It’s probably the most often made New Year’s Resolution: lose weight and get into shape. The gyms are packed, the sports stores sell out of equipment, and the streets are cluttered with new joggers. People make this promise year after year, and typically, by the end of January, most of them have given up.
However, some don’t. Sometimes, that New Year’s resolution becomes attainable and do-able. Sometimes, people really do succeed when they vow, on January 1, to lose weight and get into shape. I did it, and I asked several other successful dieters to share their successes with us.
Kelly Guy, of the blog, No Thanks to Cake, says, “If I were to look back at my New Year’s resolutions for the past 10 years, weight loss was always on the list. Sometimes I actually resolved to lose the extra weight, and even when I didn’t it was in the front of my mind.” She’s lost 74 pounds so far and is close to reaching her goal, although she shares, “I didn’t hit my goal in 2024. I still have 17 lbs remaining before I hit my weight loss goal; however, I don’t believe weight loss will be on my to-do list this year. Healthy living has become a way of life; it’s no longer something that I’m desperately trying to achieve and that I will maintain. ”
Christina McKnight, who has lost 35 pounds and chronicled most of it on Twitter (@Xtinamcknight), had a very simple starting point: shame. “I was just tired of seeing myself with all of the weight I had gained. I was miserable and was tired of not wanting to go anywhere because I was ashamed.”
But, many find it difficult to get started. They may have been sedentary for so long that it just becomes easier to be lazy than to get up and get moving. Jacqui Garangan, from Kuwait, who has lost 46 pounds since making her New Year’s Resolution says, “Don’t wait before it’s too late! I regret the fact that now losing 46 lbs and knowing I could do it, I should have moved my butt earlier back then. You can never get back the time you wasted.”
McKnight agrees with her. “Set realistic goals. It doesn’t happen overnight and there’s no magic pill or secret diet. It’s about eating healthy balanced meals and working out. Hang in there and do it the healthy way and you won’t regret it!”
How do you keep moving forward? Beginning is, truly, the easier aspect of weight loss for some people. Once they get going, the pull to quit can be intense. Guy is a big advocate of journaling so you don’t fall back into those bad habits. “Record your journey. For me, I used my blog, but I know that’s not for everyone. At minimum, take pictures and measurements. If you have more time, write down how you FELT along the way. For me, how I felt when I overindulged or how I felt when I hit one of my mini-goals are some of my most eye-opening records and ones that I treasure dearly.”
Guy wants us all to know, “We all have a starting weight. Whether you have 5 lbs or 105 lbs to lose, we all have to begin somewhere. Don’t be ashamed of where you’re at. Be proud that your choosing to make a change.”
Making a New Year’s resolution not only improves your health, but it can transform you in ways you didn’t think possible. Garangan credits her weight loss with helping her find herself. “ANYTHING is possible if your heart is into it. I did it! Now I can run 2.5 miles minimum. I can dance again.”
Guy says that with her weight loss has come a very valuable lesson: strength. “I learned that there isn’t anything I can’t do. I know that’s a lesson that we all learn as children, but as adults, it’s easy to get buried in the hustle-and-bustle and forget this fundamental principle. I’ve also learned that the most fulfilling part of this entire process has been being able to inspire others.”
Did you make a weight loss resolution this year? Share it with us, and use the inspiration of these women to know that you, too, can be successful!
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