Resolutions & Fat (Weight) Loss

The last couple of years, I haven’t made “New Year Resolutions”. I used to do this, going through the ritual so many others do, setting out to change things based on arbitrary date on the calendar. 2016 was probably the last year I set a full-on “resolution”.

You will see the term ‘fat loss’ frequently interchanged with ‘weight loss’. I try not to mix these terms; when I talk about weight loss in terms of overweight individuals, I will always refer to fat loss. Losing fat will cause you to lose weight in most cases; most people won’t lose fat and gain muscle at the same weight rate.

The reason is that the most common resolutions involve fitness and wellness. However, since I’ve incorporated fitness into my life, I don’t feel the need to set a ‘resolution’; I’m already clocking into the gym regularly, I’m already meal prepping, so it’s hard to say specific things I want to change on a cut off.

Instead of resolutions, I make a set of goals. What do I want to achieve in the coming months, this coming year, and in the coming years. Because many of my goals are multi-year long term fitness goals I have to think a few steps ahead. I know what I want to achieve, so I have to incrementally push myself into that direction.

So are resolutions bad? Absolutely not! The trick to resolutions is to make sure you integrate them into your life. Whatever your resolution, you have to figure out not just how to achieve that resolution short term but how to maintain it long term.

You want to lose fat? Awesome resolution. Figure out the best place for you to start. Think of it in terms not of “going to gym” but rather “increasing activity”. It doesn’t matter what activity you do, as long as you’re doing it. Want to increase activity? Go for a walk each day. You should walk before you run, both figuratively as well as literally.

Find activity that makes sense for what you want to achieve and that you enjoy. For me, I found picking up really heavy things is what excited me. I found love in deadlifts and that’s what has driven me. It’s cued into what my body goals are, as well, so it’s a great solution for me. It’s not for everyone. Don’t listen to people who define fitness as a defined thing; many will say it’s running, some will say it is lifting. You do you and you find what you like to do. Your first choice may not excite you, so go and find another one. The only wrong answer is to do nothing, as that won’t move you closer to your goals.

You may enjoy multiple things, and that’s fantastic as well. Personally, I like lifting weights but I also enjoy some hardcore high intensity cardio workouts using dynamic exercises.

When I think about resolutions, it takes me back to when I began my fitness journey. I hated any type of exercise. I knew I wanted a specific body type, I specific set of abilities, but I also hated the work to get me there. Over the course of the first year, I had someone who was amazingly supportive and I continued to add to that support group. Do the same; look for those people who will support and encourage you.

“You look great the way you are.” This is a common comment when people begin down fitness journeys. You do, but perhaps you have other goals. Ultimately, it’s about what you want, your long term health objectives, and what you want out of life. If you want to be faster, stronger, healthier, more athletic, or whatever else your goals are, then you need to focus on that and how to get there.

Here is the thing about goals… they change. They evolve. Goals beget other goals. When I started, my goal was “be less fat”. Then it became about strength, and size, and athleticism. I had an idea of what I wanted to achieve long term, but I didn’t know how to get there, or if I could. I’m still not at my long term goals yet, but I’m making progress. Remember to be open to changing your goals, but stay focused on a few objectives as a time. Break your long term goals into shorter term goals.

Build your network of friends and allies to help you in your goals. Find folks who have similar goals on social media and bounce ideas off of them. A lot of the people on Instagram, for example, have become great resources for me to just bounce ideas because I engaged them in comments on their posts and we’ve connected through that. Isn’t that the great thing about social media? It expands our networks.

Sometimes it helps when someone has been through what you are going through. Find those people who have been successful at shedding fat and keeping it off.

Ultimately, setting a New Year Resolution can be a great way to set a goal for the coming year. Just keep at it, remember you may not succeed right away, and always know you don’t have to wait until next year to start over. Just restart and get back at it each time until you succeed.