Remember last year at this time? You set your new goals. You even wrote them down. You started with the best intentions. But your best weight loss objectives were neglected before the holiday decorations were even put away. What happened? Was there a bump in the road or did you just throw in the towel because it was too hard and you talked yourself out of it?

If you want a chance to make your 2007 resolutions stick, it is time to come to terms with how resolutions get pushed aside and what you can do about it.

Top Resolution Breakers

1. Your goal is unrealistic.

Example: I will lose 25 pounds by January 30.

Flawed Method: It is impractical to think you will able to lose that much weight so quickly and then to even fathom keeping it off and still remaining healthy. It is just not realistic. Even if you did, it would all be water weight and more importantly, you are going to be losing lean muscle mass.

Realistic Objectives: Set intentions that are sensible and reachable. Understand that losing a little less than a pound per week is healthier and practical for long-term results. Give yourself a fighting chance! It’s not the time frame that matters. It’s your health and well-being that are most important. The most significant thing is that you are moving forward and progressing toward your long-term goal.

2. You do not give yourself a chance to hit a bump in the road and you have no support system to get back on track.

Example: I will not eat sugary foods. No ifs, ands or buts.

Flawed Method: Great idea, but who can live like that? The most unrealistic frame of mind is thinking that you are “super human”. All it does is set you up for failure. If you were to have a slip, you would go into the all too familiar negative self-talk of telling yourself that you are a complete failure and that you are just not worth it.

Realistic Objectives: Set a “safety date” on your calendar for creating a plan of action with a “safety friend”, life coach or buddy who understands your challenges. In those cases where there might be weakness and/or emotions that cause you to go to food for solace, it is always comforting to know you have a safe place to fall and strategize to get back on target.

You might also think about creating a Plan B for yourself (e.g. take a walk until the temptation fades away). This way you can get back on track immediately. Just remember, most people who are successful at losing weight take it one step at a time. They begin by choosing moderation rather than abstinence and they always have back-up strategies.

3. You have too many resolutions or goals.

Example: By the end of January, I will lose 15 pounds, give up eating sweets, start going to the gym, (and the list goes on…)

Flawed Method:Too many goals at once stretch every priority too thin. Having too many goals is as bad as having no goals at all. Treating everything as important makes nothing important.

Realistic Objectives: Only a limited number of goals can be pursued at the same time. Pick your priorities. Write out an action plan that you can refer to. Take on one thing at a time, and remember that this is a New Year’s resolution, so you have 12 months to develop this new healthier lifestyle.

Chart out each goal, and then commit to starting each new endeavor month to month. For instance, you might plan to join a gym in January; in February you want to join a weight loss support group, etc. Set a start and check-up date for each goal so that you can track your progress.

The key is to commit to writing down your objectives and then either holding yourself accountable or asking for assistance in the process (life coach, buddy, etc.).

4. The resolution has no specific outcome.

Example: I will join the gym sometime this year.

Flawed Method: So you are intending on exercising at a gym. But is this today, tomorrow, or in December of 2007, when your actual goal is to lose the weight as soon as possible?

Realistic Objectives: How many pounds do you want to lose? How much is it going to cost you monthly for a gym membership? Is there still money left over for leisure activities and unexpected expenses (health issues, car problems, etc.)? A winning action plan outlines what to do, when to do it and how to assess it. For example, you can weigh yourself weekly, reviewing if you are on target or if your current nutritional and exercise plans are working toward your resolution. It then gives you a chance to make changes accordingly.

5. Someone else made your resolutions for you.

Example: I will reduce my waist size four inches by April (subtext: because my significant other wants me to wear the style of clothing that I wore when we first met.)

Flawed Method: If someone else has their own intentions for you, there will not be a need for self-empowerment. You will wind up becoming resentful and irritated at the resolution itself, if not at that someone who set you up in this self-deprecating situation.

Realistic Objectives: A New Year’s Resolution must be an empowering place because it is something you personally have thought about, planned and pursued in your own time and space. The outcome of the resolution itself must have a deep and important meaning to you. It must be valid enough for you to set your mind toward doing it. If you have a case where you would like to meet both partner’s needs, it is critical not to push one partner into an uninvited activity that gratifies the other.

New Year’s Resolutions can become a “jumping off place” for many, by altering areas in their life that require self-improvement. However, it can also be a time of struggle, depression and internal conflict. You can protect yourself and increase your chances for success by considering the above steps in advance of preparing your personal resolutions.

Copyright 2007 Jeff Cadwell

Many weight loss programs exist either on the web or in bookshelves. With change of our lifestyles, we have embraced junk food which is easier to make or buy on the counter in place of the natural and unprocessed foods rich in all nutrients the body needs for normal functioning. Most junk foods are rich in fats and carbohydrates that often lead to sudden weight increase due to absence of exercises and physical activities to burn the excesses.

Most of these weight loss programs are very expensive and the available free excerpts in the web act as teasers and don’t give you comprehensive information that may help you unless you purchase the e-book or a copy of the hard covered books. Though still the cheapest, results are not guaranteed and most users are left frustrated after the programs fail.

Weight loss is one of the most expensive, highly uncontrolled and equally heartbreaking remedy for being overweight being sought by lots of people around the world. Enrolling in reputable weight loss center and camps, using meal replacement shakes and diets, hiring weight loss gurus and weight loss surgeries are other options available with costs too high for common people to afford. Some of these personalized programs have positive results but only for a short while to most.

Maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle is a sure way of enjoying the new you. After successful weight loss programs, most people still slip back to the old lifestyles and gain their weight back. A high level of personal discipline is of outmost importance if at all you want to keep that new figure and increased confidence as your achievement.
Have a successful weight loss program but stick to the basics……..Disciplining your body is the key!.

Obesity is a major contributor to the development of a number of serious illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes. A balanced diet and regular exercise remain to be the most important and the safest ways to lose weight and keep it off. However, a lot of people find it quite difficult to sustain these, and thus, their attempts at weight loss become unsuccessful. Also, some people who are morbidly obese require other additional therapy to help them lose the unwanted weight. This is where other treatment options, specifically diet pills and weight loss surgery, come in.

The more radical treatment option between the two is surgery. There are several types of surgeries to help you lose weight, the two most common being liposuction and bariatric surgery. Liposuction is less invasive, and involves taking fat cells out of the body. It targets specific areas, such as the thighs and the abdomen. The downside to liposuction is that the fat usually returns in a few months; thus, many people require re-operations. Another form of surgery is bariatric surgery, which involves decreasing the size of the stomach so that less food is digested and absorbed. Bariatric surgery produces more drastic results, with patients losing up to 70% of the extra weight. However, it is also more invasive, and can have more serious risks and complications. Both kinds of surgery are costly. In 2002, the average cost for bariatric surgery is approximately $19,500.

Because of the high cost and the major risks associated with surgery, many people are turning to a cheaper and safer, albeit less effective, treatment option: weight loss pills. There are only approximately 10 drugs that have been approved by the FDA for weight loss, majority of which are appetite suppressants like phentermine. Using diet pills, such as phentermine, have been shown to produce lasting weight loss of approximately 10 pounds over a span of one year. Although it may require a longer time for an individual to lose weight with phentermine pills than with surgery, the pills are associated with fewer risks and low toxicities. Also, drug therapy for weight loss is much cheaper than surgery. On the average, patients spend approximately $300 for weight loss pills every year. Phentermine users spend even less than that, with costs of approximately $150 a year only!

Combined therapy, which includes a low-calorie diet, increase in physical activity, behavioral therapy and intake of weight loss medications, has been reported to be more effective than any of the said modalities used alone. Specifically, the use of phentermine diet pills help the individual adhere to a controlled diet program. Thus, phentermine weight loss pills help you lose weight while you try to form healthier eating and exercise habits.

Weight loss pills and surgery help combat obesity much more effectively. Between the two, weight loss pills work slowly, but are associated with fewer risks and much smaller costs. This is why a lot of people use phentermine weight loss pills. Try it and see for yourself