New Year’s resolutions? Set realistic weight loss goals that you stick to

Weight loss, more fitness. Every year, many people make good resolutions for the new year that are just as quickly outdated again. Often they don’t even survive the first month of the year that has just begun. The initial enthusiasm rapidly wanes and the inner pig takes over again. “This is often because the goals are too ambitious and cannot be integrated into everyday life,” explains Austrian fitness and nutrition coach Simon Mathis.

Weight loss is an important New Year resolution for many people. “But the realization that you’ve set your goals too high comes too late for most people, however, and they fall back into old patterns before they’ve really started,” says Simon Mathis. The fitness and nutrition coach deals every day with people who set themselves too ambitious goals – and then practically never achieve them. In the following article, he reveals seven tips on how to stay realistic and stick to what you’ve set out to do.

Specify the goal in concrete terms

Those who formulate a clear “why” for themselves take an active role and are much more likely to stick to their target. Rough weight loss goals, such as “I want to lose weight,” should be reformulated: A certain pair of pants should fit again, or when playing with the kids, you should be able to keep up again.

Realistic goal setting for weight loss

Even the best resolution ends in bitter disappointment if the goal is unattainable from the start. The rule of thumb for losing weight is: 0.8 to one percent of body weight can be lost per week without putting too much strain on the body. So if you weigh 100 kilograms, you can reduce your weight by 800 to 1,000 grams per week. An example: For a desired weight of 90 kilograms, therefore, at least ten weeks should be planned.

Overcome impatience

Anyone who gives up a piece of chocolate in the evening when losing weight would prefer to see the results the next morning. Fluctuations on the scales also quickly cause unease and discouragement. But this is quite normal. They can often be traced back to water retention due to carbohydrates and salty food. Meaningful trends are better assessed over a longer period of time rather than on a daily basis.

Weight loss – approach it in the long term

From work, many are familiar with the process of a project: There is a fixed start and end point and after completion of the project, it is filed as a whole. But this strategy should not be applied to losing weight. Instead of eating, moving and behaving differently for a certain period of time, it is better to make these processes a permanent habit.

Follow four essential diet rules

When planning a diet, users often forget that it can be easily integrated into everyday life. Some points of orientation as to whether a resolution is suitable for one’s own circumstances and personal lifestyle are offered by these four rules when it comes to nutrition: The food should fill you up, taste good, be socially acceptable and simple to prepare.

Focus on the essentials

If you eat in the evening, you’ll get fat, and carbohydrates are an absolute no-no when it comes to losing weight. Countless myths like these surround the subject of losing weight. The truth is much simpler: if you want to lose weight, you have to consume fewer calories than you use. In which form these calories are supplied, is secondary. Carbohydrates are also allowed – it should only be ensured that calories are permanently saved through adjustments to the diet.

Do not overvalue the scale

People who want to lose weight often have an ideal weight in mind. Much more meaningful than the scale is, for example, whether the old favorite shirt fits again. The abdominal circumference in particular is significant in terms of a person’s health and fitness. Visceral fat on the abdomen is much more unhealthy than excess fat on the hips, legs and buttocks.