Are you like most dieters, where each year you start a New Year’s weight loss goal and then quickly fail miserable in your attempt, only to try it again the next year with exactly the same response? How reasonable are your weight resolutions? Let us help you to achieve success in your weight loss goals in the easiest possible manner.

Many people who set New Year’s weight loss goals, often set goals that are unreasonable and unrealistic for them to achieve. Dieters need to look at the big picture and the benefits to their health of losing weight or more importantly focusing on long term changes in their lifestyle. When people fail to meet their weight loss goals, they often consider the plan a failure and go right back to eating the way they did before they started dieting and often will balloon past their previous weight.

The best New Year’s weight loss goals are not just changing your eating habits, but more importantly changing your lifestyle as well. Not all goals are appropriate for everyone, my weight loss goals and your weight loss goals are not going to be the same, because it is relative to where we both got started trying to lose weight. A 23 year old fairly healthy woman trying to lose a couple of pounds to look good for her boyfriend will try to lose weight very differently than a 67 year old woman who is morbidly obese and living a sedentary lifestyle.

In order to set a healthy weight loss goal, try to lose 5 to 10 percent of your body weight spread out over a six month period. After reaching that goal, you can then decide whether or not to set a new goal of losing an additional 5 to 10 percent of your body weight. Your body may try and fight the weight loss and you may not always see the results on the scale that you want, but remember that if you are exercising more and eating healthier, then you are absolutely healthier than you were before you started.

People who tend to lose weight quickly, usually will gain the weight right back again. Your goal should be to keep the weight off permanently. It is not that difficult to lose 20 pounds in 20 days, but it is a difficult goal to have long term weight loss success.

Here are New Year’s Weight Loss Goals for Long Term Success:

1. Set goals to achieve long-term lifestyle changes, rather than short-term weight loss.

2. Be realistic about the effort your weight loss goal will require.

3. Choose a dieting plan that doesn’t permanently eliminating all the foods you enjoy; otherwise you are setting yourself up for failure.

4. Set a schedule and start exercising at least 5 days a week and stick to it.

5. Lastly, any time is a good time to start a weight loss program, not just the beginning of a new year.