Because one of my resolutions is to lose 40 pounds by the end of the year, it is important that I revisit the lifestyle changes I made last year. I need to determine what worked, what didn’t, and what I need to do to make this resolution a reality by December. The important thing to remember is that when losing weight, fad diets don’t work. If you aren’t willing to commit to a lifestyle change, in terms of your eating and exercising behaviors, then true weight loss will never happen.

First, when I exercised, the weight loss was easier; therefore, I need to make sure that I’m back on track with my exercising. It’s hard to get up early to make sure I get some exercise in for the day, but I have done it in the past, and as long as I set my mind to it, I can do it again. My plan is pretty simple. I had an exercise plan that I let go by the wayside when I entered maintenance mode at the end of last year, and I need to revise that plan for this year. As I’ve said before, I do better if I have a plan, specifically in the form of a list, where I can check things off. So here’s the plan.

I will get up and do a one-mile walk every morning before I go to work. My options for this include the Leslie Sansone DVD Walk Away the Pounds and the Denise Austin DVD Blast Away the Pounds Indoor Walk. These walks should take approximately 15 minutes. In addition, I will do some toning exercises, choosing from the Denise Austin DVDs I have: Target Toners, Daily Dozen, and Belly Blasters. That will be my Monday – Friday morning routine. For the afternoon, after I get home from work, I will do the Leslie Sansone two-mile walk. I will have to motivate myself to do this as afternoon/evening routines are harder than the morning ones to get motivated for. On the weekends, I will do Leslie Sansone’s four-mile walk on Saturday morning and her three-mile walk on Sunday morning. I can do this.

Second, I must return to tracking what I eat. I experienced the most success when I tracked everything I ate. I have the Lose It! app on both my Kindle and my phone, so this should be easy to do. It’s just a matter of getting back into the habit. It’s important, though, because it allows me to be honest about what I’m eating, and I don’t “forget” about something. It also helps with portion control and making sure I stay within the caloric limits I need to lose the weight.

Third, I will need to start planning weekly menus. This isn’t always easy, and sometimes it’s difficult for the weekends because we aren’t sure where we’ll be. However, I should be able to at least do menu planning for Monday – Friday. This will make sure that I don’t overeat at any meal. This hasn’t been a habit, but it needs to become one.

Fourth, I plan to continue to limit the amount of pop that I drink. I allow myself one Diet Mountain Dew on Saturday and one on Sunday. That’s not to say that I didn’t sometimes break that rule and have a pop through the week or have more than one Diet Dew on the weekend. However, considering I started last year drinking three or four Diet Dews every day, this is a big improvement. It’s become habit now, so I don’t miss it so much, and on the occasional weeks when I break the rule, it’s only by one or two for the whole week, which is still an amazing improvement from where I started. By telling myself that my limit is two per week, one for Saturday and one for Sunday, I give myself parameters that I know I can meet. I’m convinced that this little change made a big difference in my weight loss last year, which is the motivation to keep it going.

Finally, I will continue to weigh myself every day. I’ve heard and read arguments on both sides of this issue. There are those who believe it is best to only weigh in once per week, while others believe every day is OK. I’ve done it both ways, and I prefer every day, for several reasons. Before you can weigh every day, though, you have to accept that there will be daily fluctuations in your weight, and sometimes that means that your weight will go up instead of down. If you can accept that, then weighing in daily shouldn’t be a problem. One of the things I like about the daily weigh-in is that it allows me to keep closer track of where I am. If one day is more than the previous day, I can make adjustments for the new day and get back in control of what I’m doing. This alleviates any big surprises at the end of the week. The daily weigh-in also allows you to celebrate small successes on a daily basis, which does wonders for motivation.

The biggest component for success in not only losing weight but in developing a lifestyle change is to have a plan. That is what made last year successful for me, and I’ve no doubt it will make this year successful for me. When you start seeing those pounds go away, it does wonders for your self-esteem as well. You can feel good not just because you’re doing something good for yourself but also because you’re following through with your plan and achieving results. I’m no dietician, and I’m no health expert. I just know these are the things that worked for me, and because they worked before, they are the things I will try again. I’m sure as I go, I’ll have to make adjustments, but that’s all part of it. Right now, I’m just looking forward to watching another 40 pounds disappear.