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Diet: Try, Try Again

4 minute read
Christine Gorman

If you’ve maintained your workout schedule during the past few weeks of holiday madness, kept your cool while flagging down salesclerks and passed on the chocolate-covered treats at the office, then you have my sincere congratulations. But if you’re like the rest of us, you’ve slept in, lost your temper and scarfed down the cookies. So now, like millions of other Americans, you have made yet another New Year’s resolution to drop a few pounds, exercise more, drink less, stop smoking or just plain chill out. It won’t be easy. In fact, you may have already broken the resolution you made last week. But if you’re willing to try again, here’s a list of tips to improve your chances of success:

Set realistic goals. If you’re 50, 30 or 20 lbs. overweight, don’t even think about losing them before Valentine’s Day. It’s not only unlikely but unhealthy as well. A good rule of thumb is no more than a pound or two a week.

Don’t try to do everything at once. This one can be tough, especially if you need to lose weight, because your best hope for long-term success requires permanent changes in your diet as well as a boost in your physical activity. But improvements in one area often lead to changes in others. If you’re exercising regularly, for example, you’re likely to find yourself eating more healthfully as well, so as not to undermine your “investment.”

Find a buddy who shares your goals. You can encourage each other during the tough times and tackle new adventures together. My jogging partner signed us up for a 5-km run at midnight, God help us, in Central Park on New Year’s Eve. The mere thought of it kept me pounding the pavement these past few weeks.

Don’t be afraid to ask for professional help, especially if you’re tackling alcoholism, drug or nicotine addiction.

Be specific about how you’re going to keep your resolutions. Instead of vaguely promising “to exercise more,” decide to take a 30-min. walk at lunchtime three days a week. Or instead of saying you’ll eat less fat, make up your mind to bring your lunch to work. (By the way, you don’t have to condemn yourself to carrots and celery sticks only. Just preparing your own food can cut hundreds of calories from the typical American diet.)

Record your progress. Jotting down how many miles you walk or the number of pounds you bench-press each week provides a sense of accomplishment and is a great motivator. It can also help you identify potential trouble spots in your routine.

Accept your limitations. A lot of us get hung up on the idea that we have to reform perfectly or not at all. We floss our teeth twice a day every day for a week, then we forget one morning and give up trying for the rest of the year. Let’s face it. You’re going to suffer setbacks. Be honest with yourself about why they happened, then pick up the pieces and move on.

Learn new coping skills. Stress is the No. 1 reason that ex-smokers relapse. Stress is inevitable. But you can blunt its effects by meditating, exercising or rehearsing ahead of time your ideal response to an anxious situation.

So now that I’ve made it out of Central Park alive, what have I resolved to do in 1999? I’ve got to admit, those vegetables are still nagging at me. Now that I’ve tried some of the 30-odd recipes readers have sent me for Brussels sprouts, I’m looking for a couple of good ones for bok choy.

For more Web resources on New Year’s resolutions, visit time.com/personal You can e-mail Christine at gorman@time.com

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