I, like so many others, have a New Year’s resolution. I want to lose weight and get fit.

While most people don’t stick out their resolutions for more than a few days or weeks, I’m actually good at sticking to New Year’s resolutions. For the past few years my goals have been the same: pay off my credit card bills each month, go on an interesting adventure/vacation, stay in touch with friends by seeing at least one a week and run the Bolder Boulder. One year the goal was to run the Bolder Boulder in a sub-60. I had to work that day, but I ran a different 10K in sub-60 so I figured that was close enough.

This year, I need to lose weight. My doctor told me LAST YEAR I needed to lose weight, instead I gained more. I know many people who’ve lost weight and gained it back. I’ve never lost weight except when I got sick or there was a personal sadness. And yes, I gained that back and some more.

I made a good start in November. I was working out, I was losing weight for the first time. Then I got sick. Honestly, I just got off track.

So, I’m starting over. If you're just starting, talk to your doctor. Even if you are very overweight, it’s likely your doctor will say you can walk.

Next, make a commitment you can stick with. What will make you stick with it? There are tons of options for working out, but you have to figure out what will work for you.

Options:

Working out at home. It can be tough to stick to this. You need to answer two questions: what and when. What is what exercise equipment you’ll actually use? Is it a treadmill, an elliptical, a bike? Consider putting it by a television or buying one. Consider taping your favorite show or two and only watching it on the treadmill, elliptical, etc… If you say you’re going to walk or run outside, get some gear so you won’t wimp out on a cold day. Now the when. Set your alarm 19 minutes or 34 minutes early. 2 minutes to get up, 2 minutes to dress, 15 or 30 minutes to work out. If early isn’t for you, then make sure your family knows you’re going to work out every evening when you get home. If you’re going to walk at lunch, set a reminder to pop up and tell it’s time. (Don’t forget you can buy used equipment on craigslist.com, ebay.com or Play It Again Sports if you want to save some money)

Do you need motivation? Then ask your friends. Maybe 1 friend will commit to Mondays, maybe another friend will commit to Wednesdays. Ask them!

Does spending money keep you a track? Then hire a personal trainer. Some work at gyms, some have their own gyms, some will come to your house. While celebrities hire trainers to come to their home every day, you can hire one to come once a week, once a month, whatever you need to keep you committed.

Don’t join a gym unless you are going to go. Gyms are packed in January and empty by March. That’s because people quit. Consider paying the daily, drop-in fee once a week for a few weeks to see if you will stick with it. Consider going to your local rec center. Most let you pay by the day or even buy a 10 entrance punch card.

Sign up for a class. Try jazzercise. They have locations all over town. If paying/signing up for a class will get you/keep you motivated, then do it.

If you try one idea and it doesn’t work out, then try something else. Don’t give up.

As for diet, one way to get started is figure out how many calories you’re really eating every day. Did you know sometimes a certain Wendy’s salad has twice the calories of a cheeseburger? One way to get started is a food diary. Write down EVERYTHING you eat, every gumball, every piece of candy, every meal, etc… There are Web sites that’ll help. I’m using a free one called The Daily Plate. They give you a free food journal with calorie counts and fitness log. It will help you figure out if you’re working out enough to burn the calories you’re eating. Day one, I only got credit for burning 69 calories during my 30 minute workout, proof I need to workout harder.

Weight loss is tough, but it’s also simple. Burn more calories than you’re eating. If you need help staying on goal, e-mail me Deb Stanley (Deb_Stanley@kmgh.com)and I’ll email you once a week to help us both keep going!

Fitness trainer and exercise medicine specialist Jane Hastings says:

Deb has some great ideas to get and keep on track. Resolutions can sometimes seem routine and cumbersome. I feel the same way…Why do we always do this for the New Year????
Well as much as resolutions can become empty wishes for some, I do feel that the New Year represents time to reflect on what we do want in our lives to become better people. It is a good time to check in with yourself and reevaluate your past attempts and fine tune your energy so that you can move more successfully toward your goals.
I agree with Deb that you need to write EVERYTHING down. Write down your goals and post them somewhere you will see them often.
Write down everything that goes in your mouth.
Write down your exercise everyday.
Write down when you do nothing so you can see it clearly.
The best way to achieve your goals is to be accountable to someone else.
Tell everyone you know what you are doing and what it is you want.
Get a partner. Hire a trainer, a nutritionist, a coach.
Let no thing or no one get in your way… especially you. You can do it, just believe it.
Set you sights on what you want, believe in yourself and go for it.
Happy New You.

You can reach Jane at (303) 871-8661 or visit her Web site Mad About Fitness.