This article was originally published on HerAfter.com, a site devoted to women's wellness, style, beauty, and thriving after cancer.
A New Year's weight loss resolution is even more popular than you think! A statistical outline published by Details Magazine shows that 66 percent of those making resolutions on New Years aspire for fitness goals in the coming year. Unfortunately, 73 percent of those people give up before reaching their goals.
When it comes to fitness, the punishment-approach is unfortunately accepted as the norm. We ban sugar, we vow to eat low carb. Like toys to a child, we take away things we like as a sort of punishment for our previous indiscretions (extra pounds). Eventually, the method fails, the resolution is dropped. As someone who's tried this approach time and time again, my theory is now this: deep down you know you don't deserve to be punished, you don't even enjoy punishment. Eventually you remember that life is short, too short to feel deprived and unhappy in. It's not so simple as to say you gave up simply for lack of will power; I like to think that somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you deserve happiness over self-inflicted punishment. (I hope you're seeing this cycle evident in other parts of your life too...)
So rather than make your New Year's resolution for weight loss about removing things from your diet or cruelly inflicting your body and mind with rigid rules your bound to break, why not pay more attention to what you're doing rather than less? Why not put more on your metaphorical plate, while maybe still putting less on your physical plate, in order to make eating a more rich, rewarding experience.
In other words, rather than resolving to Eat Less... why not just Eat Better?
Trust me, you'll like this much better than your sugarless oats and protein shake lunch routine. Here's the fundamentals:
There is an age-old saying that is very close to being accurate, yet unforgivably disconnected from the truth of the matter: You Are What You Eat. In truth, it's not just what you eat that makes up what you are, but how you eat it.
A full eating experience includes not just what you eat, but how you go about it. Consuming copious amounts of fruits and vegetables is a beautiful thing, but not if done so with too much discipline (i.e., punishment).
A plate full of vegetables can be just as guilt-inducing as a plate full of pasta; if we're eating it with the belief that we are "bad" and "need to be punished/disciplined for our actions," then neither the vegetable nor the pasta will be rewarding. Conversely, in being aware of what we are eating, why we are eating it -- which is also one of the Five Life Changing Questions I shared on HuffPost recently -- we can clue in to that food and our every action's potential to either give us peace or give us unhappiness.
by HerAfter.com
It's not just what we eat, but how we eat it. Our relationship to food and the mindset we're in when we consume it directly corresponds with how we treat all of life. Moreover, how we care for our physical lives is just as important as how we emotionally care for it, not just in reward (end) but in preparation (beginning). Not just in result, but in intention. Food can be a beautiful thing, a very spiritual practice of taking stock in what the universe has offered us. Of being excited and aware of the flavors, of the colors, of the textures. Of being surprised by the ways it can be prepared, paired together. And in gratitude of the earth for offering so many wonderful ingredients to play with every day.
Try these tips to accomplishing your New Year's Weight Loss Resolution:
- Pre-plan not just what you eat, but where and when
Take time to get outside, meet a friend, sit in silence. Make eating a grand gesture.
- Choose Balance of Banishing
Don't try to banish certain foods or vices altogether. Put them into perspective, and keep control of portions.
- Pay Attention
What colors are present? What smells come alive as you cook? What senses come into play when you prepare, eat, taste your food? If you're not familiar with the practice of mindful eating, start by studying up: watching a cooking show (Top Chef is our favorite!) to prime you into the wonderful world of food.
Eventually, the practice of eating well to enjoy the food will translate into eating well to enjoy life, and be kind to your body. When food stops being only an emotional reward for when things go wrong, it can be an act of loving kindness to progress things toward going right. It can be a reward for good behavior -- presence -- instead of a discipline or punishment or gift for bad behavior of yourself or others.
Eat in peace, be at peace.
Want an even bigger kickstart to your New Years weight loss resolutions, and to making 2016 your best year? Get the HerAfter Lifestyle Guide on Amazon now!
Rachael is a writer, blogger, cancer survivor and the author of HerAfter.com, a women's site about conscious and stylish living. After years as a fashion journalist, she now writes women's lifestyle articles about life, love, style, and thriving after surviving not just cancer, but all of life's big battles. Catch up with her on Twitter ( @RachaelYahne ) and read more of her work on her website, and in her new ebook, Her Happier, Healthier After -- A Women's Guide to Building Happiness and Self-Esteem