are having a “Biggest Loser” competition between themselves. The person who loses the highest percentage of weight wins. Competition is another great motivating factor!

4. Set yourself up for success.

Look for the obstacles to your diet and exercise plans and do your best to minimize or eliminate them. If you can’t resist sugary snacks, stop buying them — even for your kids — and offer healthy alternatives instead. If you have the best intentions to exercise each morning but you get sucked into the internet vortex instead, make a commitment not to sit down at the computer until you’ve completed your exercise routine. If you are a grazer and end up stuffing your face every afternoon between 2 and 4 p.m. (hmm, that sounds familiar…), set your schedule so that you’re too busy to snack during that time or stock your pantry with healthy snacks so that you have low-fat, low-sugar alternatives.

5. Reward yourself.

I love this idea that Suzy of SuzyQ Scraps left in the comments of my exercise more post:

I’m setting weekly goals, with a different prize at the end of each week — something I really, really want, that I can’t have UNLESS I meet my goal for the week.

What a great way to motivate yourself to keep working toward your goal. Of course getting healthy and looking fabulous should be reward enough, but sometimes we all need a little tangible motivation as well!

6. Keep moving forward.

As always (and I’m certain I’m going to run out of ways to say this by the end of the 31 days), you have to keep moving toward your goal even if you have a setback along the way. Without setting yourself up for failure, I think it’s important to acknowledge that you probably will have some failures along the way.

Make a commitment to get back on track after one of these, but even more importantly, figure out what happened and how you can prevent it next time. Maybe your diet is too rigid and you need to leave room for an occasional dessert. Maybe you need a list of healthy — but still yummy — snacks and desserts that you can choose from when a craving hits. Maybe you need a different workout plan for bad weather. Identify the obstacles to your goal and make a plan to overcome them!

Is losing weight one of your goals for 2010? What steps have you taken to achieve it?

The 31 Days of Organizing for a Better 2010 series is sponsored by Get Organized Wizard. Find more than 250 lists, schedules, planners and organizers in The Ultimate To-Do List Pack, Home & Family Edition.

About the Author

Mandi Ehman

Hi. My name is Mandi and I’m an organizing junkie. I’m also a wife, and Momma to four little girls (5, 3.5, 2 and a new baby!). I've worked at home since our oldest was a baby, and like a lot of other moms, my life is a constant balancing act of caring for my family and my home, meeting my obligations and finding time for hobbies in there somewhere. Oh, yeah, in the interest of full disclosure, I’m somewhat of a kitchen dunce and I only like to pretend that I’m crafty. Read more here!

3 Responses to “ 31 Days of Organizing for a Better 2010: Lose Weight ”

  1. Yes and no. I’m a classic yo-yo dieter and my resolve (nevermind my resolution) always seem to dissolve around a super-sized toffee and chocolate chip cookie.

    This year I’m determined not to worry about the end product (ass reduction) and instead, I’m focusing on behavior. In terms of a first step, I’m developing the habit of a keeping a journal.

    Thanks for these helpful tips!

    [Reply]

  2. I was on Weight Watchers and it was for me a great plan. I lost 35 pounds and kept it off. Unfortunately I have gained some weight back due to not being mindful of exercise and what I was eating. So I have a goal of just being more mindful and getting back into exercise. I know the weight will come off, I’m looking more for gaining strength and losing a dress size. Just being healthy and showing my kids how to be healthy.
    Rana´s last blog ..Best Face Photo Challenge My ComLuv Profile

    [Reply]

  3. One of the things I loved about WW was the online tracking of my food (and points)…once I discovered livestrong.com (and the daily plate that is a part of that site) I was sold.

    It is free, you can get the gold version, but I haven’t seen any real benefit to doing so. I did pay the 2.99 to get it on my blackberry so I can track my food when I am away from the computer.

    Thanks for these great tips, I needed a small jump start and this helps!

    [Reply]

Leave a Reply

CommentLuv Enabled

You can use these XHTML tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <strong>