Q: Do New Year’s resolutions work? My weigh scale would say they don’t.
A: Social psychologists tell us that a number of people successfully commit to their New Year’s resolutions. Forty to 50 percent of those who make resolutions stick to them, at least within the first year.
Those who are successful appear to understand that making a resolution on New Year’s Eve is initiating a process of personal change that needs to be monitored and modified constantly if it is to be successful.
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One article I read talked about the three Rs — revisit, revise and restore.
- Revisit: you need to review your resolution to see if it is still relevant to your personal well-being. In your case obviously it is. You still want to lose weight.
- Revise: We know people are generally more successful with positive resolutions, those that increase an activity, than they are with negative ones, or those that look to cut back on something.
You have likely been trying to lose weight by following a diet, which would cut back on what you are eating. That is a negative activity and one with a less likely chance of being successful.
A positive activity would be to change your goals, committing yourself to going to the gym more often, walking more often than you do now, eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and taking more time-outs from daily responsibilities.
- Restore: If you do the first two Rs, you will likely be healthier, you will feel better and chances are you will lose some of the weight you want to lose.
You have to restart your commitment to your new resolutions, fire up those personal energies to get you going, and watch your self-esteem overwhelm those things that you have found discouraging.
One final note. People are more successful with their revised New Year’s resolutions when they have a support system. Remember support is not nagging. You don’t need to be told what you have done incorrectly. You need them to say “hip, hip, hooray” every time you go to the gym or eat a fresh apple.
Jacklin Andrews is a family counsellor from Saskatchewan. Contact: jandrews@producer.com.
