It’s that time, yet again!  Is weight loss one of your resolutions for the New Year? If you’re like most people, this resolution is high on your list year after year – to get healthy and lose weight. Would you like 2014 to be the last time you make a weight loss resolution?

While it may seem like losing your love handles and jiggly thighs is a resolution that just keeps repeating itself, that doesn’t have to be the case. You can reach your weight loss goal this year, and here are our best suggestions to help you reach those goals, once and for all:

Define why you want to lose weight. You can’t go after something and expect to get it if you don’t have a clear understanding of why you want it. Take some time and think about why weight loss is important to you. Make a list of the positive ways your life will change once you reach a lower, healthier weight, and keep that vision in front of you at all times.

Set specific, realistic goals. Let’s face it, most of us gained the extra weight over a period of years, and it is not realistic to think we can make it disappear in a matter of weeks. Plus, it’s not enough to say that you want to lose weight. You need to have a specific, realistic goals set – and the best weight loss goal isn’t always weight.  Rather, set your sights on a realistic clothing size you want to reach or specify a weight range that would be healthy for your body type. Use your power of visualization every day to get you closer to your goal.

Create a success plan. Being prepared is critically important in reaching long term success. When you have no idea how you’re going to reach your goal, you are severely limiting the odds that you will. Take the time to read and understand the guidelines of the plan you intend to follow. Make a commitment to follow the plan faithfully and be sure to plan around events, vacations etc. The most successful plans do not require more than one or two changes up front – be realistic and take a step at a time.

For example, if you want to lose weight on the HCG diet, use a calendar to plan out each round. Make a commitment that for the first 10 weeks (four weeks of VLCD and six weeks of Maintenance) you will follow the protocol and nothing more. Then commit to adding some form of movement a few times a week. Increase your commitment in stages so that your body gets stronger and healthier with steps that easily integrate into your lifestyle.

Make a list of motivators. Because the newness will tend to wear off, you must have motivators in place to keep you going well past the first several weeks. Make a list of the things that inspire you to reach your goals (whether they are quotes, experiences, or people, for example) and make motivation as much a part of your day as the mechanics of your plan.

Have a reward schedule. Don’t wait until you reach your final goal before you congratulate yourself for all of your positive changes. Give yourself some type of reward when you meet small milestones (such as every ten pounds lost or for working out five days in a row) and you’ll find it easier to stick with the process until you reach your final weight loss goal. Whether it’s a new pair of shoes, a gadget, a massage, or a single rose, reward yourself with something (other than food) that reminds you how special you are.

Enlist the help of others. It’s normal to want to go through the process of losing weight alone because, after all, you gained the weight all by yourself, right? However, it’s a fact that having a support system and one-on-one coaching (like the coaching provided by the ThinNow coaching team, who all have certifications in Nutrition, Food Psychology, and more, and have all achieved long-term weight loss) greatly increases your odds of reaching your weight loss goals. If you get support from the people who want to see you succeed, it’s like having your own cheering section where everyone wants you to win. You can receive strength and encouragement at times when you just can’t seem to give it to yourself.

Get a positive mindset. How you approach your weight loss has a huge impact on whether you will ever see it come to pass. If the process is completely negative to you, you won’t stick with it. Keep positive despite your struggles, keep your vision and your excitement in the forefront of your mind, and your goal won’t be able to elude you. Know that you are WORTH it!

Commit. If you truly want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to fully commit to the process. We hear that from 100% of our clients who have achieved lasting success. You have to be willing to do what it takes to make permanent changes to the way you live despite the fact that it isn’t always easy to do so (and that people around you are doing the opposite). Commit to making a healthier and happier you, and success will be drawn to you like metal to a magnet.

By committing to this process, not only will you lose the weight, you will learn and build lifestyle changes that will not only keep the weight off, but will also ensure a healthier life for you AND your loved ones.

Do these eight things and 2014 can be the year that you not only lose the weight, but also keep it off…. forever! Imagine how amazing that will feel!